In Episode 151 of the Mr. Wine Guy Podcast I had the privilege of sitting down with Dominic Chappellet Chief Operating Officer of Chappellet Winery out of Pritchard Hill, CA.

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I’ve often spoke about how Chappellet is at the top of my list of wineries in the Napa Valley but it’s without question their contribution to viticulture and winemaking have placed them at that same level amongst so many people just like myself.

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When I decided to relaunch my podcast in the earlier part of 2023, Chappellet was the first family I thought of as a potential guest on the show so I reached out to Alexa Chappellet to see about a potential interview and went from there.

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Alexa was kind enough to connect me with the PR team to organize everything and before long I was chatting with Dominic Chappellet about all the things his family created in the wine industry!

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In this episode Dominic talks about his Father Donn and Molly, Donn's entrepreneurial background with coffee dispensing and Molly's background in architecture, art, literature, and being a James Beard award winning author!

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Dominic talks about the decision his parents made after Donn's coffee dispensing business went public to sell everything they had and move the entire family to Napa Valley to go full time in the wine industry.

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Dominic went on to talk about what it was like for his family to break ground in Pritchard Hill in 1967 with the help of Architect Ed Moses and Engineer Dick Keith and the inspiration they had to choose Pritchard Hill thanks to the great André Tchelistcheff.

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Dominic talks about what it was like for his family to make their 1969 Estate Cabernet, a wine that is considered today to be a unicorn wine and his mother Molly's love and passion for their Chenin Blanc.

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Dominic also shares the privilege his family has to focus on the environment through their 960 module solar project, state-of-the-art water processing system, and being fully certified organic in 2012 by the (CCOF) California Certified Organic Farmers.

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As I mentioned, this podcast means so much to me and what this family has done to make a massive impact on the wine industry over the course of seveal decades though all their hard work and commitment!

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Cheers 🍷

To watch on YouTube:

https://bit.ly/4aE24oP

To follow Chappellet on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/chappellet_winery/

To sign up for Chappellet's mailing list, receive allocation opportunities, or to purchase wines:

https://chappellet.com/shop/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linktree&utm_campaign=shop+chappellet+wines

https://chappellet.com/join/mailing-list/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linktree&utm_campaign=join+our+mailing+list

https://chappellet.com/join/#chappellet-wine-club

To follow Michael on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Linkedin: https://www.tiktok.com/@themrwineguy?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc https://www.instagram.com/themrwineguy/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQs2ckU2tCtHUuPL7fzV6eA https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gallagher-70637b70/

In Episode 150 of the Mr. Wine Guy Podcast, I had the opportunity to sit down with Michel Gassier, Owner of Winemaker of Château de Nages and Domaine Gassier out of the Costières de Nîmes appellation of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region of France which is one of the most southernly parts of the historic Rhône Valley.

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Michel kicks off the 2nd half of Season 4 of the podcast and he's also my first old-world wine guest on the show so it brings me a tremendous amount of honor and gratitude to be sharing his story and the multiple generations of his family in the wine industry.

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In this episode Michel talks about his time growing up in the outdoors of the Rhône Valley, his time attending Ag school, and how thanks to his secondary education was able to opt out of a mandatory 18 month military service obligation by working at the French Embassy in Washington DC.

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Michel talks about his time at Domaine Bernard and how eventually becoming President of this winery was pivotal in helping him not only earn an income while learning sales and marketing, but eventually getting his personal brand up and running, focusing soley on his own vineyards and winery (Domaine Gassier) by the end of 1999.

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Michel talks about the creation of Domaine Gassier while simultaneously working at his family winery Château de Nages with his brother. Michel goes on to say that "Château de Nages is the inherited terroir while Domaine Gassier is the chosen terroir!"

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Michel also goes on to talk about the Nîmes appellation and what makes it so special, his philosophy on pruning, and Michel even educates us on some of the common misconceptions of old-world wines and even some of the cultural advantages and benefits that we all love and appreciate about this beautiful and historical terroir!

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Having Michel onboard was truly and honor and a special shoutout to Leah Isenberg of Colangelo & Partners for making this interview possible from South FL to South FR! 🙏🏼

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Cheers 🍷

To follow Michel on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/chateaudenages/

https://www.instagram.com/domainegassier/

To purchase some of Michel's wines, or to sign up to learn more about Château de Nages and Domaine Gassier:

https://www.chateaudenages.com/en/wines/

https://www.domainegassier.com/en/wines/

https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/domaine+gassier/1/usa

https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/chateau+de+nages/1

https://www.totalwine.com/search/all?text=chateau%20de%20nages

To follow Michael on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Linkedin:

https://www.tiktok.com/@themrwineguy?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

https://www.instagram.com/themrwineguy/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQs2ckU2tCtHUuPL7fzV6eA

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gallagher-70637b70/

In Episode 149 of the Mr. Wine Guy Podcast, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jean Hoefliger, Owner of Jean Hoefliger Wine Consulting and Winemaker of AXR out of Napa Valley, California.

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Jean was a previous podcast guest in Episode 51 and is part of a four interview lineup where I brought back a few amazing people for a new, fresh conversation as a soft launch for Season 4! With Jean being the 4th person of the throwbacks it was great having him back but I also can't believe we're already half way though Season 4 of the podcast!

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In this episode Jean talks about his time at Newton Vineyard and Alpha Omega Winery as Winemaker early in his career and how those experiences, especially woking with world-renowned Consultant Michel Rolland really had a massive impact on who he is today as a consultant himself.

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Jean talks about the consulting side of winemaking and why it's so important and especially how he's personally never satisfied in his pursuits of perfection and how he "positions himself more in doubting, therefore more progression."

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Jean also educates us on the importance of pruning and how he delays his pruning to play off the frost season, speeding up bud break for the vintage to come and why it's so important for him in the long run.

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Jean brings so much energy and charisma to this podcast and as a mid-season finale for Season 4, you're not going to want to miss!

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Cheers 🍷

To watch on YouTube:

https://bit.ly/3wwX1bC

To follow Jean on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jean_hoefliger/

https://www.instagram.com/jhwineconsulting/

To purchase some of Jean's wines, or to sign up to learn more about JH Wine Consulting:

https://www.jhwineconsulting.com/about-us

https://www.axrnapavalley.com/Wine

https://www.thedebatewine.com/The-Store

https://www.harbisonestatewines.com/wine/

To follow Michael on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Linkedin:

https://www.tiktok.com/@themrwineguy?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

https://www.instagram.com/themrwineguy/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQs2ckU2tCtHUuPL7fzV6eA

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gallagher-70637b70/