France · Bordeaux

Melka

Philippe Melka is a Bordeaux-trained winemaker who arrived in Napa Valley in the mid-1990s after formative stints at Petrus and Haut-Brion. His eponymous label, launched in the late 1990s, operates as a micro-négociant sourcing fruit from premier Napa and Sonoma vineyards including Paderewski, Le Chatelet, and Jumping Goat. The portfolio centers on Cabernet Sauvignon but extends to Rhone-style blends and Bordeaux-inspired assemblages under cuvee names such as Mekerra, Metisse, and Majestique. Melka's winemaking philosophy emphasizes site expression over a house style: low yields, cold soaks, extended macerations, and aging in a high proportion of new French oak (typically 80–100%) create wines built for cellaring. The CJ Cabernet Sauvignon, named for Melka and his wife Cherie, averages $107 per bottle across 46 auction lots with the 2012 the most traded vintage. Majestique from Paderewski Vineyard, a Rhone-leaning blend, averages $118 across 38 lots with the 2018 standing out. At auction, 305 total lots trade at an average of $111, with peaks reaching $1,230 — the highest prices typically attached to the Jumping Goat Vineyard Metisse and to top-scoring CJ vintages. Melka's consulting work for estates like Dalle Valle, Brand, and Lail amplifies brand recognition among serious Napa collectors and sustains demand on the secondary market across his full portfolio of single-vineyard cuvees.