Unique wine tasting experience. Gorgeous grounds. Off the beaten path. Super nice people that work there. Terrific tasting wines. Thank you yelpers for sharing this! read more

Our first trip to Napa... Our friends told us Chappellet was a "must see"... How true! Beautiful vineyards, Dramatic architecture... Stunning views, One with the environment, Friendly Hostess.... and Wonderful and delicious wines!... So glad we took the time to find it (not easy)... High up on a hill overlooking a lake and Napa Valley... Cell service is poor so bring written directions. We toured several wineries in Napa and Sonoma... and although this was our last stop after four days of tastings.... this was tied for first place on our list! Definitely will return... Hopefully soon! read more

We had a fantastic time! Peter was an excellent host- very friendly and knowledgeable. He gave us a tour of the property, the harvesting process, and shared stories about the winery's history. It was a personable, memorable experience! Will come back again. When you book, make sure to ask about the picnic experience. read more

Another great winery. Scenic, picturesque, and just great people & wines. Been a member for over a year now. Membership has its privileges as I get to enjoy some of the best of what Chappellet offers and accommodate few friends for tasting. I took my team of 16 here for a recognition event, and everyone had a blast. Candice P. was amazing in her knowledge and engaged my team fully. Our highlight was a picnic overlooking the lake and views of the majestic Pritchard hill eating sandwiches and sipping some Chappellet wines read more

Been to Napa at least 20 times over the past ten years and I have to say my visit to Chappellet last Friday was one of my favorite winery visits. The Ambiance, the wine and the beautiful drive up the mountain made this visit unique! Bought a bottle of the 2009 Las Piedras...wish I bought more! Thanks to Holly for the wonderful hospitality which made our tasting experience. read more

Visited Chappellet on a Thursday. I definitely recommend going mid-week so you can take your time there. Absolutely one of the best tasting experiences in Napa. Amazing barrel room, ingenious set up for tasting, elegant yet relaxed. They are known for great wines and they don't disappoint. Views from Pritchard Hill are stunning. There are wines that are only available at the winery, that alone is reason enough to visit. Highly recommend. read more

You go up a small one way road up the hill, experience great wine and view. I really like Las Piedras and the Cabernet. Recommend visiting this place, it is definitely one of a kind winery to visit . read more

This place is off the beaten path so good luck finding it as there are no signs on the road to point to the correct direction. We had to call twice while driving and lost cell service so I didn't have a great first impression. Its located at the top of a hill and literally tucked into it. The tasting takes place at small tables located in the barrel room which is pretty cool. The fruit flies ruin this a bit by constantly flying into your wine glass but not a major nuisance. Lighting not the best. The girl pouring for us was a great resource for learning about the place as well as good restaurants in the area. Wines were good, though only one in particular stood out. The 09 Pritchard Hill Cab was great though pricy; we walked away with a bottle. Nice place though not sure if I would recommend it to others due to the trek. read more

This is my favorite winery and they make my favorite wine--the Mountain Cuvee! Beautiful views from the winery and wonderful wine. I've walked around several times and it's always stunning. Plenty of picnic areas and secluded so it's not touristy! read more

Chappellet - Wineries Near Me - Saint Helena, California

My favorite winery experience during our trip to Napa! (Also visited Darioush, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, and Cakebread). Josh was our tour guide / wine server and we had an amazing 1.5 hours with him at this reservations-required vineyard. This quiet very private winery is found at the end of a long windy mountain road and features beautiful facilities and even more beautiful views as well as, of course, delicious wine! The vineyard is still owned and run by the founding family who live on the property and has been running since the 60s. A tour that featured a couple tastings took us through the property, allowed us to pick and eat a grape, and ended at a lovely banquet table setup for the rest of our tasting and surrounded by art made by the founders' daughter. As I said Josh was amazing, and we had an incredible experience! read more

