STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. 鈥 Chaumette Vineyards and Winery will soon be sold to a Catholic youth ministry organization, which has plans to turn the estate into a summer camp for kids.
The closure of the winery isn鈥檛 a result of poor sales or slow business 鈥 it鈥檚 just time to retire, said owner Hank Johnson, 82.
He sipped a glass of white wine 鈥 his favorite during hot days 鈥 while his dog Forrest trotted around in the grass on Wednesday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of fun,鈥 Johnson said, as he looked out into his vineyards.
Hank and Jackie Johnson bought the property in Ste. Genevieve 35 years ago as a weekend escape from their home in 51黑料. Johnson studied grapes and winemaking, and grew his first bunch in 1995.
Located about 67 miles south of 51黑料, today Chaumette Vineyards includes a wine production facility, office building, tasting room, restaurant, wedding venue, gazebo, swimming pool, fitness center, horse pasture and shed, three small lakes, an Episcopal church and multiple lodging accommodations.
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鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe I am as old as I am. It makes sense for me to stop,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淎ll of my friends are retired. It鈥檚 time for me to not work. I鈥檝e been working every year for 50 years. It鈥檚 time for me to do something else.鈥
Owner Hank Johnson poses Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at Chaumette Vineyards and Winery near Ste. Genevieve. The property will soon be sold to Life Teen International, a Catholic youth ministry organization, which has plans to turn the estate into a camp for kids.
The Johnsons are selling to Life Teen International. The deal is set to close Aug. 15.
Johnson said he likes the people he鈥檚 worked with at Life Teen International and said the organization has agreed to let him use some of the on-site amenities, like the pool and church for Sunday services. The Johnsons will also continue to live in their house on a neighboring property of over 100 acres.
The interior of the St. Vincent鈥檚-in-the-Vineyard Chapel photographed on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, on the grounds of the Chaumette Vineyards and Winery near Ste. Genevieve.
Steve Allgeyer, chief advancement officer at Life Teen International, said officials at Life Teen fell in love with the Ste. Genevieve property when it came across their radar in January.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been looking for a campground in 51黑料 for many years,鈥 Allgeyer said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been dreaming up an evangelization center for young teenagers.鈥
Allgeyer said Life Teen, which has a local office in 51黑料, will buy about 130 acres of the roughly 250-acre property, including all of the buildings and 10 of the villas that were styled after the structures made by early French settlers. Allgeyer said the organization hopes to buy 14 privately owned villas, too.
The campgrounds, which will be called Life Teen Camp Cana, will be a retreat center for Catholic parishes and high schools for most of the year. In the summer, the property will be a summer camp for middle- and high school-aged kids across the Midwest, Allgeyer said.
Cana is where the Bible says Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a dream of mine, being a 51黑料 kid, to build a place for my kids and grandkids to come,鈥 Allgeyer said. 鈥淲e believe that when a kid comes to camp it鈥檚 their first miracle.鈥
The property was first listed for sale in 2023 for $7.3 million. Allgeyer wouldn鈥檛 disclose the purchase price, but said Life Teen is paying less than that.
A mural by Missouri artist Bryan Haynes illustrates the story of Jean de la Chaumette, the namesake of the vineyard, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in the tasting room of the Grapevine Grill at Chaumette Vineyards and Winery near Ste. Genevieve.
The winery
Chaumette Vineyards was named after Frenchman Jean de la Chaumette, Hank Johnson鈥檚 ninth-generation ancestor. Johnson was previously in aviation insurance but sold his business in 2003 to focus on winemaking full-time.
鈥淧eople wanted more and more,鈥 he said, of their growth over the years. 鈥淲e needed to keep up with the increase.鈥
The boutique winery produced between 3,000 and 5,000 cases of mostly dry wine annually, according to its website. The property has won multiple national awards for the wine and food at its on-site restaurant, the Grapevine Grill, and has been recognized by wedding planning website The Knot for its barn venue.
Chaumette Vineyards stopped making its wine last year. The business had recently lost a lot of its crops, which included Norton, Chardonel, Traminette and Chambourcin grapes, to bad weather. Johnson said he also knew he wanted to wind down the winery.
After Life Teen takes over, a local vinter will tend remaining plants and harvest the grapes for his own use. Some of Johnson鈥檚 winemaking equipment will be given away.
Grapes grow in the vineyards on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at Chaumette Vineyards and Winery near Ste. Genevieve.
In the weeks since the winery announced that this summer will be its final season, Johnson said they鈥檝e seen people turn out for a final goodbye, sharing memories. The vineyard has been sold out every weekend since May.
鈥淚 have a lot of people say a lot of nice things about this place. It makes me feel good,鈥 Johnson said.
The winery has a calendar of events, complete with live music, tastings and guest chefs, planned until it closes in mid-August.
Allgeyer said that Life Teen will honor all the weddings that Chaumette Vineyards has booked thru November, but will start having staff and missionaries there once the sale closes.
Life Teen plans to be fully operating at the estate, located at 24345 State Route WW in Ste. Genevieve, by Jan. 1. The organization already runs two campsites in Georgia.
A view of the outdoor swimming pool on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, on the grounds of the Chaumette Vineyards and Winery near Ste. Genevieve.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture tens of thousands of images every year. See some of their best work that was either taken in June 2025 in this video. Edited by Jenna Jones.
