By Laurie Wachter

When American Ag Credit invited Cyril Chappellet to join the board during the COVID-19 pandemic, he considered the depth of banking expertise filling the Zoom gallery and told them he wasn’t sure he had the tools to aid an agricultural banking operation. 

Their response was immediate: “We can hire plenty of people with expertise, but the heart and care you’d bring to the board, we could only get from somebody like yourself.” 

Cyril Chappellet

Chappellet grew up in Napa Valley, where his parents, Donn and Molly, founded Chappellet Winery in 1967. Their pioneering vision produced the acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon for which the winery is known and the intensely flavored grapes grown in Pritchard Hill’s volcanic soil of its estate vineyard. 

Now CEO and chairman, Chappellet says his leadership style “started with long walks with my grandfather and visiting his and my dad’s offices when I was a little kid — the age when values are formed. What I took from them was to do the right thing, and I try to teach that to my employees.”

Phillip Corallo-Titus, Chappellet’s vice president of winemaking, sees the family’s influence. “I’ve known Cyril since he was in his twenties. He’s like his parents in believing that, while they’re running a business, they must take care of their people. So employees stay and become incredibly valuable. Like a Pritchard Hill Cabernet, he has gotten even better with age.”

Since joining the American Ag Credit Board, Chappellet has found that the thoughtful, straightforward approach he learned from his family serves him well as he helps farmers find a path forward in these difficult times. For wineries, his advice is simple: connect with customers in person, not just through email or social media.

Stewardship Beyond the Family Winery

“There’s no one project that stands out as most important,” says Corallo-Titus of Chappellet’s commitment to community. “It’s like fabric — all these efforts woven together.” 

Along with nearly five years on the American Ag Credit board, Chappellet has served 12 years on the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) board, including as 2024 Chair. He was also a director at the Napa Community Firewise Foundation and founded the Hennessey Rector Firesafe Council (FSC), implementing a fire prevention strategy with 50 neighboring property owners.

Says Chappellet, “Most of these situations came about when someone asked if I’d consider doing them. There was no question when Firewise Foundation called me — they needed help and a voice of reason, so I agreed. I also felt that sitting on the Vintners board was important to support our industry.”

Chappellet Winery’s Pritchard Hill is perched above Lake Hennessey in Napa Valley.

Chappellet credits his ability to contribute to the community to his brother Dominic, co-owner and COO, being there to support the structure and the business, and to President David Francke for professionally managing the nuts and bolts of the winery and vineyard. 

Building a Legacy That Lasts

No matter how engaged he is in outside pursuits, the family and winery remain uppermost in Chappellet’s priorities. Concerned with preserving the family legacy for future generations, Chappellet sought guidance from Piero Antinori (of Italy’s Marchesi Antinori, one of the world’s longest-lived wineries, now in its 37th generation). 

“I asked him, ‘OK, what’s the trick?’” Chappellet recalls. Antinori’s answer: “A really, really good trust.” 

By “trust,” he meant the structures that control the business. Each part has its own strategy and framework to prevent it from being sold, and the trust remains in the hands of a higher power. 

Chappellet and his sister, Carissa, modeled their plan for future generations on that advice and now have majority control of the business through the trust, with other family members holding the remaining votes. 

Chappellet says, “I believe that the most important thing I can do for the third generation is to build a professionally run business and a board of directors to which they report.“

This thoughtful focus on the future may be the most enduring gift Cyril Chappellet offers both his family and the broader community surrounding them.

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Wine Industry Advisor has expanded its Wine’s Most Inspiring People (MIP) articles into a monthly series. We will be profiling individuals from within our industry who showcase leadership, innovation, determination and inspiration — both within the industry and in society at-large. If you would like to nominate someone for MIP consideration, fill out the form here.

Laurie Wachter

Laurie Wachter writes about the food and beverage industry from Northern California’s wine country, drawing on more than 30 years of analyzing and advising Fortune 500 companies companies on marketing to consumers.