Goldeneye Winery: Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Legacy
Goldeneye Winery Gambled on Anderson Valley…and Let the World in on Its Pinot Noir Potential
Goldeneye Winery Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Legacy began in the 1990s when Dan and Margaret Duckhorn discovered Anderson Valley’s potential for world-class Pinot Noir.
When Dan and Margaret Duckhorn enjoyed a bottle of Ferrington Vineyard’s William Selyem Pinot Noir over dinner one night in the 1990s, they had no idea the impact it would have on their future endeavors. Soon after that first taste, the couple traveled to Anderson Valley, the remote Mendocino County wine region where the Pinot Noir was produced, and fell in love with the area’s quirky charm and pastoral feel and made an on-the-spot offer for a modest, four-acre plot of land.
At the time, Anderson Valley was known more for sheep and apples than it was fine wine, but the Duckhorns saw its potential, launching Goldeneye Winery in Philo in 1996. They hired Zach Rasmussen, who’d moved to the area from Napa Valley and previously served as an assistant winemaker at Husch Vineyards. He signed on with Goldeneye in 1999, and together, they expanded that four-acre plot into a more than 200-acre operation, with the new team laying the foundation for serious Pinot Noir production in the region.
Goldeneye’s Influence on the Anderson Valley Community
Back then, Goldeneye lacked a strong presence within the surrounding community, but Zach, alongside wine industry veteran Bob Nye, formerly of Scharffenberger Cellars, set out to change that.
“Bob was a very community-focused guy,” Zach said. “We committed ourselves to putting community first.”
The pair didn’t just “talk the talk” – they put their plans into action, supporting the local housing association and cancer society, hosting a cookout for local firefighters and even donating a parcel of land to the fire department it could use to construct a new firehouse. As their support for the surrounding community grew, so, too, did their production and distribution plans, with Zach leading the charge to make Goldeneye the first nationally distributed Pinot Noir produced in Anderson Valley.
Goldeneye Winery and Anderson Valley Pinot Noir’s Rise
Goldeneye Winery: Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Legacy is a story of how one winery transformed the region into a world-class Pinot Noir destination.
Thirst for Pinot Noir was peaking at the time, thanks in part to the widespread success of “Sideways,” a 2004 movie in which main character Miles had a penchant for Pinot Noir and an aversion to Merlot. Wine critics also started giving Anderson Valley wines more favorable scores, prompting the greater wine world to take the viticultural area more seriously. These factors, combined with the Duckhorn Family’s existing capital and distribution expertise, set the stage for large-scale Pinot Noir production unlike anything Anderson Valley had seen to date. The Goldeneye team made plans to produce 25,000 cases of $55 Pinot Noir – a lofty goal for an Anderson Valley wine operation at the time.
To publicize their efforts, Zach and the other members of the Goldeneye team made a point to refer to themselves as “Goldeneye Anderson Valley,” rather than simply “Goldeneye,” hoping the move would help the rest of the world start to recognize the region the wine came from.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing, though – Anderson Valley’s low land prices were reflective of the climactic characteristics of the area, with frost, limited water and other factors creating challenges with farming Anderson Valley’s remote terrain. Still, Goldeneye’s wines earned considerable praise from the start, helping cement Anderson Valley’s seat at the world’s wine table.
Goldeneye Helps to Grow the Pinot Noir Festival
As Goldeneye’s reputation grew, so, too, did its team’s efforts to ingratiate itself into the community and culture of Anderson Valley. The winery began helping grow Anderson Valley’s annual Pinot Noir Festival, which started as a small operation spread out over several card tables. Over time, the event grew in both size and scope, with Goldeneye eventually creating a grove on its own property where it would host future editions of the festival. Goldeneye did just that until 2017, helping establish Anderson Valley as a haven and travel destination for Pinot Noir fans.
Goldeneye & Other Innovators
Other wineries also noticed Goldeneye’s growing success and presence in the region, and while Zach and the rest of the team are proud to have made an impact in the area’s Pinot Noir production, they’re also quick to credit those that came before them.
“Husch, the Oswald family – others did the hard work,” Zach said. “We weren’t pioneers, but we were innovators.”By the early 1990s, Sonoma-based winemakers like Ted Lemon had already discovered the area and were making Pinot Noir from the region.
While Goldeneye’s efforts helped expand the reach and reputation of Anderson Valley, they also clued other winemakers in on the area’s potential, inspiring them to explore new styles, expand production practices and improve the quality of the wines they produced. This is why the Goldeneye Winery: Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Legacy is crucial to the region’s history.
Zach and Goldeneye also helped set new standards for sustainability in wine production and building design in the region, with Zach overseeing the construction of Goldeneye’s eco-friendly, LEED-certified production facility in Philo. While Zach no longer lives in the Anderson Valley area, he still stops by to spend time at Goldeneye, catch up with old friends and colleagues, and attend special events when time permits. The next special event in Anderson Valley is the annual Pinot Noir Festival, which will take over the lawn at Sharffenberger Cellars when it returns June 12-14, 2026 – less than a mile down the road from where Goldeneye established its own legacy.
Learn more in Anderson Valley Winegrowers.
“I spent some of the best years of my life in Anderson Valley,” Zach said. “And it’s still part of my heart to this day.”