Jon-Mark Chappellet

Jon-Mark Chappellet –

Owner & Managing Director

As part of the passionate second generation of the Chappellet family dedicated to winegrowing on Pritchard Hill, Jon-Mark has spent nearly two decades working in Chappellet’s vineyards and winery. After earning a degree in Conservation and Resource Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, Jon-Mark spent several years as a high school social sciences teacher before returning to his roots at Chappellet in 1991. Since then, he has taken great pride in continuing his family's tradition of innovation in viticulture and winemaking, while committing himself to the preservation of Pritchard Hill for future generations.

Beginning in the sales department, Jon-Mark learned the family business from the ground up. As his depth of experience grew, he gravitated to the source of the winery’s success—the cultivation of Pritchard Hill and Chappellet’s acclaimed winemaking program. Jon-Mark honed his skills and enhanced his knowledge working alongside longtime vineyard manager Dave Pirio and veteran winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus.
Over the years, his pursuit of quality and conservation has played a key role in charting the course for Chappellet, building on the winery’s legacy of excellence. His untiring advocacy of a sustainable approach to farming and business has also helped to shape Chappellet’s world-class winegrowing program. Working with Dave, Jon-Mark has made Chappellet a proving ground for sustainable farming and non-chemical pest management techniques. These practices include the widespread adoption of organic farming techniques with an emphasis on the use of organic fertilizers, cover crops, bird boxes and on-site composting. As a result of Jon-Mark’s and Dave’s efforts, 90 percent of the grapes grown on Chappellet’s vineyards come from blocks that are farmed using organic methods. A majority of these blocks have finished an extensive organic certification process.
Today, Jon-Mark continues to work side by side with Dave and Phillip, overseeing all aspects of viticulture and enology. Both in the vineyards and in the winery, he focuses on implementing positive, big-picture change, while keeping a close eye on the small details that define quality. From selecting new plantings to his work as part of the blending team, he applies two decades of hands-on experience to ensure excellence at every stage of operations. In addition, Jon-Mark is also active in the local wine community and is a strong supporter of land preservation efforts. He is a past president and current board member of the Napa Farm Bureau.

Jon-Mark lives with his wife Colleen and their son Owen in St. Helena.