Draft:Donn Chappellet

{{AfC submission|t||ts=20241018193544|u=Mellamelina|ns=118|demo=}}{{Infobox person

| name = Donn Chappellet

| birth_name = Cyril Donn Chappellet

| birth_date = {{birth date|1931|09|11}}

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|05|24|1931|09|11}}

| death_place = St. Helena, California, U.S.

| occupation = Businessman, Vintner

| alma mater = Pomona College

| spouse = Molly{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/927091247/|title=Winery Changes Their Life-Style|work=Ventura County Star|location=Ventura, California|date=October 6, 1971|access-date=March 10, 2024|page=17|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Closed access}}

}}

Cyril Donn Chappellet (September 11, 1931 – May 24, 2016) was an American vintner and businessman. He was the founder of the Chappellet Winery and one of the pioneers of the wine industry in Napa Valley, California.{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Aaron |date=2016-05-24 |title=Donn Chappellet, Pioneering Vintner of Napa Valley's Pritchard Hill, Dies at 84 |url=https://www.winespectator.com/articles/donn-chappellet-pioneering-vintner-of-pritchard-hill |access-date=2025-05-27 |website=Wine Spectator}}

Biography

= Early life and education =

Chappellet was born on September 11, 1931, in Los Angeles, California. He graduated with a bachelor of arts in economics from Pomona College in 1954. As a student at Pomona College in the early 1950s, he developed an interest in Bordeaux wines, beginning a collection that would influence his future endeavors.{{Cite web |last=Grimes |first=William |date=May 26, 2016 |title=Donn Chappellet, Napa Pioneer Who Tired of Coffee Vending, Dies at 84 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/business/donn-chappellet-napa-pioneer-who-tired-of-coffee-vending-dies-at-84.html |access-date=March 10, 2024 |work=The New York Times}}

= Early career =

In 1955, following his education, Chappellet co-founded Interstate United Corporation, a food services company that employed 8,000 workers and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1966, at the age of 34, he sold his shares and relocated his family from Los Angeles to Napa Valley's Pritchard Hill.{{Cite news |date=April 27, 1983 |title=Success Is At Peak Of Hilltop Winery |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/103549050/ |access-date=March 10, 2024 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |location=Cincinnati, Ohio |page=73 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Closed access}}

= Establishment of Chappellet Vineyards =

In 1967, Chappellet founded Chappellet Vineyards on Pritchard Hill, becoming the second winery established in Napa Valley after Prohibition. Following the advice of winemaker André Tchelistcheff, he planted vineyards on the high-elevation slopes of Pritchard Hill. The initial development involved clearing the land of boulders, scrub, and forest.{{Cite news |date=November 22, 1992 |title=Only world-class vintage flows from farmed Chappellet winery |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/934644417/ |access-date=March 10, 2024 |work=Ventura County Star |location=Ventura, California |page=36 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Closed access}}{{Cite news |date=September 29, 1972 |title=Designing Wineries Are Keith's Speciality (second caption) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/564071677/ |access-date=March 10, 2024 |work=Napa Valley Register |location=Napa, California |page=18 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Closed access}}{{Cite web |last=Cristaldi |first=Jonathan |date=2024-05-23 |title=The Chappellet family and the forging of Napa's Cabernet identity |url=https://www.decanter.com/premium/the-chappellet-family-and-the-forging-of-napas-cabernet-identity-528315/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Decanter |language=en}}

Chappellet passed away on May 24, 2016 in St. Helena, California, at the age of 84.{{Cite web|url=https://napavalleyregister.com/news/community/star/news/local/pritchard-hill-vintner-donn-ch|title=Pritchard Hill wintner Donn Chappellet dies at 84|work=Napa Valley Register|date=May 23, 2016|access-date=March 10, 2024}}{{Cite web |date=2016-05-26 |title=Interstate United Corp Founder Donn Chappellet Dies At 84 |url=https://www.vendingtimes.com/news/interstate-united-corp-founder-donn-chappellet-dies-at-84/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Vending Times |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=staff |first=Register |date=2016-05-24 |title=Pritchard Hill vintner Donn Chappellet dies at 84 |url=https://napavalleyregister.com/wine/pritchard-hill-vintner-donn-chappellet-dies-at-84/article_6ada1817-56f1-53b4-ad58-f08d6076be5f.html |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=The Napa Valley Register |language=en}}

= Winemaking and legacy =

Donn's wife, Molly, contributed to the winery's development, and their six children have been involved in its operations. Since 2013, his son Cyril has been serving as the company's chairman after Chappellet stepped down from the role.

Chappellet collaborated with winemakers, including Philip Togni, Tony Soter, Phillip Corallo-Titus, and Cathy Corison, to produce concentrated and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Following the establishment of Chappellet Winery, Pritchard Hill became a notable area in Napa Valley, home to wineries like Colgin Cellars, Continuum Estate, and Ovid. However, only the Chappellet family holds the right to use the Pritchard Hill designation on their labels.{{Cite web |last=Mobley |first=Esther |date=2016-05-24 |title=Donn Chappellet, pioneering Napa vintner, dies |url=https://www.sfgate.com/wine/article/Donn-Chappellet-pioneering-Napa-vintner-dies-7943297.php |access-date=2025-05-27 |website=SFGATE}}{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=William |date=2016-05-26 |title=Obituary: Donn Chappellet |url=https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/obituary-donn-chappellet-305343/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Decanter |language=en}}