Lisa Bishop Forbes, who joined Dry Creek Vineyard in 2004 as Associate Winemaker, was promoted to Winemaker in April 2008.  With more than 20 years of winemaking experience, Lisa is the day-to-day decision maker in our cellar, ultimately responsible for ensuring that we produce only the highest quality wines.
 

Following graduation from California State University, Fresno, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Enology, Lisa cut her winemaking teeth at one of Napa Valley’s most esteemed properties, Joseph Phelps Vineyards. As enologist, Lisa was responsible for managing the laboratory, supervising cellar work and working with the assistant winemaker and winemaker in making blending decisions. For almost ten years, Lisa learned the winemaking ropes at Phelps, educating herself in every aspect of the business.

In 1995, Lisa joined Chalk Hill Estate Winery as assistant winemaker. Leaving one well regarded winery and heading for another, Lisa became the right hand of winemaker Bill Knuttel as they worked together to make world class estate wines. In addition, Lisa was responsible for the entire cellar ensuring the high standards set by Bill and the Chalk Hill family.

The opportunity to work again with Bill brought Lisa to Dry Creek Vineyard in July 2004. Both Bill and Lisa share a similar philosophy and vision for winemaking  and their partnership has created a whole new  mentality  in  the  cellar  at  Dry Creek Vineyard.  Attention to detail,

quality control and superior winemaking talents set Lisa apart in many ways. With Lisa overseeing the cellar at Dry Creek Vineyard, our family is confident that the quality of wines produced will only improve in the coming years.

When she is not putting in long hours at Dry Creek, Lisa can be found spending quality time with her husband, Ken, and 5 year-old son, Colin.

Nova Perrill, who joined Dry Creek Vineyard in July 2008, is an integral part of the winemaking team.  From lab analysis to cellar management, Nova ensures that each and every Dry Creek Vineyard wine is held to the same rigorous standards set forth by Bill and Lisa.

Nova’s career journey has been an interesting one.  Initially, Nova dove into the world of Marine Biology, eventually getting his degree from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo.  Upon graduation, he learned that the field was not the easiest to break into and ultimately decided to go back to school for a Master’s degree at Cal-Poly.  It was only when Nova returned to school that he discovered the world of winemaking.  There was no turning back. 

In July 2004, after finishing his winemaking degree, Nova started as an assistant winemaker and viticulturalist at Mount Eden Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  Working with small batches of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Nova cut his teeth at one of the more prestigious properties in all of California. 

Nova first discovered the Dry Creek Valley while working on his graduate thesis regarding Pierce’s disease.  During his travels to the Dry Creek Valley, Nova was immediately struck with the diversity of the land and the incredible array of varietals grown.  When the region’s namesake winery, Dry Creek Vineyard, came calling, it was an opportunity he could not pass up.

Now a resident of Sonoma County, Nova enjoys the bounty of harvest this region has to offer with his wife Christin, a high school biology teacher and his young son, Nova II. 

William Knuttel brings a broad range of practical and artistic winemaking talent to Dry Creek Vineyard.  Bill, who began as winemaker in July 2003, formally transitioned to the role of Executive Winemaker in April 2008, completing a strong nucleus of winemaking talent.   Teaming with Lisa Bishop Forbes, Winemaker and Nova Perrill, Assistant Winemaker, Bill continues to monitor and mentor the entire cellar crew while consistently working to raise the bar of quality at the winery.

For the past twenty years, Bill has focused his winemaking on ultra-premium and luxury wines, gathering a wide-range of experience not only in winemaking but also in viticulture, winery construction and wine education.  While his training is rooted in science, Bill’s approach to winemaking hinges on an artistic approach, letting instinct and experience set the tone while minimizing the use of technology.  Prior to joining Dry Creek Vineyard, Bill was the winemaker at Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery for seven years and at Saintsbury for thirteen years.  In both cases he was recognized for superlative Chardonnay and, at Saintsbury, exceptional Pinot Noir.  His wines are some of the most respected in California.
 

A native of Philadelphia, Bill’s family moved to Rancho Cucamonga, California when he was a teenager.  Intrigued by the pre-prohibition wineries there, his walks to school were often detoured through old vineyards.  He graduated from California Polytechnic University, Pomona, with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 1976.  His interest in the arts and humanities and the study of literature and history, however, made him more of a Renaissance man than a techie.  With degree in hand, he entered the work world at Dow Chemical in San Francisco, specializing in plant design and start-up; great tools for a winemaker, who essentially builds new wines each vintage.  While his days were full of analysis and lab work, he spent much of his free time reading, listening to music and pursuing fine wines.

Eventually, passion took over and he gave in to wine, something that would ultimately fulfill his need for artistry and use of both his practical and technical skills.  Bill accepted a scholarship from the University of California, Davis in 1981 and, after pursuing an MS in Enology and serving as an Enology instructor, he began his winemaking career at Saintsbury in 1983.

Bill lives in Napa with his wife, Robin.  On weekends, when he’s not entertaining (or being entertained by) his children Kate and Sebastian, Bill still listens to music and writes.