Tawnya Falkner’s passion for food, wine and travel, sent her on a journey to France after seeing a gap, and thus an opportunity, in the sparkling wine category. ​Given this belief, Tawnya took the leap and gave up her career in real estate development and architecture in San Francisco to pursue her dreams. Tawnya’s vision was to create an affordable luxury which embodies the French spirit of ​joie de vivre (joy of life) and elevates life’s everyday moments. Her journey resulted in Le Grand Courtâge, which produces award-winning 90+ point French sparkling wine and a Provence-style still wine, Très Chic Rosé.

Tawnya’s background in design and real estate development, actually utilizes many of the same skill-sets which are needed to build a consumable product. Development is very multi-faceted and blends creative, legal, financial and logistical skills; the same is true of wine. Tawnya was educated at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and later became a co-founder of two, still operating firms, Strategic Development Solutions and Domus Development.

Having raised venture capital and built Le Grand Courtâge into a national brand with distribution in 48 states, Tawnya has realized that success in the wine industry requires a combination of art, science, strategy and relationships. The brand has achieved appreciable success in terms of cases sold, the caliber of accounts secured and the overall accolades. Le Grand Courtâge wines have appeared on The Today Show, as well as in Martha Stewart, People, Vogue, The Knot, Domino, Architectural Digest, Cosmopolitan and Huffington Post to name a few.

Tawnya believes food and wine are the great common denominator of people and cultures, and it gives her great joy to create something which is about community and connection.

Chappellet is recognized as one of the great Napa Valley wineries, and one of the few which remains family owned. Today, the second generation is committed to continuing the vision of their parents, Donn and Molly Chappellet. Together, the siblings are dedicated to maintaining sustainable farming techniques, a relentless focus on wine quality, respect for Pritchard Hill’s natural beauty and the preservation of family ownership for generations to come.

Built in 1968, the Chappellet winery takes on the form of an ancient pyramid. Designed by artist Ed Moses to blend with the surroundings on Pritchard Hill, this timeless structure was called “the most remarkable wine cathedral of the modern world” by wine writer Hugh Johnson. A state-of-the-art barrel chai, nestled beside the pyramid, was constructed in 2012 to enhance winemaking and carry a solar array to generate electricity for both structures.