GLENN RICE AND CYNTHIA HOY PROPRIETORS
The property has been developed by husband and wife Ph.D. biophysicists, Glenn Rice and Cynthia Hoy, who have discovered and developed numerous FDA approved drugs for cardiovascular, cancer, autoimmune and orphan diseases during their careers, including large complex FDA regulated systems for medical biofermentation for biotech drugs. Now they travel their ship, the M/V The World, to study international vineyards, horticulture, climate change, sustainability and wine making methods from Europe, Africa, Australia, South America and Asia, incorporating best practices into Napa. Experimentation and innovation is in their DNA.
The proprietors are strong advocates of simultaneous conservation and land preservation and have donated land to the Napa County Land Trust, which helps to maintain the natural diversity, open spaces, and agricultural vitality to the county. Moreover, the vineyards are operated as net carbon neutral, with 75kW annual capacity of solar generation.
Quantum Limit is a term used in quantum physics relating to the measurement and behavior of matter.
At the Quantum Limit, matter is unmeasurable, unpredictable, indeed illogical and counter intuitive to our historical set of views and dogma of physics and mathematics. Grape growing and wine making seems to us to fall into this multiverse of immeasurability, and frequently a lack of logic, predictability and a superimposition of objective realities!
But it also applies to the ‘objective realities’ of sharing our wine. When we savor a glass of wine with friends from afar, the influence and limits of the two ‘observers’ remains, but nonetheless two ‘realities’ exist at once. Despite sometimes having different outcomes of taste and sensation, both observations are accurate. Together we are enjoying a moment of quantum entanglement of sensation and understanding of the same glass of particles. They are not individual particles, but are an inseparable whole. One glass cannot be described without the other. That is our shared ‘Quantum Moment’.
Nature is breathtaking, and we are humbled and exhilarated as she continues to teach us how much more there is to learn in the new frontier of Cabernet evolution and wine making at the Quantum Limit.
PHILIPPE MELKA WINEMAKER
Philippe was born in Bordeaux and has degrees in geology, agronomy and enology from the University of Bordeaux. He has worked with Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Petrus and several Moueix Domains in Bordeaux; Chittering Estate in Swan Valley;, Badia O Coltibuono in Chianti; and Dominus in Napa Valley. He is a consultant for wineries in Italy, Australia, South America as well as Napa.
Philippe has studied the terroir of Quantum Limit and is making specific wines reflecting his ‘soil driven focus’ and allowing the vineyard and climate to articulate its message. Philippe also has incredible success making wine that beautifully unites the Napa depth and power with French sophistication and finesse, which is the owners’ stylistic objective.
JULIEN FAYARD WINEMAKER
Julien Fayard brings a distinctive Bordeaux winemaking style to the intense Napa terroir-driven wines of Quantum Limit. Julien was past managing director for Philippe Melka wines, winemaker/oenologue for Chateau Sainte Marguerite and has had both winemaking and vineyard management experience with Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.
MAAYAN KOSHITZKY ASSISTANT WINEMAKER
A former paratrooper and Judo black belt holder, Maayan is a partner with Atelier Melka after significant experience and success at prominent Napa wineries such as Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle and the prestigious Margalit Winery in Israel. With a background in Engineering and years of experience in both wineries and vineyards in both the US and Israel, Maayan plays a key operations and winery development role involving not only in winemaking and operations but design and implementation of winery development for Quantum Limit.
IVAN RAMIREZ CONSULTING ASSISTANT WINEMAKER
Ivan is a wine consultant and master blender with over 15 years of experience working with large and small high-end boutique wineries in Napa. Ivan began his career in 2006 at Concannon Vineyard in Livermore Valley and currently is a partner with Vine and Wine Connect, a consulting winemaking and sourcing business for high end boutique wineries in Napa.
GUILLERMO HERRERA VINEYARD MANAGER
On site Vineyard Manager Saul Romero and Estate Manager Roberto Lua Mendez along with help from groundskeeper Jaime Garcia are critical keys to successful vineyard and estate management. Saul has been farming the propert for over 15 years and is absolutely critical for every aspect of the development of the vineyard.
Guillermo Herrera and his vast Heritage Vineyard Management team oversees the farming with close consultation with the owners. Since Quantum is largely hand farmed and entirely hand harvested, large teams of knowledgeable vineyard workers is required. Guillermo has worked in the Napa Valley fields for 30 years, and fondly remembers his ‘daycare’ was working alongside his mother carrying bushels of grapes at harvest. He has built and grown his company to be one of Northern California’s preeminent viticultural management companies and utilizes state-of-the-art monitoring and analysis methods for maximizing quality. He is the president of the Mexican American Vintners Association.
SAUL, ROBERTO AND JAMIE ON SITE VINEYARD MANAGMENT
On site Vineyard Manager Saul Romero and Estate Manager Roberto Lua Mendez along with help from groundskeeper Jaime Garcia are critical keys to successful vineyard and estate management. Saul has been with the property for over 15 years and is absolutely critical for every aspect of the development of the vineyard.
REBECCA BYRNES DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND HOSPITALITY
Rebecca Byrnes, Napa’s certified ‘bonne vivant’ of the Valley, is Director of Marketing and Hospitality. Rebecca has vast knowledge and expertise throughout Napa Valley for the last ~20 years and provides critical input to final blending, marketing and wine tasting.