As the Vice President and General Manager for Kosta Browne, Canvasback and Goldeneye Neil Bernardi oversees all aspects of the wineries winemaking programs. In this pivotal position, Neil guides the winemakers for Goldeneye, Canvasback, and Kosta Browne to chart the stylistic direction for each winery, and to extract a profound sense of place from every wine. This process begins in the vineyards, where Neil collaborates with the estate vineyard team to help oversee several hundred vine acres in Sonoma County, Anderson Valley and Washington State’s Red Mountain. Neil also contributes his knowledge and experience to the efforts of the grower relations team, which guides vineyard selection and viticultural practices in numerous appellations to provide each winery its own focused winegrowing program.
Neil was born and raised in Northern California. After living briefly in Florence, Italy, he attended UC Davis to study Italian. At Davis, Neil fell in love with winemaking, and soon expanded his studies to include enology and viticulture, including three years spent in the lab of renowned sensory scientist Dr. Ann Noble. After earning his B.A. in Italian and B.S. in viticulture and enology, Neil went to New Zealand to deepen his understanding of winemaking and the affects of geography and climate on grape growing. There, he worked as part of the winemaking team for three highly regarded wineries: Saint Clair Estate, Cape Campbell Wines and Kim Crawford. In California, Neil has held positions at Quintessa and at Littorai, where he was the associate winemaker for Ted Lemon.
Since joining The Duckhorn Portfolio in 2005, Neil has held numerous key positions, including tenures as the assistant winemaker for both Goldeneye and Migration, winemaker for Migration, and as the general manager for Sonoma County winegrowing. Neil has contributed greatly to The Duckhorn Portfolio’s success, establishing Migration in the upper echelons of New World Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers. As the architect of The Duckhorn Portfolio’s Sonoma County winegrowing program, Neil played an integral role in establishing a Sonoma County estate presence for the company, and expanded the Sonoma grower program to encompass multiple top appellations and renowned growers.
“Neil has always been an incredibly talented winemaker,” says CEO and President Alex Ryan. “He has emerged as a tireless, forward-thinking and positive force in the evolution of our company. While he respects the legacy and ideals that have guided us throughout our first four decades, he also possesses the vision necessary to help lead us in the decades to come.”
In 2018, Neil was recognized by Wine Enthusiast Magazine as one of the “trailblazers who are shaping the future of wine in America,” when he was named a “Top 40 Under 40 Tastemaker.”