About Clare Tooley

Clare lives in Napa and is the VP of Guest Experience for the Boisset Collection.

Clare began her wine life in London with John Armit Wines in 1995 after a degree in French and Spanish at Cambridge University. She joined Direct Wines Ltd in 2000, as a buyer responsible for Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, and South African portfolios. She moved to Bordeaux in 2006 to direct the group’s winemaking facility and establish an international wholesale division which took her all over the world in a sales capacity. She moved to California in 2014 to work as the Director of Wine Development for Lionstone International, sourcing the US wine range for multiple national wine clubs.

Since becoming a Master of Wine in 2021, Clare has been the California correspondent for Decanter Magazine, contributed two chapters to the Academie du Vin’s 2021 book ‘On California’ and continues to write for Tim Atkin MW’s website. In 2022 and 2023 she gave seminars at the World of Pinot Noir, Texsom, the Napa Valley Wine Academy, and UC Davis. She is a Chevalier of the Commanderie du Bontemps in Bordeaux and the l’Ordre des Coteaux in Champagne. Clare was also inducted by Jean-Charles Boisset as a Chevalier du Tastevin at the Chateau de Clos de Vougeot in 2001. Twenty-one years later, she joined him and his extraordinary team, to lead all elements of the Boisset Family’s US based DTC businesses.