Goldeneye

Goldeneye was founded in 1996 by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn as the cool-climate Pinot Noir specialist of the broader Duckhorn family of wines. The Duckhorns had founded Duckhorn Vineyards in St. Helena in 1976 and built that house's reputation on Napa Valley Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc. After fifteen years in Bordeaux varieties they turned their attention to Pinot Noir and spent six years studying potential sites before settling on Anderson Valley, attracted by the Pacific fog that pushes through the Navarro River corridor and the cool growing season the AVA provides. The founding purchase was an 80-acre ranch that included a small winery and existing vineyard, and the first new estate vines went into the ground at Confluence Vineyard in the spring of 1997. The inaugural 1997 harvest produced just 375 cases of Pinot Noir, released in 2000. The estate grew steadily across subsequent decades by acquiring additional ranches at different points in the valley.

• Founded 1996 by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in the Anderson Valley AVA
• Duckhorn Vineyards parent founded 1976 in St. Helena, Napa Valley; built reputation on Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc
• First vines planted at Confluence Vineyard in spring 1997 after a six-year site search for cool-climate Pinot Noir
• Inaugural 1997 vintage yielded approximately 375 cases and was released in 2000

Goldeneye farms approximately 200 acres of vineyard across four named estate ranches positioned along the length of the Anderson Valley. Confluence Vineyard sits at the headwaters of the Navarro River, the most protected of the four ranches from coastal influence and the original 1997 planting that began the program. Gowan Creek Vineyard, the 70-acre home ranch two miles north of Confluence, sees appreciably more coastal fog than Confluence and carries eight Pinot Noir clones across the site. The Narrows Vineyard occupies a narrow ridgetop at the northernmost tip of the valley and is one of the coolest sites in the AVA, with mature Pinot Noir vines that predate Goldeneye's acquisition. Split Rail Vineyard rounds out the four-ranch estate. The set provides terroir contrasts from warmer protected sites to cool fog-dominant ridgetops, with soils ranging from alluvial valley floor to sandstone and shale on hillside parcels.

• Approximately 200 acres of estate vineyard across four ranches in Anderson Valley
• Confluence Vineyard: the original 1997 planting at the headwaters of the Navarro River; warmer and most protected from coastal influence
• Gowan Creek Vineyard: the 70-acre home ranch two miles north of Confluence; eight Pinot Noir clones; more fog influence than Confluence
• The Narrows Vineyard: ridgetop site at the cool, fog-dominant northern end of the AVA; mature pre-existing Pinot Noir vines

Kristen McMahan has served as head winemaker at Goldeneye since June 2021. She joined the estate as an enologist, was promoted to enologist II, then to assistant winemaker in February 2020, and to winemaker in June 2021, giving her a long internal apprenticeship with the existing program before taking over. She succeeded Katey Larwood, who had followed Michael Fay; Fay served as head winemaker at Goldeneye before moving to Oregon to oversee Domaine Serene. McMahan emphasizes single-vineyard and single-clone fermentations, restrained French oak use, and preservation of site character rather than imposed extraction. The program retains the multi-clone, multi-ranch approach that has defined Goldeneye since its founding while continuing to refine the distinctions between the four estate vineyards.

• Kristen McMahan: head winemaker since June 2021; rose internally from enologist to enologist II to assistant winemaker (Feb 2020) to winemaker
• Predecessors: Katey Larwood (McMahan's immediate predecessor) and, earlier, Michael Fay, who moved to Domaine Serene in Oregon
• Stylistic emphasis on single-vineyard and single-clone fermentations with restrained French oak
• Multi-clone, multi-ranch program retained from founding, with continuing refinement of site distinctions

The Goldeneye portfolio is anchored by the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir appellation flagship, which draws fruit from all four estate ranches. A tier of single-vineyard bottlings then expresses the differences between sites: Confluence Vineyard Pinot Noir from the warmer protected headwaters position, Gowan Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir from the home ranch with greater fog influence, and The Narrows Vineyard Pinot Noir from the cool northern ridgetop. Reserve and limited bottlings round out the lineup in select vintages. Beyond Pinot Noir, the estate produces a Brut Rosé sparkling wine made from estate Pinot Noir base wine and small quantities of Anderson Valley Chardonnay. Critical recognition for the single-vineyard tier has run consistently in the low to mid 90 point range across major American wine publications.

• Anderson Valley Pinot Noir: appellation flagship blending fruit from all four estate ranches
• Single-vineyard tier: Confluence Vineyard Pinot Noir, Gowan Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir, The Narrows Vineyard Pinot Noir
• Brut Rosé sparkling from estate Pinot Noir base wine; limited Anderson Valley Chardonnay
• Single-vineyard bottlings score consistently in the low to mid 90-point range across major American wine publications

Goldeneye sits inside The Duckhorn Portfolio, the parent company that went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 under the ticker NAPA and was taken private by Butterfly Equity in 2024. The portfolio today includes Duckhorn Vineyards, Goldeneye, Paraduxx, Migration, Decoy, Canvasback, Calera (the Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir pioneer founded by Josh Jensen in 1975 and acquired by Duckhorn in 2017), Kosta Browne, Greenwing, and Postmark. Postmark is not a separately acquired winery but rather a Duckhorn-launched brand drawn primarily from the 289-acre Bottom Line Ranch in Paso Robles, which Duckhorn acquired in May 2022 with 265 planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. Within that portfolio Goldeneye remains the single-AVA Pinot Noir specialist anchor, with a public tasting room in Philo that serves as a destination on the Anderson Valley wine route.

• Parent The Duckhorn Portfolio: NYSE listed in 2021 (NAPA); taken private by Butterfly Equity in 2024
• Portfolio brands include Duckhorn Vineyards, Goldeneye, Paraduxx, Migration, Decoy, Canvasback, Calera (acquired 2017), Kosta Browne, Greenwing, and Postmark
• Postmark is a Duckhorn-launched brand drawn from the 289-acre Bottom Line Ranch in Paso Robles (acquired May 2022, 265 planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon), not a separately acquired winery
• Goldeneye Philo tasting room is a destination on the Anderson Valley wine route