New Decoy 'Limited' Wines Reviewed

 Duckhorn's affordable Decoy brand of affordable California wines has been winning from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The mostly varietal wines (plus a rosé and red blend) are extremely well-made and sell for right around $20, give or take a couple bucks. With Duckhorn's well-established retail distribution network, these Decoy wines were absolutely ripe for discovery by serious American wine drinkers. Consistent across-the-board, they are exactly the kind of wines that establish the kind of consumer loyalty that Duckhorn has been famous for at higher price levels for decades. 

The blue-label Decoy 'Limited' line sees the Decoy label extending up to the $30 price point, often with a Napa Valley AVA designation with regard to fruit sources.Are the wines enough better to justify the price point? It probably depends on how flush you feel, but from what I've had so far, and this is a young project, the wines are marginally classier for a marginal price increase. 

I remain impressed by the every year baseline performance from the basic Decoy wines, but let's see how the 'Limited' line fares in the future. With all of the fires and over and under supplies of grapes, these are tricky times for grape buying and winemaking. Consumers like consistency, and the more regionally dependent you are as a brand, the more vulnerable you are to devastating losses.

As much as the 'Limited' range makes sense for consumers upgrading during Covid-19 lockdowns, can the wines get down to a $10 to $12 by-the-glass restaurant proposition as restaurant restrictions loosen up, and won't that be just close enough to the original Decoy to create a little bit of consumer confusion... 

Decoy Limited 2018 Red Wine Napa Valley ($30) A blend of 43% Merlot, 25% Zinfandel, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Tempranillo. This is very deep in color, rich and dense, but also showing a nice fresh blueberry aroma along with chocolate and brambly blackberry notes. It has a generous core of brambly blackberry and blueberry pie that coats the mouth and lingers through the vanilla and mocha finish. If you generally prefer European wine, you might find this red a bit over-the-top, but if you like well-made wines with ripe, sunny California fruit, this wine is right up your alley. I'm guessing the Tempranillo is not from Napa Valley for all kinds of economic reasons, but convince me I'm wrong. (90 Points)

 

 Decoy Limited 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($30) This is really good stuff, even at this price point. It's concentrate, focused and fresh, with blueberry compote, black currant, and fresh blackberry fruit laced with a nice, soothing mocha finish. Definitely recommended. (92 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber