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Author: Annette Hanami
AFTER DECADES of making coveted cabernet for other wineries, Philippe Melka enlisted Juancarlos Fernandez of Signum Architecture to design Melka Estates, a new winery in Saint Helena created for his own personal label. Having worked with Melka in the past, Fernandez knew how to reflect his client’s personality as well as the highly rated wines.
For his French-born client, Fernandez looked to Europe for inspiration, particularly the northern climes, where clean-lined barns are designed for snowfall, equipped with few protrusions and steeper pitches. At Melka, Fernandez concealed the gutters, raised the roof and lowered the walls to create a barn that’s more contemporary thanvernacular.
Blending the roof and walls, Fernandez minimized the language from peak to ground with a continuous standing seam. Spanning two storage rooms, the 2,000-square-foot vaulted cavern follows the contour of the valley.
The linearity is broken by a central breezeway that frames the view of the old oaks and mountains. On one end where grapes are received for crush, a veil of perforated steel allows for air circulation without losing the seamless look.
The all-black color appears organic against the dark powder-colored concrete floors and the native plantings in the landscape. Warm Brazilian hardwood doors and delicate bent plywood chandeliers were brought in to soften the entrance creating a warm energy.
To meet the client’s requirements, the winery is prefab, designed to Signum Architecture’s specifications. With each new project, Fernandez says, “We keep learning how to get the best use of prefabricated metal buildings as a tool for great design, instead of seeing them as a limitation.”
Chocolate, leafy herbs, graphite, and mineral notes all emerge from the 2014 La Mekerra Vineyard, a gorgeously textured, concentrated, opulent wine. Based on Cabernet Franc and Merlot, aged 21 months in 60% new oak, it has building tannin, a layered, stacked mid-palate, and a great ï¬nish. It's a killer wine from this talented winemaker and should keep for 20-25 years.
This is where aristocratic Bordeaux training meets New World potential. Philippe Melka honed his craft at the haute couture of French winemaking (Haut-Brion and Pétrus), did a stint at Badia a Coltibuono, and then at the ur-Napa property, Dominus. “All of my background is in superb, traditional winemaking,” he says. It’s the way the French have always done it, which he summarizes in three words: “It’s the terroir.”
Philippe and his wife Cherie, a long-time wine professional who manages the operations of the company (and advises with blending decisions), make four wines—all beginning with the letter ‘M’—from Napa and Sonoma. The estate Cabernet comes from a two-acre vineyard in St. Helena, where they live in a cool pre-fab, corrugated-metal, modular home (see the website).
The Melka Métisse Jumping Goat Vineyard (82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, and 3% Merlot) reflects the overall approach, as the vineyard, says Philippe, is similar to one in Graves. The flavors (dark fruit, graphite, tar, and creosote) are going to take time to mature, hence why he recommends decanting the 2014 for three hours. On the other hand, the 2013 Melka Mekerra Proprietary Red (Cabernet Franc and Merlot from a mountain vineyard) is raring to go (there are only 400 cases, so you better be as well).
THE 2017 VINTAGE
“There’s been enough water to refill the reservoirs,” says Philippe, echoing the comments of other winemakers. But despite the “crazy warm” July heat, “the yield should be pretty decent,” he says. He predicts the Cabernet harvest will go into the second week of October.
FIVE-YEAR PERSPECTIVE
“Very simple: four years of drought and now a year of massive rain in winter.”
BIGGEST HARVEST CHALLENGE
“The war is on—you have to be ready to take very quick decisions, always be ready for drama.” If there is a predicted heat wave, “should we pick prior or take the gamble?”
Also, surviving two to eight daily espressos during harvest. (Sogni Di Dolci on Main St. in St. Helena is Philippe’s caffeine spot.)
FAVORITE PLACES
“To make good wine you have to drink a lot of beer,” he says, referring to a shed he has with beer on tap. “It’s the coolest place on the estate.”
His go-to local spot is Brasswood Bar + Bakery + Kitchen, part of the Brasswood winery in St. Helena.
He and Cherie also like “a quick flight to Hawaii.”
The 2013 Syrah Paderewski Vineyard has turned out beautifully. Lavender, mint, pine, dark spice and bluish fruit meld together in a silky, nuanced Syrah built more on texture than on varietal expression. Still, there is a lot to like here. Philippe and Cherie Melka have coaxed an unusual level of finesse from this Paso Robles site. A bit of new oak tannin and flavor remains, but this a strong effort nonetheless.
Antonio Galloni. Tasting date: October 2015
The 2013 Syrah Paderewski Vineyard has turned out beautifully. Lavender, mint, pine, dark spice and bluish fruit meld together in a silky, nuanced Syrah built more on texture than on varietal expression. Still, there is a lot to like here. Philippe and Cherie Melka have coaxed an unusual level of finesse from this Paso Robles site. A bit of new oak tannin and flavor remains, but this a strong effort nonetheless.
Antonio Galloni. Tasting date: October 2015