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From beginning (literally, when making the reservation) to the end (literally, a personalized e-mail from our guide when we got home), this was a five-star experience....and one experience I will remember for the rest of my life. As I am wont to do, I reached out to a person who is a consultant to vineyards here in Virginia, and he suggested that we go here. He really hit it out of the park. When we made the recommendation, the person on the phone made it clear that we should download the map/directions to the place because GPS does not work well where they are located. Because she took that care, we got to the place, and for sure we would not have gotten there on time, because our old reliable friend, WAZE, got stalled, and without the map downloaded to our phones, we would have gotten lost....this place does not have the commercial signage that is all around other Napa wineries. So, the story that they told, the wines we tasted, the attitude and approach that our guide had was tremendous. I remarked to her that she seemed totally committed to the mission of the place, as she kept referring to everything as "we". Our host then also recommended we check out the R&D Kitchen for lunch, and she was spot on here. As this was our first trip to Napa, we had no experience. What I did get is that the mission of the tours are to get people to subscribe to their wines. Based on how wonderful of a time we had, we did so, and will look forward to drinking the wines and remembering what a wonderful time we had. If you are considering a trip to a vineyard, I promise you will have a great time here...but remember to download the map to your phone. read more

Chappellet Winery was our first stop and also my first visit to Napa Valley. I must say Daniel Santos, our tour guide and resident wine expert was the best. He made the tour so memorable and really knew the history of the Chappellet family and their values on the wine making process. When you taste the wine you will see why there is so much emphasis placed on the fermenting process. I fell in love with red wines after this tour, I am typically a white wine girl not anymore. Chappellet was a great winery and can't wait to go back and only want Daniel to host us!!!! Lastly, the estate is self is beautiful and the views of the hillside were breathtaking! read more

This is a fantastic winery to visit. It's a beautiful drive up the mountain to get there. The tour guide was friendly but somewhat boring. However, the facility is impressive: they are 100% solar and have been producing organic grapes since long before the organic craze started. This is one of the first wineries to be started on a mountain with high elevation. Their soil is rocky and strains the grapes, so their vines are placed further apart than typical. However this allows them to produce a smaller grape with thicker skin which is what you need to get all the flavor and depth in your reds. As soon as I sniffed the first red, I was impressed. I must have sniffed it four times before sipping because I was so entranced with the aroma. And then I tased it and found it to have incredible flavor, and wasn't as acidic or dry as some other reds we had been tasting. We ended up purchasing a four pack and signing up for the wine club. Everyone in our group seemed to be impressed with the reds, even asking for more while we were still walking the vineyard. Ladies if you do the tour don't wear high heels, it would be a nightmare walking the vineyard in them :) read more

Absolutely beautiful winery. While on a ladies wine trip in Napa, we decided to stop by Chappellet as recommended by a friend's brother. Despite touring on a rainy day, the experience was incredibly memorable. The main facility is stunning, and it's clear that the mother of the family put her heart and soul into developing it. The tasting/tour is very thoughtful as well. I enjoyed walking out to the vineyard area and hearing the history of the establishment in more detail. The views are breathtaking. You definitely need reservation to do the tasting here as they don't have a huge bar area or anything. The wines are great. They're a little pricey ($38-$80+), but this vineyard is worth checking out. read more

We were told by two independent and informed valley dwellers that if one were visit just one winery in Napa, it should be Chappellet. They said their wines, vineyards, operation, are worthy of the effort to drive up Pritchard Hill. They were absolutely right. We took the tour, asked a million questions, tasted superior wines, and fell in love with them. Don't think twice. Go. read more

Second time visiting Chappellet. Overall, really enjoy their wines and the facility is stunning. My primary complaint is with the customer service side of the operation. I was stunned to learn that my tasting would not be complimentary even after I purchased over $600.00 of product and gave a generous tip to our tour guide. This was my 5th visit to Napa for Harvest and this is by far the worst business decision I've experienced to date out there. read more

Beautiful winery, nice tour, pretty good wine. But, for $45 a pop, I expected to taste more than four wines. The strangest thing was that they didn't pour their Cab, for which they are supposedly famous. I learned way more than I really cared to know about the history of the Chappellet family and didn't taste enough wine. Hence, three stars. read more

