Chappellet Winery – NAPA GALA

CHAPPELLET WINERY

When Donn and Molly Chappellet founded Chappellet Vineyard & Winery 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.

WWW.CHAPPELLET.COM

april collins

director of sales - west

As Chappellet’s Director of Sales West, April Collins manages sales and our distributor relationships throughout a territory that spans the western Unites States. Building on her two-decade career in the hospitality and fine wine industries, April sees herself as a storyteller, as much as a salesperson. “The beauty of Chappellet’s wines is that they always show incredibly well in the glass,” says April. “My role is to help people understand the pedigree of the place our wines come from, the character and values of the family that has guided Chappellet for well over half a century, and the family’s loyalty to their employees and the community they call home.”

Born in Oklahoma and raised in Dallas, Texas, April discovered her fascination with wine working in fine dining while earning her degree in Business Management. After graduation, April began her career at a Texas-based distributor specializing in family-owned wine estates. Later she joined the team at Francis Ford Coppola Winery as a regional sales manager. Seeing the need for better representation of small wineries, April founded Vintage Wine Marketing in 2008, which quickly grew into a dynamic, global portfolio of family-owned-and-operated wine estates. As the crown jewel of the Vintage Wine Marketing portfolio, April spent 14 years helping to guide sales and brand management for Chappellet, before joining the winery full-time in 2023 as Director of Sales West.

“Chappellet is a remarkable winery. The family and the people are incredible—they have so much heart, and care so much about their employees, stewarding Pritchard Hill, and crafting wines that are among the world’s best,” says April. “I started my company to represent the very best family-run wineries, and that’s Chappellet. They embody the very best of the wine industry.” In addition to her role at Chappellet, April is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier where she serves on the scholarship committee, supporting the efforts of exceptional women in the culinary, beverage and hospitality industries. She has also served as the official wine speaker for SXSW. April lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Craig and their two young sons.