Spring Mountain Vineyard has been pushing the boundaries of this incredible hillside estate since our inception. Founded by visionaries and forged by relentless dedication, we have built a legacy of excellence that has extended over 140 years. As we enter our next chapter, our commitment to this distinctive mountain location remains our guiding principle. It, therefore, was a natural fit to partner with Atelier Melka and Maayan Koschitzky.  

Founded in 1995 by Philippe Melka, Atelier Melka has built a reputation on the art of restraint and the beauty of place, crafting small-production, site-driven wines that speak with unmistakable clarity. Philippe himself is widely recognized as one of the great winemakers of his generation, earning a remarkable string of 100-point scores across three decades of Napa consulting. Working alongside him, Maayan Koschitzky brings a rare depth of experience, with a portfolio at some of Napa’s most sought-after wineries. 

Maayan’s rise as a winemaker is as unconventional as it is inspiring. Raised in a farming family in Israel, he came to wine through engineering before finding his true calling in the vineyard. He moved to California in 2011 and began working as a Harvest Intern at Screaming Eagle, which soon led to a three-year career as Assistant Winemaker. After that he worked at Dalla Valle before joining Atelier Melka in 2014, where he is now the Director of Winemaking. The wines that have defined his career – with their intense fruit, steep hillside farming, and an uncompromising standard of quality – make a perfect prologue to joining us.

Maayan began working with Spring Mountain Vineyard in 2023 and has taken the lead in crafting our wines as we enter a new era in winemaking - not only in the cellar, but as a partner in our vineyard replanting program. He has worked closely with our viticulture team, helping with the selection of varietals, clones, and rootstocks that will be best matched to our soils, steep slopes, and mountain elevations. 

This spring, we released a series of wines from his first vintage with us: the 2023 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023 Estate Petit Verdot, and 2023 Estate Cabernet Franc. Each one is an ode to the land that only a master winemaker can capture, from the heady floral bouquet of La Perla’s Petit Verdot to the distinctive acidity of Cabernet Franc from Chevalier. These wines mark not only a new vintage, but a new era, and we could not be more excited where we’re headed and the master hands guiding us there.