Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Velvety and ripe with lovely acid structure, bright plum and blackberry fruit; classic, showing vanilla, minerals and impressive finesse; elegant, complex, long and exceptional - a great vineyard beautifully expressed.
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James Suckling
Chocolate and black olives with some plums and berries. Fresh and delicious. Medium body. Round tannins. Walnut. Really holding on beautifully. Drink now.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2011 Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palms Vineyard Merlot, shaped by one of the coolest growing seasons in the winery’s memory, shows finely etched, mature black-fruit flavors and a poised, stylish demeanor. Its restraint and savory nuance make it a compelling conversation wine alongside a refined bánh mì layered with chicken-liver pâté, roasted pork, pickled daikon and carrot, fresh cilantro, and a light brush of chili-lime aioli—an elevated take that mirrors the wine’s balance and quiet sophistication. (Tasted: February 3, 2026, Napa, CA)
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Wine Spectator
Impressively structured, with floral aromas of black cherry, toasty spice and cedar, and dense layered flavors of red currant. dried herb and spice. An excellent Merlot in a tough vintage.
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
One of Napa Valley’s oldest wine growing subregions but last to gain appellation status, Calistoga occupies the northernmost section of the valley. Beginning at the foot of Mount St. Helena, its vineyards stretch over steep canyons and roll out onto the valley floor. The soils in Calistoga are volcanic, which means they are heavy in minerals, low in organic matter and allow good drainage for vine roots, creating less green growth and more concentration of flavor within the grape berries.
Summer days are very hot but most nights cool down with moist ocean breezes sneaking in over the Mayacamas Mountains or from Knights Valley to its northwest.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the area’s star variety with Zinfandel coming in a strong second, though the latter commands far less price per tonnage so continues to be outshined by Cabernet in vineyard acreage, save for some important exceptions.