Melka Wines, Biography

Philippe spent much of his early life in Bordeaux, receiving his geology degree in 1989 from the University of Bordeaux. In his final year of study, he took a wine course purely out of sheer curiosity, and from that moment on realized his passion and future lay in the world of wine.

In 1991 he completed a masters program in Agronomy and Enology under the direction of Professor Sequin, a reputed specialist with regard to terroir. Philippe was fascinated by the relationship between soil and wine quality and his appreciation of the study of soil agronomy continues to this day in his work as a viticulturist as well as winemaker.

Philippe set out for the New World to discover its wines and expand his knowledge in the process. In 1991-1992, he worked for Dominus in both winemaking and vineyard management. He split 1992 between working harvest at Chittering Estate in Western Australia, and returning to Dominus to study grape maturation and ideal picking times.

In 1993, Philippe studied soils at Badia a Coltibuono in Italy as well as the emerging Sangiovese varietal. In the spring of that year, he was once again on French soil, joining the J. P. Moueix company in Libourne, where he stayed until returning to Napa Valley in 1994 to devote himself to winemaking and continuing soil studies.

Cherie received her degree in Microbiology in 1987 from Northern Arizona University. Having always been a wine lover, she moved west to Northern California in search of a position in wine production.

In 1988 she started her career running the laboratory at Ridge Vineyards working under the direction of Paul Draper. Cherie stayed with Ridge until 1993 when she met Philippe and moved to France.

Upon returning to California in 1994, she hired on with Beaulieu Vineyards in their Quality Control Department. Realizing the need to be more involved in wine production, Cherie started with Silver Oak Cellars in 1996 as Laboratory Manager, where she continues to work.

Philippe and Cherie have two children, Jeremy and Chloe and reside in St. Helena.

History

Winery Established - 1995

First Wine Produced - 1996

Philippe and Cherie Melka, co-proprietors of Melka Wines, together share a passion and love for fine wines and a dedication to a simple, singular goal; to produce a high quality, limited production of fine wines. Philippe, born and trained in Bordeaux, is winemaking consultant to several of Napa Valley's premium wineries. Cherie, a long-time Californian, has pursued her career in the wine industry since 1988 as a trained enologist at some of California's greatest wineries.

The Melka's commitment to the highest quality, brought them to the innovative idea of crafting their own family wines by blending small portions of the annual production of Philippe's select winery clients. A long lasting and symbiotic relationship resulted with those vintners who share the Melka's commitment to exceptional quality wines. Philippe's world-class reputation as winemaker and soil specialist has been solidified by the continued success of his client's wines. As a natural evolution of his work, the Melkas found the timing ripe for producing their own labels, Métisse and CJ. As with their wines, the Melkas philosophy is balance and not excess.