Philippe Melka is a unique winemaker. Instead of imposing personal style on the wines he creates, he aims to let the vineyards speak for themselves —to tell the truth of each vintage. His unassuming demeanor inspired our approach to this project. Another strong design element was Philippe’s desire to go back to winemaking basics, moving away from overly complicated technology and back toward hands-on techniques.

The building’s black exterior with uninterrupted elegant lines and proportions provokes cautious and surreptitious emotions. The main entry door, set back and clad with white oak planks, recalls a wine cork surrounded by the dark tones of a red wine bottle –in this case, the black metal building. An open crush pad, facing the highway along its length, is protected from the western sun by a perforated metal veil which filters the light in the hot Napa Valley afternoons. A breezeway separating the tank and barrel rooms provides a perfect, naturally-ventilated space for working with the wine barrels.