The newly restructured team will further cement family leadership at the acclaimed Pritchard Hill© winery, while positioning the company for future growth.
ST HELENA, Calif. – SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 – Chappellet Winery (www.chappellet.com) is excited to announce multiple promotions as part of an extensive restructuring of its executive leadership team. Moving forward, Dominic Chappellet will serve as the winery’s COO, with David Francke promoted from managing director to president. On the winery’s production side, Phillip Corallo-Titus, who has guided Chappellet’s winemaking since 1990, has been named vice president of winemaking, with long-time associate winemaker Ry Richards being elevated to winemaker, and fellow associate winemaker Daniel Docher taking on the position of director of winery operations. Cyril Chappellet will continue guiding the family-owned-and-operated winery as CEO and chairman of the board.
“As one of Napa Valley’s great multigenerational family-run wineries, our goal in restructuring our leadership team is twofold,” says David Francke. “First, it recognizes and rewards the invaluable contributions these individuals have made to the success of Chappellet, while allowing them to focus their talents in the areas where they can be most impactful. Just as important, we have formalized a reporting structure that celebrates the importance of family leadership at Chappellet, while ensuring that the family is supported by a talented management team that will continue building on Chappellet’s legacy as one of the world’s great wine estates.”
Since the passing of the winery’s legendary founder, Donn Chappellet in 2016, Chappellet has been guided by second-generation chairman and CEO Cyril Chappellet who has led the winery through one of the most dynamic and successful periods in its long and storied history. Moving forward, Cyril will focus on the Chappellet family’s long-term vision for the winery through his board leadership, with Dominic Chappellet assuming oversight of day-to-day operations at the winery and its famed vineyard on Pritchard Hill. In his new role as president, Francke will be responsible for executing the family’s vision and ensuring Chappellet’s vitality and success for future generations.
With the promotions of Corallo-Titus, Richards and Docher in production, Chappellet has ensured continuity in its winemaking program. After 33 years as Chappellet’s winemaker, Corallo-Titus will now oversee winemaking philosophy, strategy and style, as well as the winery’s grape sourcing program. Richards, who has been with Chappellet since 2006, will be responsible for the day-to-day winemaking, and Docher, who joined the winery in 2004, will manage winery operations. “Between them, Ry and Daniel have more than 35 years of winemaking experience on Pritchard Hill,” says Corallo-Titus. “Together, they have held almost every position in production and have learned the Chappellet way from the ground up. As a winery that is continually building on the knowledge and wisdom of those who have come before us, their experience and knowledge will ensure the continued quality, consistency and character of our wines for decades to come.”
About Chappellet
In 1967, on the advice of legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff, the Chappellet family settled on the steep slopes of Pritchard Hill© and founded Chappellet, becoming just the second post-Prohibition winery in Napa Valley. As pioneers of high-elevation vineyard planting, Chappellet has earned acclaim for crafting benchmark wines with an emphasis on mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignons, while establishing Pritchard Hill as one of the world’s great wine regions.