Chappellet Winery is in a beautiful setting and has some excellent wines. It has been around for many years but this is the first visit I made. The winery was founded in 1967 by Donn and Molly Chappellet and is located up on Pritchard Hill, east of Rutherford near the famous cult winery Bryant Family and Lake Hennessey. An appointment is needed as are directions. The drive up to Chappellet is lovely as you take Sage Canyon Road to Lake Hennessey and then follow a narrow drive a mile and a half through a forested area. A short walking path leads from the parking area up the hill to the winery. The winery itself is beautiful, an older design that seems contemporary. Bring your camera. Our host, Jessica, was wonderful, very courteous, professional and enthusiastic. Our tasting began with the 2010 Signature Chenin Blanc at $30. With a nice nose, not too much sweetness, and very good balance, this is a wine that almost anybody would like but that has enough complexity to appeal to serious wine drinkers. I'm still not a convert to the varietal but this Chenin Blanc is the best California Chenin Blanc I can recall tasting. Next, we tried the 2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($32). I usually prefer Chardonnays without malolactic conversion or MLF because I like to taste the varietal characteristics and complexity which are often lost from MLF or else from over oaking. This one has 30% MLF and 30% new oak. It had a great aroma of tropical fruits, with good well-balanced acid. We both thought it was very nice. The red wines began with the flagship 2009 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon ($49) which was very good. Mostly blackberry on the palate it had great structure and complexity. Although it is very drinkable now, it will improve with age. This is one of the best Napa Valley Cabernets and seems like a bargain at only $49. I noticed they made a Cabernet Franc and commented on how much I liked the Titus Cab Franc. Much to my surprise, Mr. Titus is involved with making theirs so I had to try it. The 2009 is $65 and is one of the finest Napa Valley Cab Francs I've tasted. If you like Cab Francs, you need to try the Chappellet. Our final tasting was of the 2009 Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, a limited production blend of their finest grapes ($135). This very ripe Cab still has complexity and is not overwhelmed by the fruit. More along the lines of what Robert Parker seems to like, I can imagine this wine doing really well in blind tastings. Every wine we tasted was very good, although if I had to pick my favorites these would be the Cab Franc and the Signature Cab. I noticed that Chappellet had library and large format wines plus other varietals including: Merlot, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Malbec and a red blend called Las Piedras. Next time we visit, I'd like to try the Petite Sirah and Malbec. Chappellet is in a lovely building, in a beautiful setting, with fantastic service and exceptional wines. Here are some photos of this beautiful winery: http://bachtobacchus.blogspot.com/2012/06/chappellet-winery.html Highly recommended. read more

I've visited many wineries in Napa and Sonoma...to include the best: del dotto, chateau montelena, etc. I would say This is by far my favorite experience. Down to earth...not commercialized, real, not overpriced, great, wine, great, people, amazing experience read more

I have been taking day trips to the wine country for over 30 years but have never made the drive up Sage Canyon Road on the east side of Napa Valley to Chappellet vineyards. That was a 30 year mistake!!! The scenic drive out of the valley takes you along Lake Hennessy and up Pritchard Hill; a narrow winding road that ends at the winery. We had only made reservations ( mandatory ) for the tasting and therefore did not get a chance to experience what appeared to be manicured grounds and the beautiful scenery. But we did get a tour of the barrel room under the distinctive pyramid shaped building while drinking a fantastic glass of Chenin Blanc dispensed by our guide and tasting host AMANDA. Amanda did a great job of telling the obligatory story about the number of varietals, production number of each, origin of the oak barrels and the history of the winery and its founders. When we moved to the tasting table this is where Amanda really excelled. She was very knowledgeable about the wines poured that day as well as the entire library of wines. The first wine poured was the 2014 Napa Valley Chardonnay. I could not stop commenting about how good it was and that we almost never drank white wines in our household. We ended up buying 2 bottles. Did I mention that we almost never drink white? I believe we tasted 6 or 7 wines and all of them were great but the Las Piedras and the Cabernet Franc were the ones that followed us home. While we were in the tasting room, Amanda proved to be an exceptional conversationalist providing a mixture of informational and a more casual exchange that flowed freely between us. We found Amanda to be very amiable and by the last glass we all felt that we had known Amanda for years. We will definitely ask for Amanda on a return visit to Chappellet hopefully in the near future. read more

