Edmunds St. John “Heart of Gold” White Wine '20

For more than 30 years, Steve Edmunds has been making well-balanced wines in California with the light-handed touch of a visionary winemaker. Focused on expressing vineyard character, he selects sites that allow him to, in his words, “favor energy over power, and freshness over richness.” 

Vermentino and Grenache Blanc, the varieties used in this white blend, are sourced from the Fenaughty vineyard, located east of Sacramento in El Dorado County, in the Apple Hill District above Placerville, a Gold Rush town that was originally home to apples and other fruit. The vineyard is perhaps more well known for the Syrah vines that were planted here in the 1980s. The Vermentino and Grenache Blanc that ended up in the vineyard were originally more of an afterthought. Heart of Gold is made of 74% Vermentino, a specialty of Sardinia and Liguria, and 26% Grenache Blanc, a variety that is more common in southern France and northern Spain. Conveniently, since the varieties ripen in the Fenaughty vineyard at the same time, they are easily pressed and fermented together, making a balanced white blend that varies in composition, depending on the vintage.

Heart of Gold is fermented without inoculation and in stainless steel vessels, which helps preserve the aromatics of the grapes—yellow apple, pear, lemon and lime peel, ginger, orchard blossoms—and lets the wine’s minerality shine. Try it with anything from seasonal salads and roasted vegetables or chicken to seafood such as scallops or cod.