From the Super Tuscan wines of Italy to the Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignons of Australia, each great wine-growing region has created its own authentic varietal pairing blending its own indigenous grapes with one or more of the “international” varieties. This is Duckhorn’s contribution to that idea: a fusion of the robust flavours of California’s own Zinfandel with the grandeur of Cabernet Sauvignon, a marriage of joyful brashness and subtlety.
 The Duckhorn Wine Company originally created Paraduxx to allow their winemakers the freedom to explore other styles without detracting from Duckhorn Vineyards’ focus on Bordeaux varietals. In 1994 Paraduxx sourced four tons of Zinfandel from the 100 year old vines of Napa’s Korte vineyard. This was blended with Duckhorn’s own estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah to create the first Paraduxx vintage. As the winery evolved it grew to include grapes from the Rector Creek vineyard in Yountville, a vineyard that benefits from well-drained rocky alluvial soils and Napa’s temperate climate. The winemaking team has been so pleased with this vineyard over time that it has become the foundation for the development of Paraduxx.
 In 2007 David Galzignato joined Paraduxx as winemaker and continues the work which, from the very first vintage, has centred around finding the optimum blend, one that is contemporary and out of the ordinary, using combinations of Merlot and Cabernet Franc to enhance the core pairing of Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition, from the jammy quality of valley Zinfandel to the tannic spiciness of mountain grown grapes David experiments with blending fruit from distinct vineyard lots at differing elevations. The wine is barrel-aged in a combination of both French and American oak for 18 months. Every year a different artist is commissioned to design the label which always features a pair of ducks native to the Pacific Flyway.
 In the autumn of 2005 a new Paraduxx winery opened its doors along the Silverado trail, just up the road from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.  The centrepiece of the new estate is a unique ten-sided fermentation building inspired by traditional round barns but housing a state of the art winemaking facility. Considering too the Vineyard House tasting rooms and reception it is an impressive outlay given that it currently produces just one, single, solitary wine!