Chappellet is a member of Gems of the Valley, an exclusive wine membership club of nine prestigious wineries in the Napa Valley. I've enjoyed many Chappellet wines over the years, and was really looking forward to sampling many more. Had also bragged to others in our group that this winery would really knock their socks off. Unfortunately, the entire group and I were disappointed. Not sure if the wines being poured were too young (most were 2010s), or if my palate has changed, not sure. The winery experience is lovely. The estate is beautiful, and the staff is attentive and informative. read more

I'm a tad late on this review as we were there about 2 weeks ago. May 19th (Sunday) to be exact. I will say that prior to visiting, I was already completely impressed. I had emailed at the beginning of May to get a reservation for 2. Sadly, they were booked and told if they had any cancellations they would notify us. Bummed but it happens. (Note to self, plan earlier next time). So several days pass and I get a phone call from the same person who emailed, Angelina. She told us they had an opening on the Friday during our visit. More bad news. Friday at the time she had was the one day out of our 5 that wouldn't work. I thanked her for the call but told her we couldn't make it work. The next day, I get an email from her asking if Sunday worked. Which it did! We were super excited- and WOW - what amazing customer service!! Day of the tour/tasting, we drive up from Napa. The drive is lovely, and pretty easy, making sure we followed their directions. Plus- views on the drive up we're amazing. Natalie was our host once we arrived. Small tour- just us and another couple. She was really knowledgeable and personable. Tour goes through the packaging, the process of grape to wine, through the beautiful vineyard (again- amazing views) and back to the inside of the winery. Tastings along the way were amazing and plentiful. We ended up buying 2 bottles to take home. Cannot recommend enough. Great experience! Will definitely return when we visit in the future!! read more

Tasting at Chappellet last Saturday was an absolute joy. Not only was the wine of an extremely high caliber, but the prices were unbelievably good. Visiting the winery ($15) involves taking a one hour tour through the winery and vineyards with different wines poured (five altogether) at various stops. My wife and I were in no hurry to leave (and, thankfully, neither was our awesome tour guide, Daniel) so we stayed for two hours! We enjoyed the Chardonnay and Merlot, but were absolutely blown away by the rich, jammy and tannic 05 Syrah ($42; the finest example of that varietal that I've ever tasted) and two Cabernet Sauvignons (the 05 See Clone and 05 Signature blend; both $46). The former is a textbook illustration of the unique personality that terrior (the wine comes from four rows of vineyard in their estate) and an individual strand of Cab can create; it's earthy with dark fruit and still a bit closed off at this point, but powerful and delicious. The latter is a seamless blend of berry, mocha and espresso backed by integrated tannins; it's marvelous. Since Daniel is such an awesome guy he even gave us a taste of the 2005 Pritchard Hill Cab ($125) that recently earned a 96 point rating by Wine Spectator. This wine has it all- perfect balance, beautiful structure and well-defined fruit. It's gorgeous. Last year Chappellet was rewarded with a place on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list (#27) for their 2004 Signature blend Cabernet Sauvignon. Despite earning this honor and publicity, the winery elected to keep the prices exactly the same! As explained to us by our tour guide, founder and owner Donn Chappellet strives to make outstanding wine that people can actually afford to buy. Kudos to him! Make it a priority to visit Chappellet to try some of the finest wines in Napa. Since I don't plan to be a stranger, maybe I'll see you there! read more

As good as wine gets. Fabulous buttery Chardonnay! We knew we loved Chappellet Cabernet but the Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Merlot were all delicious too. Very impressed by the winery. Chappellet is a must! read more

This is the place to start your unofficial Napa winery tour. All you need is ressies here and at Bryant Family Vineyard just five minutes away and it'll be the best wine in Napa you've ever had. read more

