Wine Portfolio

Philippe Melka

Winemaker, Roy Estate

Philippe Melka began working at Roy Estate in April 2005. He is one of the world's most respected winemakers, who is best known for "finding the voice of the vineyard through its terroir," as Philippe puts it. Philippe was born and raised in the Bordeaux region and graduated from the University of Bordeaux with a degree in geology in 1989 and then earned a second degree in enology in 1991, specializing in agronomy and vineyard soils. He began his career working at wineries in France (Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau Petrus), Italy (Badia a Coltibuono), Australia (Chittering Estate) and California (Dominus and Ridge) before settling in the Napa Valley in 1994.

"Philippe's attention to detail is amazing," explains Charles Roy, "whether it's how he ropes off sections of the vineyard to differentiate how and when they're to be harvested or how he adds his touch with his thorough understanding of the vineyard as well as each step in the winemaking process."

Country born: France

Education: University of Bordeaux - geology, viticulture, enology

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Honors / Awards:
F&W Winemaker of the Year

Winemaking Philosophy:
I'm a non-interventionist, and prefer to let the vineyard/grapes express themselves through the wine.