10 Mar Q&A with l’Eté du Vin Guests of Honor Philippe and Cherie Melka
Nashville Wine Auction is excited to welcome Melka Estates to Nashville as our Guest of Honor for the 46th Annual l’Eté du Vin.
As co-proprietors and winemakers for Melka Estates, Philippe and Cherie produce four distinct brands that reflect their philosophy of soil driven wines: Métisse from Napa Valley, Mekerra from Sonoma Valley, Majestique from sites around the world and CJ, also from Napa Valley.
The Melka Estates brand started in 1996 after Philippe and Cherie moved back to Napa Valley from France. The duo made the decision to produce their own label and started modestly with only two wines: Métisse and CJ for a total case production of 500.
Philippe learned winemaking and vineyard techniques from prestigious estates such as Château Haut-Brion, Chittering Estate, Badio O Coltibuono, the Moueix Domains and Dominus. Cherie gained her wine knowledge from equally impressive estates such as Ridge Vineyards, Beaulieu and Silver Oak Cellars. They each have unique educational backgrounds: Philippe having degrees in Geology, Agronomy and Enology; and Cherie in Microbiology from the US and a diploma in French Studies from the University of Bordeaux III. Their combined science backgrounds and extensive experience in the industry make them a perfect team in their winemaking endeavors.
Nashville Wine Auction recently caught up with Philippe and Cherie ahead of their trip to Nashville for l’Eté du Vin.
What drew you to a career in wine?
Cherie: Working in the Bay area in the medical microbiology field — and experiencing the big earthquake of 1989 — I realized that I needed to be doing something I loved. After an interview at Ridge Vineyards and getting through a full year of bottlings and harvest, I knew it was a career choice I was destined for.
Philippe: While I was doing my undergrad in geology, I took a class on “terroir” from Professor Seguin. The light bulb went off and I pursued a further degree in agronomy and pedology. I knew this was going to be my future.
When did you realize you wanted to pursue this passion together?
After just a couple of years in the industry working separately, we knew we could develop a brand that would be unique and represent us both and be successful.
When you decided to go all in and establish Melka Estates in 1996, what were goals and expectations and how do those line up with where you find yourself today?
We had always hoped that it would be a successful venture but continued to work for others in the beginning. In 2001, we decided to take the road more seriously and seek out vineyards and grape sources that would demonstrate our commitment to terroir and our brand message. We feel that we’ve garnered the respect of our peers and other professionals in the industry and are quite happy with where we find ourselves today.
Some of the clients of Atelier Melka will be featured at l’Eté du Vin. What are the stories that inspire you to take on a new client project?
The goal is to work for clients that are dedicated to creating extremely high-end wines and who also understand the time commitment it takes to achieve those goals. The prospective client needs to have the passion for the project first and foremost.
Our wine community is very excited to meet you and taste your wines this summer. Can you tell us a little bit about the wines you plan to share at l’Eté du Vin? What do you want people to remember about these wines after this experience?
Given that we have been at this for 30 years, we intend to show wines that are not only current releases, but also have some age on them. This fact along with the diversity of regions we produce from will highlight our passion for winemaking on a multitude of levels. We want people to remember how age-worthy they are and that they are also meant to be enjoyed, consumed, and shared with family and friends.
Philippe, you have garnered multiple high scoring wines, including many 100 point wines. What are your thoughts on scoring wine?
For winemakers, scoring has always been a love/hate kind of split emotion. Love – because we are able to share a wonderful time with professionals, discussing the philosophy and the hard work that we put in to create a wine. Hate – because the wine is judged sometimes too early before its full development, and scoring could be unpredictable at that point. Overall, it is a great tool for the consumer to navigate through numerous wines on the market.
What is the one wine you have tasted that you wish you had made?
Philippe: Interesting question, I suppose having been a part of the making of the 1971 Ridge Montebello would have been an awesome claim to fame.
The Nashville Wine Auction has an Emerging Leaders Board of young professionals who love wine and support our mission of uniting the wine community to fund the fight against cancer. What advice would you give a young professional who is just starting to explore and learn about wine?
The key is there is no one way to make wine, or one region that supersedes another. Wine is a joy to work with because of its ability to be made all over the world and every varietal has its unique expression.
What question should we have asked that we have not?
This is a funny one! We often get the question on how we manage the business being married, but nowadays there are MANY couples that have business ventures together. So perhaps, a more fitting question would be if there are any issues that arise due to cultural differences . . . the answer to that would be sometimes! The sales side of the business would probably be the area where we recognize the most differences.
Meet Cherie and Philippe Melka at the 46th Annual l’Eté du Vin, July 24, 25 & 26 in Nashville. Tickets go on sale the first week of April.