Bob & Nadine Begin, former Priest and Nun, along with daughter Marie-Chantal, move from Detroit to Old Mission Peninsula and purchase a 65-acre cherry farm in 1983. The family also spends 6 months in Alsace during this period, learning about cool climate winemaking and European hospitality. The first vineyard is planted with Vinifera vines; Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. Family and friends are on-site to plant by hand. Winemaker Mark Johnson makes the first vintages of Chateau Chantal wines, setting the stage for the next wave of Old Mission Peninsula grape growing and winemaking. The doors of friendly hospitality open with the first-of-its-kind establishment in the Midwest combining a tasting room, winery, the Begin’s apartment, and a three-room Bed & Breakfast. An Alliance unique among local wineries unites four families who shared values and Old Mission agricultural interests. The Begin, Ochs, Pontes and Krupka families commit intellectually, agriculturally, and financially to enable growth and stability to carry the Company into the new Millennium. Chateau Chantal celebrates 30 years of bringing Northern Michigan hospitality to its wonderful patrons in 2023.

Today, the spirit and values of the founder and Alliance partners are leading Chateau Chantal into the future. The children and grandchildren of the four Alliance families are now active leaders of the Company preserving and growing the treasure we call “The Chateau.” We never stop living the founder’s vision of being the “Icon” of wine and hospitality for all who experience Chateau Chantal.