“We think we have a really good thing going. Now we’re going to make it really great with the care of Philippe Melka and team.”
— Debra Becker Lamb, Owner and Vintner, Lost Valley Wines
The 2025 Wild Harvest Sauvignon Blanc marks the first full vintage produced from vine to bottle with Atelier Melka. The decision to collaborate grew from an honest inventory of what was already working, and where even greater precision was possible.
After recommendations from trusted peers, including the team at Pina Vineyard Management (a 15-year partner), conversations with Philippe Melka and Director of Winemaking Maayan Koschitzky revealed an immediate alignment of values: sustainability, authenticity, a mentorship orientation, and an unwillingness to compromise on quality.
Atelier Melka is Philippe Melka’s distinctive wine consulting practice — the word atelier
meaning an artist’s workshop where skills are taught and passed down. Founded in 1995,
the studio specializes in small-production, handcrafted wines for family wineries dedicated to
world-class quality.
Trained in Geology, Agronomy, and Enology at the University of Bordeaux, Philippe earned
his craft at Château Haut-Brion, Château Cheval Blanc, and Dominus before settling in Napa Valley in 1994. Robert Parker named him one of the world’s most influential wine consultants in 2008.
Maayan Koschitzky, partner and director of winemaking, brings experience from Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle. Kelly Woods, Associate Winemaker and principle-in-charge at Brasswood Winery, brings international experience and across the valley including Bryant Family Vineyard and Burgess Cellars.
Everything in this bottle begins with a decision made outdoors, in the soil, on the vine, at the moment of harvest. The Atelier Melka collaboration formalizes what Lost Valley has always believed: that exceptional wine is grown, not produced.
The 2025 vintage introduces canopy management modifications recommended by Melka, new clone selections in progress (Clone 1 Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc via field grafting), and the refinement of existing blocks through more precise observation across the entire growing cycle.
This is the first expression of that full-cycle collaboration, from the soil amendments spread in the fall before harvest to the élevage decisions made in consultation with Philippe and Maayan.
The 155 cases produced represent the estate at its most focused, and a foundation for
everything that follows.
Atelier Melka’s approach to consulting begins with looking. systematic, seasonal observation of vine behavior, canopy response, berry development, and soil expression. Maayan Koschitzky, Director of Winemaking, works closely with the Lost Valley team and Pina Vineyard Management throughout the growing season to translate observations into precise interventions.
Mechanical weed control replaced herbicides long ago: in-row mowing, weed trimming, and cover cropping suppress weeds without chemical inputs. Rotational grazing with sheep and cattle adds carbon to the soil and keeps hillsides clear of tall grass for wildfire mitigation, a full-circle land management strategy native to the region’s ranching history.
A Monarch EV tractor handles mowing, harvesting, and compost spreading, part of a full transition to solar power and electrified equipment that reduces the carbon footprint of every farming decision.
Philippe Melka and team observe each block through the season, evaluating sugar development, phenolic maturity, and aromatic intensity before a harvest date is set.
At Wooden Valley’s elevations, the temperature range between warm days and cold nights preserves the natural acidity and bright aromatics that define great Sauvignon Blanc.
The fruit is harvested by hand, leaf removal in the vineyard, and transported to the winery with minimal time between vine and cellar. Pina Vineyard Management’s 15-year relationship with Cordero Vineyards means the blocks are read with accumulated knowledge, no harvest
surprise goes undetected.
Atelier Melka’s winemaking philosophy begins with one principle: the wine should speak for the vineyard. Winery intervention is calibrated to support expression, never to substitute for it.
The 2025 Wild Harvest Sauvignon Blanc is made with freshness as the leading objective: the crispness of elevation, the brightness of Wooden Valley’s diurnal shift, and the layered complexity earned through thoughtful French oak aging, as evidenced in prior vintages.
Every decision is informed by what the fruit brought in from the vineyard. The less manipulation required, the better the farming was. The Melka approach makes that a goal, not a coincidence.
Every decision made at Lost Valley, from soil to shelf, can be traced back to a principle. The 2025 Wild Harvest Sauvignon Blanc is the most complete articulation of those principles yet.
The collaboration elevates without replacing. Atelier Melka brings 30 years of expertise to sharpen what was already working: canopy refinement, clone selection, cellar precision. The estate’s soul, sustainability commitment, and Wooden Valley terroir remain entirely intact.
At 155 cases, there’s nowhere to hide an imperfect decision. Every block, every barrel, every bottle is a deliberate choice, and the Micro-Winery Guild model makes that accountability explicit.
Sustainability here is not a label. It’s architecture. Debra Becker Lamb’s background in sustainable design shapes the way Lost Valley thinks about the ranch as a system, every element in relationship with every other, built to improve year over year.
The 2025 Wild Harvest Sauvignon Blanc is the first full expression of a long collaboration. A 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2025 Odd Moments Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, and expanded Clone 1 plantings for 2026 follow close behind.
Family farms, estate fruit, hand decisions at every step. This is the Napa Valley that built its reputation. Lost Valley is one of its contemporary keepers.
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