Melka Wines

Phillipe Melka earned a geology degree from the University of Bordeaux. On a whim, he took a wine course in his final year of study - a decision that changed his life. From there, he worked at Chateau Haut Brion  and  completed a Master's program in Agronomy and Enology under the direction of Professor Sequin, the renowned terroir specialist. His devotion to the relationship between wine and earth, as well as his love of Bordeaux varietals, is apparent in his wines.

Phillipe also honed his skills in Napa Valley (Dominus Estate), Western Australia (Chittering Estate), Chianti  (Badia O Coltibuono) and Bordeaux (Chateau Petrus, where he divided his time between soil study and winemaking. But the great diversity of terroirs in Napa Valley, and its potential for extraordinary wines, was the most revelatory for him. He has devoted the last 15 years to winemaking in Napa Valley – both as a consultant to the most highly regarded estate wineries, and as co-proprietor of Melka Wines with his wife, Cherie.

No doubt owing to his training with some of the most notable personalities in the wine business (Jean Delmas and Jean Philippe Masclef from Haut-Brion, Christian Moueix and Jean Claude Berrouet from Petrus, Paul Draper from Ridge, Daniel Baron from Silver Oak and Michel Rolland from Chateau Pasteur), Phillipe was recently named as one of the top 9 wine consultants in the world by Robert Parker.