Nick Allen hails from the Dunwalke family farm in Bedminster, New Jersey, born in 1973 as the youngest of four siblings. Ebullient and gregarious, he’s been a free thinker and independent spirit from the beginning: he studied communications and film production at the University of Denver, playing drums and riding motorcycles whenever he found a chance. After postgraduate studies in Real Estate at the University of Colorado, he worked as a real estate investor and developer.
Nick is an avid outdoor enthusiast, and especially loves skiing. With a background in film, he’s also a huge movie buff, watching every movie he possibly could growing up.
Nick began thinking about his own winery in 2005, but never considered Bordeaux. He always looked West, just as his pioneering forebears did in the 19th century. By 2007, he had a stellar consulting winemaker hired in Luc Morlet, and by 2008 he had his first contract in Beckstoffer Missouri-Hopper in Oakville. He was off.
Carte Blanche has become Nick’s lifelong passion pursuit. “I’m the underdog of the underdog side of the family,” he says. “At the root, I want to prove myself.” With the legendary 2023 vintage in the wings, marking the 15th Anniversary of Carte Blanche, that proof is in a library of magnificent wines—with the best ones perpetually ahead of him.
Bordeaux native Philippe Melka is remarkably unassuming and humble for a man whose reputation for excellence is so imposing. At the core of his philosophy is a respect for terroir: the ability to let the idiosyncrasies of a vineyard site emerge in the finished wine. There’s no set recipe—just diligent attention to detail: soils, vines, grapes, musts, and wines. His decades-long list of accolades and distinguished consulting clients is simply unrivaled in the United States.
Hailing from Israel and now deeply rooted in the Napa Valley for more than ten years, Maayan Koschitzky is the gifted Director of Winemaking at Atelier Melka. Around Napa Valley, Koschitzky is universally respected for his kindness, candor, and exacting standards as a winegrower. An alum of Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle, he also heads his own personal brand, La Pelle Wines. Maayan’s winemaking style emphasises purity of fruit expression, precision, and balance. He’s a black belt in judo, and his skills at the grill are the stuff of Napa Valley lore.
