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If you read my last post, you’ll know that, as the new co-chair of the High Museum Wine Auction, my wife Dio was invited to be a part of that organization’s annual Cultivation Trip to Napa ― where respected, boutique wineries and vineyards would be toured, winemakers met and mutually beneficial relationships between the High Museum and these noteworthy producers either initiated or maintained.

You’ll also know that, as her spouse, I was allowed to tag along!

Seeing as how we were set to arrive a couple of days before the “official” trip itinerary began, I made a point to arrange some “off-the-books” tastings and meals at a few celebrated wineries and restaurants, and to visit with some Cali friends in the process. If you haven’t seen that aforementioned post, feel free to skip over here now, for a full rundown on where we went, what we saw and how we indulged.

The next morning, it was time to dive straight into another two-day whirlwind of High Museum-sanctioned events ― and one more side trip of our own.

THE ART OF WINEMAKING IN ACTION

We started out with a visit to Chappellet. Based on a recommendation from one of my wine buddies, theirs was one of the first new world wines I bought back in 2018 when I started to add that type of wine to my collection. When I learned Chappellet was on the list of wineries we’d been “assigned” to visit on behalf of the museum, I was thrilled, as I knew very little about them ― just that enjoying their wines helped launch my journey into new world wines.

As we arrived at the winery, we noticed the striking design of the building, as well as a very interesting rock wall out front. We’d later come to learn the building was designed by esteemed abstract artist (and friend of the Chappellet family) Ed Moses. It was meant to harken back to the ancient pyramids of Egypt, and to complement the surrounding hills, as Moses (is that a coincidence?) aimed to disrupt the beauty of the landscape as little as possible.

Upon entering the lobby, we were met with an extremely impressive display of various pieces of art and sculpture.

As you’ll note in the video above, this was perhaps the first time I’d ever seen wine bottles emblazoned with dragons. The entire Chappellet family has a profound passion for art, as Lygia Chappellet, daughter of the winery's founders and owners, explained during our brief lobby conversation. To the extent that their collection contains works by a lot of seriously big-name artists from the 1950s onward. They even sponsor an artist in residence at the facility (Julia Crane).

Most of the art displayed on the property was created by personal friends of the Chappellet family, and the sheep sculpture in the lobby was actually made by Lygia. Knowing Dio’s great affinity for fine art, I could tell she was super excited to have wound up at this particular producer.

Since 1967 when it was founded, three generations of this family have run the winery. That’s something of a rarity these days given the continuing takeover of the wine world by large, multinational conglomerates, and it’s this close family connection to the business that likely helps to keep everything there on point. We were told that all the fruit there is hand-picked and sorted. They even do all their own bottling right there on-site.

David Francke, the President of Chappellet, led our tour himself. That tour, starting in the “pyramid” included a very quick look at what I’ll call the “tasting room maze,” where we were told we’d wind up for the tasting following a stroll through the vineyard.

The winery is located on “Pritchard Hill,” east of Napa Valley, in the hills overlooking Lake Hennessey. That location was named for Charles Pritchard, an important figure in St. Helena in the mid-1800s. He homesteaded that land and later served as mayor of the community. These days, some folks refer to this particular area as the “Rodeo Drive of Napa,” due to the high-end nature of their winery and those nearby.

100 acres of the 640 on their property are used for growing grapes, and it’s almost as if there are 40 different vineyards as opposed to one large one. The sites are varied based on their elevation, and David explained that the volcanic rocks found on the site which had to be removed to plant vines were repurposed to create the “dragon tail” we’d seen when we arrived. Some of the vines at Chappellet are located above the fog line, which means they get tons of sunlight. This fact led to a discussion of the exact difference between “mountain fruit” and “valley floor fruit,” which I’d heard mentioned often before but never in such detail.

According to David, mountain fruit creates smaller grapes with a higher and more “vibrant” concentration of flavor. It’s the result of growing in “bad soil,” which causes the vines to struggle to survive, giving them a higher-than-average level of tannins. On the other hand, valley floor fruit receives less direct sun, but resides in higher-quality soil because there is less drainage, resulting in more nutrients and minerals being passed along to the grapes. The juice from mountain fruit must be extracted differently than fruit from the valley floor. It’s a whole thing.

