Goldeneye

Goldeneye was founded in 1996, years before the Pinot Noir boom that has reshaped the landscape of California winemaking. But the genesis for Goldeneye goes back even further. In 1990, after fifteen years of making world-class Bordeaux-varietal wines, Dan and Margaret Duckhorn embraced their growing love of Pinot Noir. Their vision for Goldeneye was simple—though not easy. They wanted to found 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.

Goldeneye’s early efforts quickly began to establish new standards of viticultural excellence and winemaking quality for the Anderson Valley. While these early wines met with acclaim, they were nonetheless thoughtful works in progress. In the years since, this progress has been shaped by new estate vineyards, new plantings of elite clones, the adoption of the most rigorous farming practices and constant winemaking refinements. Today, Goldeneye features the appellation’s preeminent Pinot Noir estate program, which spans the valley and includes three estate vineyards and more than 130 vine acres. Under the Goldeneye team’s stewardship, these vineyards were some of the first in California to achieve sustainable certification through the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. To properly handle these exceptional grapes, Goldeneye designed and built a state-of-the-art Pinot-focused winery, which is one of only a handful of wineries in California to have earned the coveted LEED Gold environmental certification. These advancements and investments have helped to elevate the perception of Anderson Valley to the pinnacle of New World winegrowing regions, while earning Goldeneye a reputation as one of California’s greatest Pinot Noir producers.