In 1990, after fifteen years of making world-class Bordeaux-varietal wines under the famous Duckhorn label, owners Dan and Margaret Duckhorn embraced their growing love of Pinot Noir. The vision for Goldeneye was simple - to start a winery that could make a terroir-inspired expression of California Pinot Noir of equal stature to the acclaimed Merlots they had pioneered at Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa Valley.
They knew that the finest Pinot Noir thrives in very different conditions than Merlot. They found what they were looking for in the Anderson Valley, an appellation that had all the ingredients for producing world-class Pinot. In 1996, Goldeneye Winery was founded and the first estate vineyard was selected. A year later, Goldeneye harvested its first grapes, a modest 7 tons of estate fruit yielding 375 cases of wine, which were released in March of 2000.
Today, Goldeneye features the appellation’s preeminent Pinot Noir estate program, which spans the valley and includes four estate vineyards and more than 200 acres under vine. Their style has become the benchmark for the region, and has catapulted Goldeneye to the ranks of the world’s finest Pinot Noir.