What an incredible property, and the staff here is amazing! The tasting in the barrel room is awe-inspiring as it's just so huge. It makes you wonder how long it took to build. We loved everything they made but some clear standouts were their Chard and their Pritchard Hill Cab. Can't wait to come back in the spring! read more

Beautiful property, with a very informative tour and reasonably priced wines. HOWEVER, like a previous reviewer, we were very confused and disappointed that that they did not pour one of their cabs!! We did get an additional pour of a red blend since we were lucky to have a member in our group, however, no cab? A bit disappointing. I don't think I'll be making a trip back unless, especially since it is way out there from the main roads but maybe worth a visit if you have guests in town and want to go on a tour on an amazing property. read more

Highly recommended for anyone on a winery tour of Napa. The prices of their wines are great, and the tasting / tour is very intimate. It is like a French winery. I had a great experience here, and they comped the $25 tasting for all three of us, as one of us signed up for their wine club. Great deal! read more

An appointment is required for tasting. We didn't know that and showed up on a weekday afternoon without an appointment (should have read the Yelp reviews, first!). None-the-less, since there wasn't anyone else there, our hostess kindly gave us a short history of the winery and provided a sample of the lovely signature Chenin Blanc, which we purchased. The building is iconic 1960's and worth seeing on it's own, but the road is narrow and twisty - be sure you have a designated driver. read more

Just updating that the manager emailed me with an apology, comped a bottle of wine, and offered to waive tasting fees for another visit. I appreciate that Chappellet is trying to (belatedly) do the right thing. read more

My favorite stop in Napa. Hands down the best all-around experience. Our guide, Henri, was knowledgeable, personable and made the visit better for everyone. If you get the tasting and the tour - you move throughout the winery and vineyards learning different parts of the process. Did I mention this place is basically on top of a mountain (at least it seems that way to a Midwesterner) and the scenery is beautiful. To top it all off the wines are amazing - both the Cabernets and Chardonnays! If you're going to visit Napa, this is a MUST see (and taste)! read more

Excellent tasting experience with Amy. Very friendly. True to this "tip" bring sweater if you are a cold person - the building/winery tasting is inside and cool. I was fine. read more

Amazing wine, beautiful winery and very friendly and informative staff. The drive up to the winery was well worth the amazing tastings we had. Loved it! read more

What a lovely surprise! We had not planned to go to this winery. A pourer at Del Dotto turned us on to this very hard to find place - but it was well worth it. read more

This is a very interesting place to taste. They take their wine seriously, it is off the beaten path, and reservations are required. If you haven't been to a smaller more exclusive tasting - this is a great option. read more

We enjoyed our tasting and tour. Brought home 2 bottles. Quick note - put on some sunscreen if you do an afternoon tour or you might burn like I did! read more

There's a reason this place averages 5 stars. It's top-notch as far as tours and tastings go. We learned so much about wine and sustainability here. They are still family-owned and are making improvements constantly. If it wasn't stop one on our tour we probably would've brought back more cab...fantastic. read more

Great tour. We learned a lot and got to try many different wines. Most of the wines were a good combination of being complex but also highly drinkable. It is a bit of a haul out there but definitely worth it. The tasting is $45 per person and the wines are a bit pricey so be prepared. Our tour guide, Joshua, did a great job. Very knowledgeable and very personable. We enjoyed our time with him. Glad we checked this out and would recommend it to anyone who wants to get off the beaten path of the Napa Valley. read more

I believe you have to book ahead to get into this out-of-the-way winery, situated among rolling hills and lakes. It certainly was not very crowded on a beautiful May weekday. You can do a tour or just a tasting. I would just stroll around the grounds and do the 3pm tasting. You get a partial tour anyway. THe wines were good but not great, which you can say about a lot of the wineries in this area. The best was clearly the Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. Skip any white you may be offered. read more

What a great way to start our day. You do need a reservation, but can make one on their Web site. The tasting is seated and there are just two times to reserve. Our host, Don, was extremely knowledgeable about the wines and the area. Overall it was just an elegant experience. I would highly recommend a trip up the mountain! read more