NAPA VALLEY, Calif. – January 12, 2016 – Clos Du Val is happy to announce the appointment of Jon-Mark Chappellet to the position of director of operations, and Ted Henry to the role of winemaker. These appointments build on other significant changes at Clos Du Val over the past few years, including a renovation of the winery, a stylistic shift of the wines, a reduction in yields, and a transition to almost exclusively making estate-grown wines from Clos Du Val’s three vineyards. Under the leadership of President and CEO Steve Tamburelli, as part of this quality-driven transition and renewed focus on estate fruit, Clos Du Val has eliminated almost all wines not sourced entirely from its own vineyards. To achieve this, it has also significantly reduced production—with its overall Cabernet Sauvignon production cut almost in half. Chappellet and Henry will join a team that includes Tamburelli, Director of National Sales Sean Gallagher and Consulting Winemaker Tony Biagi in guiding the future of the iconic Napa Valley winery.
Throughout a career spanning a quarter century, Jon-Mark Chappellet has established himself as a viticultural and winemaking innovator, and an expert at growing ultra-luxury Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The son of renowned vintners Donn and Molly Chappellet, Jon-Mark was raised on Napa Valley’s famed Pritchard Hill, where he learned about winegrowing from the ground up, and spent two decades as Chappellet’s director of operations. While at Chappellet, where he worked with then General Manager Steve Tamburelli, Jon-Mark helped to elevate the Chappellet Estate Vineyard to global renown, while also establishing its wines as New World benchmarks for mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon. Chappellet is a past president and current board member of the Napa Farm Bureau, and an advisory board member to the California Climate & Agricultural Network.
As only the fourth winemaker in the four-decade history of Clos Du Val, Ted Henry will be responsible for guiding Clos Du Val’s transition to an estate-focused portfolio, while also continuing a vibrant and vineyard-driven stylistic shift towards greater ripeness, more mid-palate depth and greater tannin integration. Henry has more than 15 years of experience making Bordeaux varietal wines, including the past seven years as the winemaker at Napa Valley’s Jarvis Estate, where he worked with famed consulting winemaker Dimitri Tchelistcheff and focused exclusively on small-production, estate-grown wines. Prior to his tenure at Jarvis Estate, Henry held positions as the associate winemaker at Artesa Winery and Vineyards, and as the associate winemaker at Trinchero Family Estates, where he helped to develop and oversee the winery’s Napa Valley-based luxury wine portfolio.
“It’s fitting that we are announcing Jon-Mark’s and Ted’s appointments together,” says Tamburelli. “The changes we have been undertaking at Clos Du Val are as comprehensive as they are collaborative. They touch on every aspect of our winery, and they reflect the collective efforts of everyone on our team. Because of the changes we have made over the past few years, we are already making the finest wines in our long history. Having individuals as talented as Jon-Mark and Ted overseeing every stage of our viticulture and winemaking will ensure that our wines continue becoming even more exceptional.
“I grew up as part of one of Napa Valley’s great pioneering wineries, and spent almost a quarter century helping it to realize its full potential,” says Chappellet. “Clos Du Val is cut from the same cloth. It is an iconic winery with a rich history and some of the finest vineyard land in California. It is incredibly exciting to be a part of writing a new chapter in the story of such an important winery.”
About Clos Du Val
In 1972, Clos Du Val acquired 150 acres of estate vineyards in the heart of the Stags Leap District, and made its first wines, including Clos Du Val’s legendary debut 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon—one of only six California Cabernets selected for the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris Tasting. Today, Clos Du Val’s acclaimed estate program has evolved to include an additional 180 acres in Carneros, and an 18-acre vineyard in Yountville. From this diverse palette of estate fruit, which includes 30 distinct blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon, Clos Du Val makes elegantly structured wines notable for their balance, complexity and vivid fruit. To learn more, visit www.closduval.com.
