Wine of the week: Lail Vineyards Blueprint, 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

Philippe Melka makes wine with a hands-off approach.

“I’m transparent,” he said. “I’m not doing any manipulations.”

The hands-off winemaker is behind our wine of the week winner — the Blueprint, 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley at $60. It’s a complex, striking sauvignon blanc with layered aromas and flavors of tangerine, apple, grapefruit and jasmine. With a supple texture, it finishes crisp.

“The most challenging part of making sauvignon blanc is getting the perfect harmony between acidity, texture and alcohol,” Melka said.

The winemaker works for Napa Valley’s Lail Vineyards, which produces the Blueprint label. A partnership between vintner Robin Daniel Lail and her daughters, Erin and Shannon, Lail Vineyards is guided by history. As a descendant of one of Napa Valley’s founding wine families, Robin Lail pays homage her great-grand-uncle Gustave Niebaum, who founded Inglenook in 1879.

Melka was excited to work for Lail Vineyards, given its storied past. He also likes the winery’s efforts to combat climate change.

Lail Vineyards donates 10% of all online sales of Blueprint wines to organizations that are fighting climate change. Recent recipients include Climeworks, Cool Effect and The Porto Protocol, of which Lail is a U.S. ambassador.

The grapes for the Blueprint label are groomed in vineyards cared for with regenerative farming practices, a testament to brand’s quality, Melka said.

A native of Bordeaux, France, Melka earned a degree in geology at the University of Bordeaux. A class in winemaking his senior year changed his fate. Intrigued by wine, he went on to earn a master’s degree in agronomy and enology.

“My master’s program focused on trying to connect the dots between soil type and wine style in Saint-Émilion,” he said.

Melka’s credits include Château-Haut Brion, Moueix Co. and Château Pétrus. In 1994, he came to Napa fulltime. For the past two decades, he has been a winemaking consultant under his company, Atelier Melka, for some of the most esteemed properties in Napa Valley.

“Working at Chateau Haut Brion, I fell in love with the Haut Brion sauvignon blanc,” Melka said. “So when I started to work in Napa, I decided to focus on this varietal in order to convince customers and wine critics that sauvignon blanc is not only a fun wine to drink but can be a very complex one.”

When sauvignon blanc is well-made, it can age as well as the best red wines, according to Melka.

“What’s key is picking great vineyards located in the best part of Napa and focusing on soil type and microclimates best suited to sauvignon blanc,” he said.

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.