Our Story
It’s a crisp winter night in Napa in 2018.
There’s roast chicken in the oven. David Green and Maayan Koschitzky are standing at the counter in David’s kitchen, trying out a sample bottle of the 2016 Royal Prince Pinot Noir before dinner.
“What do you think?” asked David.
“Well, when are you bottling the next one?” said Maayan with a playful smirk.
“Um, well in three months,” said David.
“Good, we’ve got time to fix it.”
With a hearty laugh, the seed of an enduring partnership was planted. David Green, a dynamic wine industry veteran, and Maayan Koschitzky, one of the Napa Valley’s most revered winemakers, would soon join forces.
“You’re hired!” David continued.
“You can’t afford me,” Maayan shot back playfully.
Around this time, Maayan was ramping up his own brand, La Pelle wines, and David was able to make some introductions and use his own industry expertise to help his friend with his brand. It was clear that a synergy was emerging. Soon David would buy out his investors in Royal Prince Wines and invite Maayan to become an equity partner.
“Maayan has all the reasons to be a primadonna, but he’s not,” says David. The duo work so well together, they launched additional brands under the Royal Wine & Spirits umbrella, including Slam Dunk, Ride and Ridden, and Slate. All of the wines met with immediate acclaim.
Symbiosis
Some kinds of connections and trust in the wine business take decades to accumulate. That means you’re at the head of the line to get a call when a storied vineyard source becomes available or an iconic winery has some excess—and incredible—wine to sell.
This is the core proposition of Royal Prince Wines: David Green’s deep well of winery connections, marketing acumen, and business expertise perfectly complement Maayan Koschitzky’s sterling winemaking and blending skill and first-on-the-scene relationships in the vineyard. Royal Prince Wines is their effort to leverage this rare business synergy.
David Green, Founding Partner
Few executives in the Napa Valley have a better track record for growth, or have had a hand in the success of more wine brands, than David Green. David served as GM of Lancaster Estate Winery, was founding CEO of Dana Estates, and also helped Joel Gott Wines rise to the national prominence it enjoys today. After leaving Joel Gott, he established a consulting firm, David Green & Co., and began advising clients such as Three Sticks, Price Family Vineyards, Dana Estates, Gary Farrell, Lede Family Wines, and many more. Green is the sales, marketing, administration, and thought leader for Royal Prince Wines.
Maayan Koschitzky, Partner
Born and raised in Israel and firmly ensconced in the Napa Valley for over a decade, Maayan Koschitzky is Director of Winemaking at Atelier Melka, with a long list of formidable clients past and present. Today he is one of the most admired and respected winemakers in the industry. He is the founding partner of his own label, La Pelle Wines, and in addition consults for over 30 more wineries as part of his role as Director of Winemaking, and now partner, at Atelier Melka.