Heritance Vintners
Heritance is the creation of Bernard Portet, a visionary Napa Valley winemaking icon who has been crafting wine in this acclaimed region for decades. For Heritance, Bernard works closely with his grower-partners, practicing sustainable farming techniques to achieve the highest quality fruit from select Napa Valley vineyards. Through his assemblage winemaking approach, Bernard and his team blend small lot wines from different varieties and terroirs to create wines that are greater than the sum of their parts. In Bernard's signature style, Heritance wines are elegant, complex and balanced, and are crafted to pair beautifully with food. Bob Pepi is Consulting Winemaker. Bob started making wines with his father Robert Pepi (in Oakville) in 1981.
Heritance wines are steeped in a rich winemaking heritage. Bernard Portet is synonymous with Napa Valley itself. He was among the pioneering vintners who revitalized the American wine industry during the 1970s, taking it from a sleepy agricultural backwater to a wealthy, world-renowned wine region. Bernard co-founded Clos du Val Winery in Napa's Stags Leap District and was winemaker there for 35 years.
Born in Cognac and raised in Bordeaux, Bernard's family has owned vineyard property in France since the late 1600s and today he is a 9th generation vintner. Bernard was mentored by his father, a regisseur at Château Lafite, studied viticulture and enology in Toulouse and Montpellier, and traveled the world drawn to regions which emulate his native France.
Heritance draws exclusively on premium grapes from leading sustainable growers throughout Napa Valley, focusing on fruit grown between St. Helena in the middle of the valley and cooler districts to the south near the town of Napa. This "winery without walls" allows the flexibility to craft distinctive, small production wines when the perfect opportunity presents itself during any given vintage. There may only be a few barrels made of these wines and they may not be produced each year but the selection process is rigorous and the lots are set aside only when deemed truly exceptional.
