Jean-François Pellet

Winemaker

Only a plum job could have wooed Jean-François Pellet away from a prestigious post in the Napa Valley.

In 1999, he received the offer he couldn’t refuse.

The Swiss-born winemaker had been working for four years at Heitz Cellars, a benchmark property in Napa, when Pepper Bridge came calling.

The pioneering Walla Walla winery invited him to become its new creative force.

“I saw it as a great adventure,” Pellet says. “Walla Walla impressed me right away as a unique grape-growing area, and Pepper Bridge Winery gave me a chance to build a winery from scratch in a region whose blend of old and new world traditions reflected my own interests and experiences.”

From the start, Pellet has worn many hats. He helped design and build the winery, and devised time-saving and quality-control standards that are central to producing Pepper Bridge Winery’s luxury wines.

Pellet is also a founding partner in sister winery, Amavi Cellars, which was created in 2001.

The varied demands of the job are suited to a man who has been immersed in winemaking for most of his life. A native of Rolle, Switzerland, a wine-growing region between Geneva and Lausanne, Pellet grew up working alongside his father, Pierre, who has managed the same vineyard for 30 years. Even as a boy, Jean-Francois knew what he wanted for his life: to turn his youthful passion into a profession.

After graduating in Switzerland with degrees in viticulture and winemaking, Pellet managed vineyards and made wine in Switzerland. He also worked in Jumilla, Spain where he oversaw 500 vineyard acres and designed a winery.

His reputation for meticulous but creative winemaking brought him to the attention of Heitz Cellars, which hired him as assistant winemaker in 1995.

Pellet’s roots are now set deeply in Walla Walla, where he is a founding member and current vice-president of VINEA, an organization committed to sustainable agriculture in the Walla Walla Valley. He is also the vice president of the Walla Walla Wine Alliance.