Chappellet Winery

For five decades, the Chappellet family has been crafting world-class wines from fruit cultivated on the steep, rocky slopes of Napa Valley’s renowned Pritchard Hill. As one of the first wineries to pioneer high-elevation hillside planting, and one of the few remaining great family-owned Napa Valley wineries, Chappellet Vineyard has influenced genera- tions of vintners. Throughout its history, Chappellet has also established an enduring legacy as one of California’s most acclaimed producers of Cabernet Sauvignon.

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 wine- making team focuses on creating extraordinary, ageworthy 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, Carissa and Dominic Chappellet, who oversee the day-to-day operations of the winery, this new generation also includes Lygia, Alexa and Jon-Mark Chappellet, who are active board members dedi- cated 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 organic farming techniques, with a constant eye towards quality.

In addition to the dedicated second generation of the family, which has joined 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 thatshowcase the authentic charm and personality of Pritchard Hill.

Though focused on crafting limited quantities of benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon for five decades, the Chappellet port- folio 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.

Great wines reflect the complexity and character of great vineyards, as well as the vision, passion and patience of those who farm them. Rising from 800 to 1,800 feet above sea level, Chappellet Vineyard on Pritchard Hill has earned acclaim for yielding grapes that produce mountain-grown wines of rare depth, longevity and elegance.

For five decades, the Chappellets have been dedicated stewards of this land, working to honor the natural integrity of Pritchard Hill, while constantly evolving their techniques to achieve thesite’s full, expressive potential. In practice, this stewardship has manifested itself in three keyareas—a respect for the natural variation of Pritchard Hill, a constant refinement of viticultural practices based on years of experience, and a committed focus on sustainable and organic farming methods.

Hailed as “Napa’s Grand Cru” and recognized as one of the world’s preeminent sites for growingBordeaux varietals—in particular Cabernet Sauvignon—the roots of Pritchard Hill’s greatnessdate back four million years, when a 14,000-foot volcano dominated what is now the eastern range of the Napa Valley. Over the millennia, erosion, water, wind and sun have combined to sculpt this area, leaving behind Pritchard Hill with its array of dramatic slopes and thin volcanic soils.

With a variety of elevations, exposures and soil types, which include varying depths of Sobrante loam and Hambright rock outcrop, Pritchard Hill presents a rare tapestry of growing environments. To honor this diversity, the Chappellet family and longtime vineyard managerDave Pirio guide Chappellet’s dedicated year-round vineyard team to farm the mountainside as 48 distinctive blocks—including 40 different blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon. Specific varietals, clones and rootstocks have been selected for each block, based on a complex understanding of each individual site. This emphasis on diversity as opposed to uniformity has resulted in an expansive palette of fruit—including six different Cabernet clones—from which to blend Chappellet wines. As a result, even during challenging vintages the site always has blocks of fruit that excel.

In addition to their pioneering work in the area of high-elevation vineyard planting, the Chappellets have long been advocates of more environmentally conscious farming methods. Beginning in the early 1980s (long before the term sustainable was ever used), Chappellet was one of the first wineries to plant cover crops as a method for soil conservation and erosion prevention. This early adoption of practices such as no-till farming has evolved into a comprehensive program of sustainable techniques used to eliminate the use of synthetic chemicals. These techniques include the use of cover crops, bird boxes, on-site composting and organic fertilizers. As a result, Chappellet Vineyard achieved organic certification from

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) in 2012. Adding to the integrity and health of thesite, only 102 of the property’s 640 total acres are planted as vineyards, meaning a large expanse of uncultivated land surrounds the vineyards with a natural buffer of beautiful forests and meadows that protect the plants from unwanted pests and chemicals.

Embodying the hard work of two generations, winegrowing on Pritchard Hill reflects an intimate relationship between the Chappellet family and a spectacular vineyard property. From thevineyard team’s commitment to low yields and meticulous canopy management to the family’sbelief in replanting to augment quality, the cultivation of Chappellet Vineyard has producedsome of California’s most profound mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignons. Of the vineyard’s102 planted acres, approximately 65 are Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder consisting of small blocks of Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Chenin Blanc.

When Donn and Molly Chappellet founded Chappellet Vineyard in 1967, their goal was to create world-class wines with the depth, complexity and character of the finest first growth Bordeaux. Unlike the other great emerging Napa Valley wineries of the day, Chappellet chose a different path from its contemporaries, looking beyond the valley floor towards the steep, rugged hillsides of Pritchard Hill. There, the Chappellets established a renowned vineyard program with an emphasis on cultivating California’s finest hillside Cabernet Sauvignon.

Since the very first vintage, Chappellet’s wines have been handcrafted to embody the rugged terroir and intensity of fruit that has made Pritchard Hill famous. Recognized for their signature mix of grandeur, power and purity, these sought-after bottlings are the end result of a winemaking process that begins in the vineyard. To honor and maintain the natural diversity of Pritchard Hill, the Chappellet team cultivates the estate as 34 individual vineyard blocks, each highlighting various soil types, elevations, exposures and grades. This mosaic of micro-vineyards features a wealth of varietals, clones and rootstocks, and has benefited from extensive experimentation and refinement over the years. Because Chappellet’s experienced team knows each block intimately, they are able to approach the winemaking with a greater degree of intuitiveness and artistry.

This artistry manifests itself in many ways. In the winery, renowned winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus—who has been guiding Chappellet’s winemaking program for more than a quarter century—gently ferments and ages most blocks individually to maintain their distinctive character throughout the winemaking process. To further ensure individuality, different lots benefit from an array of maceration and fermentation practices of varying lengths and temperatures. Adding even more depth and complexity, Phillip has established an extensive barrel program utilizing the very best barrels from a number of different elite French coopers and forests.

With roots deep in the land, and a belief in constantly working to enhance the quality and expressive character of Pritchard Hill’s exceptional fruit, Chappellet has earned a reputation for crafting benchmark wines defined by their strength, finesse and age- worthiness. In addition to its sought-after mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignons, the Chappellet portfolio also includes excellent Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and the highly regarded Mountain Cuvee Bordeaux blend.