ST HELENA, Calif. – AUGUST 16, 2023 – Today, Napa Valley’s acclaimed family-run Chappellet Winery (www.chappellet.com) announced the promotion of Mitch Boyd to the newly created position of vice president of global sales. As part of a significant restructure of Chappellet’s trade team, the winery also announced that Jacob Jata has been promoted to director of sales, east, April Collins has been hired as director of sales, west, with Amy Chappellet taking on the new position of director of trade relations.
“As our focus, both nationally and internationally, has largely shifted to an allocation model for our sought-after mountain-grown Signature and Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignons, we have established a new model for our trade team that provides director-level leadership and accountability to our distributor and trade partners in each territory,” says Chappellet President David Francke. “We are thrilled to have Mitch leading our team in his new role as VP of global sales. Not only has Mitch developed our team over the last few years, establishing it as a model for a small, globally renowned wine estate, he also played a pivotal role in establishing Chappellet’s relationship with La Place de Bordeaux, making us one of just a handful of American wineries to join this historic institution.”
As the respective directors of sales for the eastern and western halves of the US, both Jacob Jata and April Collins will report to Boyd, and will be supported in their markets by Amy Chappellet as director of trade relations and by trade support manager, Lindsey Gorfine. Jata, who joined Chappellet in 2018, has held positions as the wine director at Ariadne Restaurant in Massachusetts, where he worked with Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya, as a territory manager for Florida-based Johnson Brothers Liquor Company, and as a sales representative in the Connoisseur Division at Martignetti Companies. Collins comes to Chappellet with more than two decades of experience in both the winery and distributor sides of the industry. For the past 14 years, Collins has successfully represented Chappellet as the owner of Vintage Wine Marketing, a top Texas-based wine broker.
“While we did an exhaustive search to fill these roles, ultimately the best people were found in-house and close to home,” said Boyd. “Since joining Chappellet as our southeast regional manager, Jacob’s work representing Chappellet has been exemplary, and his promotion is a reflection of his invaluable contributions. We are also thrilled to have April join our team and expand her success in representing Chappellet in Texas to the entire Western US. The experience, institutional knowledge and distributor relationships that Jacob and April bring to their new positions will ensure that our trade team provides the level of world-class service and support that reflects a Napa Valley estate of Chappellet’s stature.”
To further cement the importance of family leadership at Chappellet, Amy Chappellet has been promoted to director of trade relations, where she will act as a family ambassador, host DTC and trade events, and travel the globe focusing on relationship building with Chappellet’s distributor partners, and the world’s finest restaurants and resorts. This includes building awareness of Chappellet’s status as the first American winery to be named a Relais & Châteaux Preferred Partner, as well as developing new ways to engage with Relais & Châteaux members and its global association of restaurants and hotels through vintner dinners, tasting events, and wine education experiences.
“I treasure the opportunity to help build on the legacy established by Donn and Molly Chappellet,” said Amy Chappellet. “At heart, my role is to share my love for the Chappellet family and for this remarkable estate and its wines.”
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.
