John Clews, COO and Winemaker
John Clews started his career as a London accountant in the 1970s, but his passion for wine led him to swap his calculator for a crush pad and life as a full-time winemaker. The Rhodesia native became enthralled with winemaking while attending the University of Cape Town in South Africa. His growing interest in wine led him to the University of California at Davis where he was awarded the prestigious M.A. Amerine Research Scholarship from the Wine Spectator and earned his M.S. in Viticulture and Enology. Clews joined Clos Du Val in April 1999, after acting as general manager/chief enologist at Steele Wines and working at Newton Vineyard in Napa Valley and Preston Vineyards in Sonoma Country.

Bernard Portet, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman
Like the six generations beforehim, Bernard Portet was destined to be a wine-maker. Born in 1944 in Cognac, France, and raised in the Bordeaux region, Portet developed a passion for winemaking while walking the vineyards and caves of Bordeaux with his father, a regisseur (technical director) at Chateau Lafite. He pursued formal studies at the French winemaking schools of Toulouse and Montpellier before John Goelet hired him in 1970 to establish Clos Du Val. Today the veteran winemaker remains actively involved with Clos Du Val's wine-making program and is considered to be one of the forefathers of the Napa Valley wine industry.

Al Wagner, Vineyard Manager
Raised on a tobacco farm in Connecticut and trained in Australian viticultural techniques, Al Wagner worked for Southcorp Wine Estates North America as assistant vineyard manager at Camatta Hills Vineyard. Since joining Clos Du Val in 2001, Wagner has enhanced our commitment to sustainable agriculture. He also oversees our day-to-day management of vineyard operations and personnel and is currently responsible for managing all aspects of vineyard and wine production at Clos Du Val.