The Chappellets’ romance with Pritchard Hill began when Donn and Molly Chappellet first glimpsed the mountain’s spectacular vistas in the late 1960s. Inspired by the notion that Bacchus loves the hills, Donn and Molly followed the advice of legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff and settled on the rocky eastern slopes of the Napa Valley. There, on the mountain’s serene and picturesque hillsides, the Chappellets established their home and winery, raising their children and cultivating the vineyards.Since being founded by Donn and Molly in 1967, Chappellet has earned acclaim championing the robust power and complexity of wines crafted from mountain grapes. At the same time, Chappellet has helped to establish Pritchard Hill as one of California’s most revered winegrowing sites. To honor the mountain’s rich, expressive character, the winemaking team focuses on creating extraordinary, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignons that embody the intensity and finesse of fruit from Pritchard Hill.

Today, a second generation of the Chappellet family has embraced their parents’ love of the mountain’s inviting spirit and exceptional vineyards. Led by Cyril and Carissa Chappellet, who oversee the day-to-day operations of the winery, this new generation also includes Jon-Mark, Dominic, Lygia and Alexa Chappellet, who are active board members dedicated to building upon Chappellet’s reputation for excellence. Equally important, this second generation is passionate about preserving the land by continuing Donn and Molly’s intimate approach to winegrowing. In order to ensure the health and wellbeing of Pritchard Hill for generations to come, the Chappellet family meticulously cultivates their estate vineyards using hands-on sustainable and organic farming techniques, with a constant eye towards quality.

In addition to the dedicated second generation of the family, which has joined Donn and Molly in contributing to the ongoing success of Chappellet, the winery benefits from a talented team, which includes gifted winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus and vineyard manager Dave Pirio—each of whom possesses decades of experience working at Chappellet. Applying their wealth of knowledge, and their comprehensive understanding of the estate’s 34 distinctive vineyard blocks, the Chappellet team handcrafts extraordinary wines that showcase the authentic charm and personality of Pritchard Hill.

Though focused on crafting limited quantities of benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon for almost 50 years, the Chappellet portfolio also includes exceptional Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. While consistently setting the standard for mountain-grown wines, Chappellet has earned high praise from critics and a devoted following from many of the world’s premier collectors.

Facts

Robert Parker has repeatedly cited the 1969 Chappellet as the greatest Napa Cabernet he has ever tried. It's still going strong today!

While 'Pritchard Hill' is not an official AVA it is recognised by all as the original mountainside region in Napa, Chappellet being the first vineyard.

The name 'Pritchard Hill' does in fact belong to Chappellet, having been coined by Donn Chappellet himself.

The Chappellet vineyards are all certified Organic.

​The Pritchard Hill vineyards sits upon an ancient lava flow resulting from a volcanic explosion.