Bernard Portet

Bernard with the Portet family Alambic pot still.

Bernard was born a few kilometers from the town of Cognac, famous for its spirits of the same name. Bernard's parents were owners of a vineyard property in the "Borderies" district, which had been in the Portet family since at least 1710.

Bernard spent his youth between Cognac and Pauillac, where his father was managing director of a chateau. He studied in Bordeaux, and then went on to college in Toulouse and Montpellier to further study winemaking.

After nearly two years teaching agronomy in Morocco, he met Mr. John Goelet, who sent him on a worldwide mission to discover a site where one could grow the best wine grapes possible in order to make the best wines possible. The result of this long search was the creation and development of Clos Du Val in the Napa Valley; as well, the discovery and further development of Taltarni Vineyards in Victoria, Australia, and the creation of a new property in the Languedoc region of France, Domaine de Nizas.

Clos Du Val's first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon in 1972 was one of only five California Cabernets selected for the now legendary 1976 Paris Tasting. That same vintage took first place in a rematch 10 years later, proving that Clos Du Val wines age with grace.

Bernard has received numerous professional and wine awards, including the Chevalier du Merite Agricole awarded by the French Government, and most recently a 91 in the Wine Spectator for the Domaine de Nizas 1998, the first vintage issued from Domaine de Nizas. Today, Bernard returns to his native France to pursue his passion for old-world distillation techniques, and to bring you Swan's Neck Vodka.