Our Winemaker
Bernard Portet - Winemaker with a Passion
Born in Cognac, France and mentored by his father, a régisseur (technical director) at
Château Lafite, it would have been have been easy for Bernard Portet to continue his family’s wine tradition in France. Instead, the ninth generation French vintner studied viticulture and enology in Toulouse and Montpellier and then, upon graduation, set out to explore wine regions around the world.
A Pioneer in the Napa Valley
A believer that making wine is all about the place, his journey led him to the United States, Australia, Morocco, South Africa and South America. California’s Napa Valley inspired him due to its similarities to some of his favorite wine regions in France. In 1972 Bernard co-founded Clos du Val where he remained for more than 35 years. Bernard is considered to be one of the pioneers of the Napa Valley wine industry.
An Appreciation for Terroir
Today, Bernard Portet brings us the wines of Heritance where he continues to make wine using his signature assemblage style. His goal is simple: blend wines from different varieties and terroirs to create finished wines greater than the sum of their parts. It is a style that creates uniquely distinctive wines, which showcase Bernard’s extensive Napa Valley experience.