We wound up receiving all sorts of valuable information as we toured the grounds, because the Director of the High Museum, Rand Suffolk, was with us. This was his first time in wine country, and so David explained the methods of grape picking, veraison, etc… to our group. It was a real treat.

Once we returned to the pyramid (!), we were able to taste six different wines, all of which I enjoyed a great deal. At this point I should probably mention that I have started writing much more detailed tasting notes for all my vino adventures, and for those who want to dive in a little deeper into my feelings on these wines, those notes can be found on CellarTracker. Check out “Flight 1” of my Tasting Story.

The standouts from these half-dozen bottles included a 2023 Chappellet Chenin Blanc. Chenin Blanc is not nearly as commonly found in Napa as, say, a Chardonnay. (I actually wound up sampling three different Chenin Blancs on this trip, which was quite unexpected.) I was particularly impressed with their 2021 Chappellet Las Piedras, so much so that I ordered several bottles of it once I returned to Atlanta..

David also Coravin’d a 2007 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Signature (Library Release) to demonstrate to us just how their wines age. This was my favorite pour of the tasting, and it’s worth noting that Chappellet keeps plenty of back vintages available for their members to purchase. After trying this one, I highly recommend anyone within eyesight of this post signs up to receive those opportunities!

David was a super nice guy, and it turned out we have a good bit in common. He used to live in Atlanta and is a big fan of Billecart Salmon’s champs as well. We’ve kept in touch, and he even mentioned later that he checked out and enjoyed my blog, which was quite nice!

Here’s some shots and video taken on our way out of the winery.

Heading back down to the valley from Pritchard Hill

After this whole Napa Cultivation Trip was over, we wholeheartedly recommended Chappellet’s participation in the 2025 High Museum Wine Auction. We recently learned that Lygia will be coming to Atlanta to not only be a part of the auction, but to represent Chappellet at a Winemaker Dinner!

GOTT’S TO HAVE IT

We then headed straight to the upscale burger stand Gott’s Roadside, to grab a quick lunch, as it was close to our next winery visit. Rand seemed to really enjoy this introduction to what Dio and I consider a “must-do” in wine country…

TRYING WINES “BEFORE THEIR TIME”

Dio and I have been to the Wheeler Farms custom crush facility so many times now that I’ve probably lost count. But that’s where our next “official” tasting was. As opposed to a producer that’s been making wine in this area for decades (like Chappellet), our next stop, the family-owned producer Annulus Cellars had―at the time of our visit―yet to even release their inaugural vintage! Not being at all familiar with Annulus, I did my research prior to the trip and immediately became quite excited. Two extremely well-known winemakers are responsible for their wines: Nigel Kinsman (one of my personal favorites) and master blender Michael Rolland.

When we arrived, our host Caitlin met us outside and poured us a 2022 Annulus Sauvignon Blanc. It was cold and refreshing! She told us about the winery’s owners, Luke Evnin and Deann Wright, who―after estimable careers as, respectively, a groundbreaking, award-winning medical researcher in the field of Biochemistry and an attorney and former medical researcher―are now pursuing a life increasingly focused on winemaking. I let her know that I was already a big fan of Nigel’s work for such producers as Impensata, Kinsman Eades, Bella Oaks and others, and she showed us to a private room. This was new to me as I’d only ever been in the main tasting area at Wheeler Farms before. Waiting for us were three more wines (all red) and a lovely charcuterie board.

Caitlin explained that the art on their bottles and literature is a representation of both a Napa oak tree and a heart valve (which references Luke and Deanna’s medical backgrounds), and that the colors of the rings on each different bottle represent the different seasons of the year.

This was a very cool experience, as they had not yet released any wine to the public. We were allowed to taste their inaugural vintage, prior to its release in September of 2024.

This meant we were some of the first people, period, that had ever tasted this wine. It was so new in fact that my tasting notes on three out of the four wines were the only such notes on CellarTracker! I even uploaded the first photos of all the wines to that website, which is a rare occurrence ― for me, at least.

Caitlin described Nigel's winemaking approach for Annulus as both “vintage” and “terroir-driven.” It’s hands-off with minimal intervention. They are going for a softer style: Classic Napa bold reds, but only slightly tannic and suitable for drinking earlier than most.

All four of these wines were quite lovely, which was not surprising given their fruit sources, winemakers and the quality of their facilities. My favorite was the 2021 Annulus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, as this blend, in my opinion, drank the best of them all at this very young age. I went ahead and bought some of that for our stash.

