Duckhorn wraps its 50th year with a new sales, marketing, and operations bench
Paul Passaro takes sales on Oct. 5, Chanel Caplan is promoted to CMO, and 19-year veteran P.J. Alviso becomes COO in February. Outgoing COO Zach Rasmuson moves to the board.
ST. HELENA: The Duckhorn Portfolio, the luxury wine company that calls itself North America's premier luxury wine company, announced three executive leadership appointments on Sept. 30 as it wraps up its 50th anniversary year: a new chief sales officer, a new chief marketing officer, and a new chief operating officer, plus a board seat for the outgoing COO.
Paul Passaro has been appointed executive vice president and chief sales officer, effective Oct. 5. He brings more than 25 years of wine and spirits industry experience, most recently as head of sales at O'Neill Vintners & Distillers, and in the new role he will oversee wholesale sales, national accounts, export, sales strategy, analytics, and sales operations.
Chanel Caplan has been promoted to executive vice president and chief marketing officer, effective Sept. 30. She joined Duckhorn in February 2025 as senior vice president of brand management for premium brands, with more than 15 years in the industry, and will now oversee brand marketing, trade marketing, creative services, and direct-to-consumer.
P.J. Alviso has been promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective Feb. 1, 2027. He joined the company in 2007 and has worked across nearly two decades in roles starting in the vineyards, then estate vineyard management and grower relations, and later leadership of the Central Coast and Pacific Northwest brands, most recently as senior vice president of operations. He succeeds Zach Rasmuson, who has been with the company since 2003 and served as COO since 2012. Rasmuson will continue in the role through the transition, then join the company's board of directors, and he will continue to lead the company's Founders Fund.
"As we wrap up our 50th anniversary this year, we are thrilled to welcome Paul and to congratulate Chanel and P.J. as they step into their new roles," said The Duckhorn Portfolio CEO Robert Hanson. "Together, these appointments bring the right combination of fresh perspective, deep institutional knowledge, and proven leadership to our executive team as we enter our next phase of growth. Our goal is to be the undisputed leader in American luxury wine, and I am confident that these leaders will be instrumental in helping us achieve that ambition."
"I've admired The Duckhorn Portfolio since the very beginning of my career, when I had the opportunity to represent these remarkable brands as a sales consultant," Passaro said. "To join an organization I've long respected and be able to contribute to the growth and evolution of this iconic portfolio is incredibly meaningful. It's truly a full-circle moment, and I'm honored and energized by the opportunity to help write the next chapter of Duckhorn's success."
Established in 1976 when vintners Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded Duckhorn Vineyards, the portfolio today counts eleven wineries, nine winemaking facilities, five tasting rooms, and more than 2,200 acres of vineyards across 38 estate properties, with brands including Duckhorn Vineyards, Decoy, Kosta Browne, Sonoma-Cutrer, Goldeneye, and Greenwing. The company reports U.S. volume of 2.9 million cases annually, according to Impact Databank via Shanken News Daily.
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