Duckhorn is a luxury wine producer offering brands such as Duckhorn Vineyards. Credit: The Image Party/Shutterstock.

Butterfly Equity has appointed former Constellation Brands executive Robert Hanson as the new CEO of its recently acquired US wine company The Duckhorn Portfolio.

Hanson, a former Constellation Brands executive, will replace Deirdre Mahlan as the CEO of The Duckhorn Portfolio from 1 February. Mahlan will “continue as an advisor to Mr Hanson thereafter”, a statement read.

According to Butterfly co-founder and co-CEO Adam Waglay, Hanson’s “proven track record and deep experience make him the ideal leader to take Duckhorn into its next phase of growth” and “unlock new opportunities for growth”. 

Hanson led Constellation Brands’ wine and spirit division from 2019 to last year. The US giant said last January they had “mutually agreed” for Hanson to step down by the end of February.

In October, Butterfly Equity agreed to acquire Duckhorn in a deal that valued the wine company at $1.95bn.  

The acquisition was concluded last month, resulting in Duckhorn’s delisting from the New York Stock Exchange. 

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Duckhorn, established in 1976, offers brands such as Duckhorn Vineyards, Sonoma-Cutrer, and Kosta Browne.  

Headquartered in St. Helena, California, the company operates 11 winery brands and distributes its products across five continents and over 50 countries. 

Hanson’s career began with a 23-year tenure at Levi Strauss & Co., where he held various roles, culminating as global president of the Levi’s brand.

While in charge of Constellation’s wine and spirits division, Hanson implemented a premiumisation push of the group’s wine portfolio.

In the group’s full-year results for the year ended 28 February 2023, Constellation’s wine and spirits division posted organic net sales of $1.9bn, down 2% year on year. It shipped 27m nine-litre cases of product that year, also down by 7.8%.

Hanson said: “I am honoured to lead Duckhorn at such an exciting and pivotal time for the industry. The company begins this next chapter from a place of exceptional strength, with a proven strategy for growth and market expansion that I look forward to building on.” 

During Duckhorn’s most recent financial year, which closed in July 2024, the company reported net sales of $405.5m, a marginal increase of 0.7% compared to the previous year.  

However, excluding the Sonoma-Cutrer that Duckhorn acquired from Brown-Forman in 2023, its net sales declined 4.6%. 

Net income stood at $56m, versus $69.3m the year previous.