Bard Clan Wines
Get the Dirt from owner Craig Riordan & winemaker Lisa Bishop Forbes
“We can pay attention to the small details as well as the big picture. We create and follow our own path, leading to excellent quality wines.”
What was your first vintage year? 2015
How many cases do you make per vintage? About 250-500 cases.
Do you have a Tasting Room? No
If not you, who is your winemaker?
Lisa Bishop Forbes with assistance from Craig Riordan.
What wine made you want to become a winemaker/start your own winery?
CRAIG – Bartlett blueberry and pear wines from Maine.
LISA – There wasn’t a particular wine that made me want to become a winemaker. Once I started tasting regularly at college, German Riesling, Sauternes and Cabernet Sauvignon were it for me!
What varietals do you work with? Which varietal/wine is your favorite to make?
We make Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, blueberry and apple wines, both blends and stand-alone varietal wines.
CRAIG – The unique, one-of-a-kind wines are my favorite to make.
LISA – I love making Chardonnay. It’s a winemaker’s wine and can be made in a myriad of styles.
What vineyards do you source from?
We source fruit from family-owned vineyards in the Alexander Valley (Cabernet), Dry Creek Valley (Merlot) and Russian River Valley (Chardonnay). The match between variety and appellation is ideal for the style of wines we make. Lisa’s home is in Sonoma County.
What type of oak treatment do you use?
We use French and Hungarian oak, typically 25-30% new. The Chardonnay is barrel-fermented in a mix of barrel ages for complexity and to highlight the fruit. The Cabernet and Merlot are aged in barrels. The apple and blueberry wines are made in stainless steel to preserve the fruit.
What do you love about your winemaking region? What makes it different special?
CRAIG – Smaller, less pretentious, family owned wineries and vineyards.
LISA – Sonoma County is very varied! The wine industry is a big part of it, but it isn’t a monoculture. The people here are down to earth and proud of where they live. Plus, the wines are delicious!
What’s the story behind your winery name / label?
Members of our winemaking family are descended from Irish bards, who were lore keepers, poet-singers, great magic workers, and healers of ancient Ireland. A clan is defined as a large family or a group of people that share a common interest, like good wine. In Celtic mythology, our chosen symbol, the heron (or cryer), is the keeper of stories and the messenger between worlds.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery?
CRAIG – How resistant the industry is to new ideas and “out of the box” thinking.
LISA – I’ve been in the business for a long time, so none of what goes on in the wine business is surprising. Selling wine is very humbling, though. Making wine is the fun part!
Most importantly, what's so great about being small? What can you do as a small winemaker, that wouldn't be possible for larger wineries?
Being involved with every step of the process is something you can’t do as a winemaker for a larger winery. We can pay attention to the small details, as well as the big picture. We create and follow our own path, leading to excellent quality wines.
How do you view the future in the wine industry for small-lot winemakers?
It’s going to be an ongoing challenge, especially to get noticed. There is a lot of competition for the same pool of wine drinkers. That’s why we’ve chosen to make wines that aren’t all the usual suspects.
If you could choose another wine region to work in what would it be?
CRAIG – Maybe another state like Virginia.
LISA – In the U.S., I might think about Idaho. Abroad, Alsace or the Rhone Valley
For more information about Bard Clan Wines, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram.