Napa Valley

Light

Natural Cork

White

Winemaker Maayan Koschitsky, the director of winemaking for Atelier Melka, spends most of his days producing some of Napa’s most opulent Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the region’s renowned vineyards. So, when he presented me with a lineup of white wines from La Pelle, his personal project, I was immediately taken by their focus, precision, and rejuvenating tension. The 2021 La Pelle Sauvignon Blanc was produced in a Sancerre style, Koschitsky told me. Sourced from dry-farmed old vines in St. Helena, with whole cluster pressing, settling overnight, then barreled down and cold fermented over eight weeks. Aged 16 months on the lees, it is an experiential acid-trip. Crisp lime and grapefruit zest aromas merge with high-toned vanillin. Even with ageing on the lees, the attack is so acid-driven that it arrests the palate before unwinding to reveal a host of lemon, lime, and tangerine notes with crystalline purity and focus through a long saline mineral finish. Barrel ageing helps round out the wine, slightly cushioning the impact of its laser-focused acidity. At 12.5% alcohol, it is the perfect precursor for Koschitsky’s more luxurious, higher alcohol, toasty-oak-spiced Napa reds. Number three of my top 10 wines of 2023.

Sauvignon Blanc

La Pelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2021

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Winemaker Maayan Koschitsky, the director of winemaking for Atelier Melka, spends most of his days producing some of Napa’s most

La Pelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California, 2021

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