“In order to navigate the flight path of life, we all need an Aileron.
It’s the little wing that helps steer us into the direction we want to go,
to further explore and seek true happiness.
Here’s to you and your Aileron.”
- Shannon O’Shaughnessy
Shannon O’Shaughnessy
Proprietor
Shannon O’Shaughnessy, proprietor, is a Minnesota native whose family moved to the Napa Valley in 1990 to become grape growers and vintners. In 1997, Shannon helped her family launch O’Shaughnessy Estate on Howell Mountain, where she was integral in developing the estate and winery and launching the brand. O’Shaughnessy has since gone on to become one of the world-class wineries in Napa Valley. In addition to raising two sons, Shannon has also worked for other wineries and distributors—all in preparation to establish her own estate winery one day.
A self-proclaimed “adventure” junkie, Shannon flies her own plane, is an avid skier and fly-fisherwoman and TK, TK. Now, after 25 years living and working in the Napa Valley, Shannon latest adventure is Aileron Estates.
In 2014, Shannon purchased Aileron’s estate Sauvignon Blanc Vineyard in Coombsville, which is located in front of her home. Five years later, in 2019, she purchased the highly regarded Altimeter Vineyard on Atlas Peak, which is planted 100% to Cabernet Sauvignon. These two combined estates will be the heartbeat of Aileron.
With Aileron Estates, Shannon is dedicated to making the highest-quality wines with a sense of place and vintage. To do that, she’s hired two of the top minds in wine: Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitzky, partners at Atelier Melka. Atelier Melka is internationally recognized as of as one of the top winemaking consultancies in the world, and has crafted top wines for Lail Vineyards, Dana Estates, Tusk Estates, as well as many others.
Winemaking and Viticulture
Philippe Melka
Born and raised in France, Philippe Melka established his eponymous winemaking consulting firm in St. Helena in1995, and since then has been integral to the launch and success of many of Napa Valley’s most highly regarded wineries in the last 25 years. Prior to founding Atelier Melka, Philippe worked at Château Petrus and Château Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, Dominus Estate in Napa and Badia a Coltibuono in Tuscany.
Maayan Koschitzky
Born and raised in Israel, Maayan moved to the Napa Valley in 2011 where he began working with Andy Erickson at Screaming Eagle before joining Atelier Melka in 2014. In 2019, Maayan became a partner in the company and was named to Wine Enthusiast magazine’s prestigious list of “40 under 40”. In the decade since he moved to the U.S., Maayan has quickly established himself as one of California’s leading winemakers.
Mike Wolf
Mike’s early farming experience came from working for Mendocino Vineyards Company, in Ukiah from 1978 thru 1981, when the opportunity arose to move to Napa, as a vineyard supervisor of a large agricultural development in Pope Valley. Following 12 years of experience with every aspect of vineyard development and production, in 1994, Mike was offered a job managing 500 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley for Beckstoffer Vineyards, who also was his early employer in Ukiah.
Michael Wolf Vineyard Services was founded in 1997, and provides a full range of vineyard management services. The company has over 40 clients, including both independent growers and wineries, representing over 800 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley.