The Sommeliers of The Little Nell Where Wine and Adventure Converge

Text by Hilary Stunda
Images by Nick Johnson and Craig Turpin

Aspen attracts a unique blend of high achievers—a type-A crowd drawn to its combination of outdoor adventure and uncompromising luxury. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rigorous path to working in the storied wine program at The Little Nell, where Aspen’s wine connoisseurs meet the drive of dedicated sommeliers.

Under the leadership of wine director Chris Dunaway, the team at The Little Nell manages an iconic cellar of over 24,000 bottles at a time from 1,500 global producers. This collection, filled with rare vintages like Romanée-Conti and 1971 Dom Pérignon, is not merely for display; it’s a deep well of knowledge for sommeliers who are as serious about their craft as they are about Aspen’s rugged lifestyle.

Dunaway, recently awarded Colorado’s MICHELIN Sommelier Award, views his role as both a guide and collaborator. His team of sommeliers is not only skilled in the meticulous study of wine but grounded by their athletic pursuits that keep them sharp. Here, discipline, dedication, and an open-minded approach to tasting converge, creating a team that’s as refined as the wines they serve.

“It’s definitely a ‘Whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ situation here at The Nell,” says Dunaway of his talented team.

Aspen’s discerning clientele challenge them further, bringing insights from global travels and winery visits that keep Dunaway and his sommeliers engaged and ever-learning—a true Aspen blend of luxury, rigor, and passion.

Beyond the cellar, Dunaway’s crew is also dedicated to their own outdoor pursuits. Adam Darlington is an avid skier. Jesse Libby is an ultra-distance runner. Rachael Liggett-Draper is a mountain bike racer. Their off-hours athletic adventures keep them centered and humble, which is vital when living in a mountain town and learning from some of Aspen’s most serious wine collectors. 

Dunaway thinks this also plays into the character traits necessary on the journey to becoming a good sommelier: humility, patience, rigor of study, emotional IQ, the ability to remain calm under pressure. And last but not least, tasting skills, which translate to being open to new experiences. 

Here, we journey into the wine cellar and up on the mountains of Aspen to introduce you to The Little Nell’s stellar sommeliers. 

How long have you been an ultra-distance runner? 

I ran my first race over 10k back in September 2020. COVID forced me to leave gyms for the great outdoors, and I couldn’t be happier. At Highlands, on opening day in December 2020, I broke my back in a freak snowboarding accident. I had to wear a brace for the next four months. I won a lottery bib entry into the Leadville 100 during that time. I began to mentally plan how I could possibly go from having my back brace off in April to running 100 miles four months later. I quickly signed up for several races in the summer of 2021 to prepare myself. But there was no way to prepare for such a feat in such a short time. I knew I would have to endure long periods of discomfort to get it done. And now I’m a Leadville finisher. From that point forward, I understood what I was capable of. The perspective you gain from struggling through something like that is quite eye-opening. 

What’s your most challenging route? And your favorite running trails?

I love running up and down Summer Road on Ajax Mountain. The route is approximately nine miles with 3,300 feet of vertical gain. It’s incredible training and an excellent gauge of where I am physically. 

How did you discover your love of wine?

I fell into wine through my love of learning. I had deferred from graduate school and started my first-ever restaurant job in Vail that year. The wine program needed some guidance, and I saw an opportunity to jump into a career path that opened doors to travel, hospitality and teaching. I took the introductory exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers and became hooked on this new world that offered limitless knowledge and had no ceilings to how far you could go. I never showed up to graduate school.  

When you’re not in the cellar, you race mountain bikes. How did this begin?

I committed to mountain biking during COVID. I signed up for my first road biking time trial and started traveling for enduro races around Colorado. Racing has always been casual for me, but it is addicting as a way to spend more time on my bike and challenge myself physically.  

What has been your most memorable ride? 

My craziest rides have all been out in the desert. I have gotten to know the trails in Moab like the back of my hand. The desert humbles many talented riders and tests their mental ability. Something always goes wrong, like a mechanical issue or a big crash, and it tests a rider’s mental fortitude to overcome these challenges and finish the ride.

Why wine?

I’m a giant nerd who loves studying and learning about things. Wine is the perfect way to not just learn about why something tastes the way it does but about history, anthropology, geology, and geography. 

Do you have a favorite region?

I go through phases, but my heart will always belong to White Burgundy, though for the last year, I’ve been in the Savoie region of France in the French Alps. I’m an avid skier and when I get to do après ski these wines are exactly what I want, especially from great producers. They are crisp and refreshing, with a good minerality. It’s kind of a ‘What grows together goes together’ kind of thing.  

What is your favorite wine, and why? Is there a sommelier you look up to from another part of the world?

Well, I named my dog after Marcel Lapierre, the Beaujolais producer, so I feel inclined to say Lapierre Morgon. That’s the wine that made me fall in love with wine. But a wine that is always in my fridge begging me to open it is Agrapart 7 Crus. Two people who have influenced me, whom I have never met, are Banjo Harris Plane from Australia and Pascaline Lepeltier. But I worked for about four years at Frasca, which is owned by Master Sommelier (and alumnus of The Little Nell) Bobby Stuckey. He is the type of person one learns from just being in the same room.