Again, you can see my tasting notes—on all four Annulus wines—on CellarTracker - check out 'Flight 2' of my Tasting Story

Later on, I learned that Annulus will also be participating in the High Museum Wine Auction this coming March. So, if you’ll be in the Atlanta area around that time and you want to try some of these very wines that I am describing, without traveling across the country to do so, I highly suggest you go ahead and get tickets for the 2025 auction ASAP.

DOWN AT PALISADES VINEYARD

Since our tasting group had a break in the day when we were not scheduled for any official High Museum events, I made plans for our small group to head over to Palisades Canyon Wines. I had tried my first wine made by the great, fourth generation Napa winemaker Graeme MacDonald on a prior trip to the valley in February of 2023 and was so excited to try my second wine made by Graeme. We drove from Wheeler Farms straight to the narrow riparian canyon one mile north of the town of Calistoga, where the vineyard is located directly below the high cliffs of the Palisades.

At the end of the rocky road which leads through the vineyard, proprietors Steve and Felicia were waiting for us with baseball caps we could use while taking an extensive tour of the vineyard in the scorching California sun. We also received a tour of the pre-Prohibition “ghost winery” building which still stands on their property, like an artifact from another era. The property’s third owners, Steve and Felicia have been here for a decade, and just like at Annulus, we were there to taste their inaugural vintage: three wines, none of which had yet been released to the public.

We learned our group was one of the very first they have ever hosted for a tasting. Steve apologized in advance for still “dialing in” his tour and then proceeded to go into a ton of detail on the history of the land and its usage. Personally speaking, I loved all the information he shared, and every second of this tour. If Steve is reading this, he should know that no additional “dialing in” was needed!

MOUNTAIN MEN VS. BUSINESS MEN

Steve described to us how their Petite Sirah vines had been planted in 1964 and instead of being trellised, were instead head trained (aka goblet trained). Meaning that they’re smaller, lighter weight vines which require less water to mature, and so can do without the support wires which are often utilized when growing grapes. We also learned that during the time of Prohibition, Petite Sirah was the most widely planted grape in this area and in this manner. The roots of these old vines can now access minerals, nutrients and water from far deeper in the soil than younger vines.

Head-trained Petite Sirah vines spread their untamed leafy canopies.

The oldest vines still in use on the property were planted in a 1.6 acre block in 1968 and were grafted onto St. George rootstock. More blocks of Petite Sirah were added in the 1970s, and today, a little over 11 acres of the old vine still grows and is farmed in the same tradition as was begun some six decades ago. We actually got to taste some of the grapes straight from the vine!

Notice how chaotic these vines appear as opposed to most others you normally see in Napa? It’s almost like comparing a mountain man with a shaggy beard and wild, unkempt hair with a clean-shaven, stiff and well-mannered businessman.

Goblet training got its name from the shape of the vines themselves. Before they’re pruned (but after harvest), their crowns are shaped like an inverted cone. Think: a goblet or wine glass. Right up until about 50 or 60 years ago, this was the most widely used method of training vines. But, since agriculture became highly mechanized in the 1970s, most farmers grow their vines along a wire screen. This creates a wall of leaves filled with clusters of grapes, with improved air flow between them. This speeds up production by allowing tractors and workers to navigate much more quickly through the vineyards.

FAFO "THE WINEMAKING EDITION"

For the second part of our tour, Steve offered a fascinating history of the property. It seems vineyards have been there since at least 1878, when it was settled by a Scottish immigrant. In 1907, ownership of the land (and the vineyards) changed to the Barberis family, themselves immigrants from Italy. They and their descendants farmed the property until the early 1990s, growing a mix of grapes (mostly Petite Sirah) and plums. Around 1915, they built a winery on the site, which was known as the Bonded Winery No. 118.

Inside the winery building, we witnessed a striking juxtaposition: a faded original "Bonded Winery No. 118" sign perched atop modern Tesla batteries powering their solar system.

Outside, a newly created replica of the bonded winery sign honors the building's heritage.

The winery maintained it’s bonded status until 1932, when Domenico Barberis was busted by the feds for bootlegging during Prohibition. Apparently, he was doing a bit more than just making “Sacramental Wine,” and when the authorities found out they revoked his permit and smashed most of his equipment.

Steve then pointed out that some of the antique winemaking equipment did survive.

