— Hugh Johnson
In 1967 Donn Chappellet saw the potential for Napa Valley’s then unknown Pritchard Hill to produce world-class wines on par with the finest first growth Bordeaux. Today, Chappellet’s Pritchard Hill Vineyard is recognized as one of the world’s great sites for Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Chappellet’s romance with Pritchard Hill began when Donn Chappellet first glimpsed the mountain’s spectacular vistas in the late 1960s. Inspired by the notion that “Bacchus loves the hills” and following the advice of legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff, he settled his family on the rocky eastern slopes of the Napa Valley. There, on Pritchard Hill’s serene hillsides the Chappellet family has cultivated their mountain vineyard to produce some of the Napa Valley’s most acclaimed Bordeaux varietal wines.
Since being founded in 1967, Chappellet has established Pritchard Hill as one of California’s most revered winegrowing sites, fulfilling Donn’s vision of producing singular wines from his family’s mountain vineyard. Today, true to their parents’ ongoing passion for the grand, natural landscape of Pritchard Hill, a second generation of the Chappellet family has embraced the mountain’s exceptional terroir and is committed to stewarding their father’s vision for generations to come.