Famed Napa Vintner Margaret Duckhorn Dies At 83: Report

NAPA, CA — Margaret Duckhorn, a famed stalwart vintner of Napa County, has died at age 83, according to media reports.

Duckhorn, who died on Saturday, co-founded one of the Golden State's best known wineries, Duckhorn Vineyards, the small family business that is now known as Duckhorn Portfolio. The winery became one of the only in the state to become publicly traded, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Although Duckhorn's ex-husband husband was the more obvious face of the winery, she was a trailblazing leader in the wine industry and was a guiding force behind her husband.

“It was the Dan-and-Margaret show, and they were a powerful duo in the market,” Alex Ryan, the Duckhorn Portfolio's CEO told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Duckhorn is also responsible for popularizing Merlot by making it and turning it into one of the most in-demand wines in the U.S. throughout the 1980s and 90s.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle: Margaret Duckhorn, the Napa vintner who helped America fall in love with Merlot, dies at 83