SO, WHAT'S IN THEIR GROUND NOW?

These days, Palisades Vineyard grows Petit Verdot (0.9 acres), Cabernet Sauvignon (4.2 acres), Cabernet Franc (0.4 acres) and Chenin Blanc (0.5 acres). Those last three were planted between 2015 and 2018. The Cabernet Sauvignon was field grafted from historic Napa Valley budwood (from Eisele and Inglenook!). In keeping with tradition, all these new vines are being head trained and planted on old-fashioned 8’ x 8’ grids.

Once they’re suitably established, Steve and Felicia intend to “dry farm” these vines (meaning they won’t be using irrigation but rather relying on rainfall and the natural moisture of the soil for nourishment).

Here are some brand-new plantings, protected by white guards.

Peeking inside these protective covers revealed the tiny vines just beginning their journey.

In addition to using it for their own wines, Palisades also sells fruit to other wineries. The next day, when we enjoyed a tasting at the Mending Wall Winery, we learned that no less than Graeme MacDonald uses Mending Wall’s custom crush facility to make Palisades’ wines (as well as his own MacDonald wines), AND that Mending Wall makes a Petite Sirah using grapes bought from Palisades Canyon.

In wine country, everyone knows everyone else, and they all work together to make as much amazing wine as they can!

AT LAST, A TASTE OF PALISADES

Once we’d finished the tour, we headed back through the home garden to a delightful, covered area, where Felicia re-joined our group for the tasting.

First up was their 2021 Palisades Canyon Chenin Blanc, which was described as a “dinner wine.” Some folks refer to this as a “serious” wine, meaning that it’s designed to be enjoyed with food.

For this wine, Graeme utilizes the “Death and Resurrection” approach to winemaking. Only 30 cases were made, and it’s safe to say that this Chenin (uncommonly enough, the second one I’d tried on this trip) was much more “serious” than one usually comes across.

Next was their 2021 Palisades Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon, which was co-fermented with Petit Verdot (the “old way” of doing things). We’re told the mix came out to be 95.2% Cab, 4.6% Cab Franc, 0.2% Petit Verdot. If you’re wondering how they arrived at those specific numbers, according to the owners, “that’s what came in” when they tallied up their harvest!

Next was the 2021 Palisades Canyon Petite Sirah made from the fruit of 60-year-old vines. This wine was absolutely, completely stunning. I’m not kidding. I scored it 98 points and it’s easily in the Top 10 wines I have ever tasted.

Felicia then pointed out that their labels feature an etching of the mountain visible from our seats - a beautiful touch connecting wine to place.

To see my detailed tasting notes on these three incredible wines, check out 'Flight 3' of my Tasting Story on CellarTracker.

Steve and Felicia were kind enough to offer that we could pre-order some of all three types, and I’m not ashamed to say that I took advantage of this and signed up for as much as they would sell me of each one! Later on, I learned I’d scored, as their inaugural offer that occurred later in the year sold out completely in just a few minutes.

What an experience this was: meeting the nicest folks you can imagine, who are making wonderful wine that’s priced extremely fairly (compared to a lot of the in-demand “cult” wines you often come across in Napa). It’s worth noting that Gream’s own MacDonald Vineyards takes the same approach with their pricing as Steve and Felicia. The whole point is to make their products accessible. Graeme’s vineyard is like Palisades in that they both boast old, historic vines (which Graeme specializes in using) and are both made at Mending Wall’s facility.

So, if you, dear reader, are currently on the waitlist for your first allocation of MacDonald Cab Sav (that’s a more than eight year wait at present!), perhaps you can get on Palisades Canyon’s list and get to try some of Grame’s handiwork a good bit sooner than that…

WRAPPING UP THE DAY AT ONE OF OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

As we came down from the excitement of the fascinating and delicious experience at Palisades, we made it over to Charter Oak, where Dio and I have had exemplary meals in the past.

After a long day of tours and tastings, the entire cultivation team met up for a fantastic dinner. Everyone was there: the museum folks and other volunteers (including Dain and Lauren). Spirits were high (see what I did there?), and I shared a bottle of Annulus with the group, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Next up, a good night’s sleep and a fresh start for the official second day of the 2025 Cultivation Trip.

Read all about that in my next post, coming soon…

The 2024 Cultivation Trip OFFICIALLY Begins