1980's and early-1990's Duckhorn. Why the price slide?

WINE TALK
1

These wines used to sell near $85 per bottle, but are now easily available for $35.

2

Because nobody cares…
I’m not being snippy, just true. I tried to help someone unload a boatload a few years ago and was shocked at what the offers were, $35 for single vineyard Merlot that’s 20 years old and stores perfectly? Would think at least double $35, but nope…

3

Is that early duck horn any good? Couldn’t find any info on it

4

They’re pretty delicious, old school in comparison, the fruit is still holding on strong for well stored bottles, at $35 a steal when comparing current Napa releases.

They’re Merlot in particular is one to seek out with a bit of age.

5

After Hurricane Katrina, Duckhorn shipped several back vintages of Cabernet and of Merlot. I had the opportunity to buy several bottles of 1980’s vintages at the shop where I worked.

The wines had all been stored at the Duckhorn winery in ideal conditions for the previous decades. Two were beyond over the hill, one was decent yet fell apart relatively quickly. I was not impressed.

I hope that I just had bad luck. I believe that the vintages were 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1989. I believe that the 1987 was the only tolerable bottle…

6

My experience is that older bottlings of cabernet sauvignon and merlot have aged very well and can still last,
for many California wineries, such as Cuvaison, Beringer, La Jota, St. Supery, Mondavi, Phelps, Beaulieu, etc.
-----with Duckhorn as the big exception.
Fifteen years ago, I loved 1994 Duckhorn cabernet, whether its Howell Mountain or Napa versions. Then, in
recent years, the same seemed to have disintegrated in taste, texture, and structure. One bottle looked like
black precipitate in light purple water. Odd. I had considered reaching out to Tom Rinaldi, but figured that
would be futile or uninformative.

7

I just opened a 1987 last week that I got from WineBid. Kind of on the down slide but I certainly wasn’t mad paying $35 for it.

8

That actually underscores my point.

9

Or perhaps you’re just playing us - you’re actually selling these right now and are trying to find a way to increase pricing?!?!? [snort.gif]

10

I am not.
By the way, do you post tasting notes of your own wines?

11

Victor,

Nope - I do not. Others do and I chime in with winemaking details, etc. but I don’t even have ‘tasting notes’ for my wines in my tasting room. Not a fan of a winemaker telling others what he/she tastes - I prefer to either include CT notes or none and allow folks to find what they find . . .

Cheers.

12

Admirable. [cheers.gif]

13

Duckhorn is now owned by GI partners, so they were probably selling off the library to get back some of their initial investment, but now they just make gobs of wine across several brands. They are almost like a mini-Wagner type operation.

14

The offerings on one auction site are across different vintages and bottlings (Napa, versus Howell Mountain),
but do not appear voluminous enough to indicate a library liquidation.

15

Ah, sorry, that was more directed at Drew’s comment than yours.

16

By comparison, older Laurel Glen, La Jota, Flora Springs, Ridge, and Beringer red wines on any auction site
move quite well, and have been stable or even appreciating with age (unlike me [cry.gif] ).

17

Love me some older Laurel Glen. Have a 2000 sitting around for my daughter’s 21st birthday!

18

Well Duckhorn was one of the ‘new wave’ wineries that seem to last up to 20 yrs. I haven’t felt that La Jota’s age that well, but those Laurel Glen age as well as Dunn and Togni, just not as tannic.

19
20

Three Palms was always great Merlot. Had an epic night once at a N Vegas Gentleman’s club that revolved around this wine.