Quixote Winery
La Mancha
2017 Petite Sirah
Stags Leap District
Auction 23 | Lot No. 184
Vintage: 2017
Quixote Winery
La Mancha
Petite Sirah
Stags Leap District
5 cases produced
Highlights
- Our La Mancha blocks are the best proven vines within our estate vineyard in the Stags Leap District nested appellation
- Petite Sirah lots selected from La Mancha and primarily from Estate Block 12
- Wine crafted by winemaker Philippe Melka; grapes grown by Mike Wolf
- Aging in 50% new French oak for 20-plus months
Description
We informally refer to the absolute best vines within our estate vineyard as La Mancha, the Spanish home of Don Quixote. We enjoy the irony that this geographic, desert-like region of Spain is often referred to as unremarkable, yet we find the resulting wines from our La Mancha blocks to be nothing short of gorgeous. It's a hat-tip to the namesake of our winery and vineyard. Our 2017 Petite Sirah, "La Mancha," is a very small-batch blend of the very best wine lots, from our very best La Mancha Petite Sirah vines grown in our 27-acre estate vineyard, at the base of the majestic cliffs of Stags Leap District nested appellation.
Wine Facts
- Wine is unfiltered
- Single vineyard wine
- Sustainably produced
- Organically produced (also commonly called "organically grown")
- Wine is 100% estate grown and bottled
Philippe Melka
Winemaker, Quixote Winery
Like the celebrated wines on which he’s built his reputation, Philippe Melka’s career has been influenced by soil.
A native of Bordeaux, Melka grew up intrigued by the intricacies of the land around him. When it came time for college, he acted on his childhood interests, earning a degree in Geology at the University of Bordeaux. A class in winemaking in his final year was a turning point, propelling him to earn a Master’s degree in Agronomy and Enology.
Melka has the rare combination of talent and fortune to be a winemaker who started at the top: his first job out of school was at Château Haut Brion. From there, he took a position with the reputable Moueix Company and was sent to Dominus Estate in Yountville to study soils in 1991. Napa Valley soil proved to be a revelation for Melka. He set out traveling, dividing time between soil study and winemaking at world renowned wineries Badio O Coltibuono in Chianti and Chittering Estate in Australia. He returned to France in 1993 to deepen his expertise at Chateau Petrus.
He has been fortunate to have been trained and influenced by some of the most notable personalities in the wine business such as 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 the globetrotting wine consultant Michel Rolland with whom he continues to work with on consulting projects..
In 1994, he returned to Napa full time, and for the past 20 years, Melka has served as winemaking consultant for some of Napa’s most highly regarded properties under his company Atelier Melka founded in 1995. As co-proprietor of Melka Estates, Philippe and Cherie produce four distinct labels that reflect their philosophy of soil driven wines: Metisse from Napa Valley, Mekerra from Sonoma Valley, Majestique from around the world and CJ, also from Napa Valley.
Philippe joined Quixote Winery as Consultant Winemaker in 2018, where he works with Estate Winemaker Robert Smith to craft Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Malbec from our 27-acre estate in the Stags Leap District.
Country born: France
Education: Geology at the University of Bordeaux
Master’s degree in Agronomy and Enology.
Years in the wine industry: 30+ years
Winery Distribution
Quixote Winery is distributed in the following markets. Please contact the winery directly for the most up-to-date distribution information and to explore commercial opportunities.
Quixote Winery Contact: Patrick Connelly
Domestic:
- California ( Authentic Wine Selections )
- Colorado ( Still, Tap & Press Distributing )
- Florida ( Johnson Brothers )
- Missouri ( Bommatito Wines & Spirits )
- Nebraska ( Quench Fine Wine Nebraska )
- New Jersey ( Lieber Fine Wines & Spirits )
- New York ( Lieber Fine Wines & Spirits )
- North Carolina ( Grapevine of North Carolina, Inc. )
- South Carolina ( Grapevine of North Carolina, Inc. )
International:
- China ( Quixote Winery )
- New Zealand ( AWines )
- Puerto Rico ( Plaza Provision Company )
- Romania ( Quixote Winery )
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