2016 Edge Hill Mixed Whites Field Blend St Helena Napa Valley 750 ml

We couldn’t be more eager to share the 2016 Edge Hill Mixed Whites: It’s the kind of wine that gets winemakers, sommeliers, and collectors genuinely excited because it almost never sees the light of day. We pulled all the strings to bring this exclusive out of the dim cellar at Edge Hill, a Rudd family estate with Robert Parker and Wine Spectator 95+ point scores and pedigree to spare. 

A rare blend that highlights the nuances Ribolla Gialla, Grenache Blanc, and Greco di Tufo, this is a wine that not only defies categorization, but transcends it. 

As former PRESS Wine Director Amanda McCrossin told us over a glass of Edge Hill this week, “This is the only Ribolla Gialla wine I’ve ever seen in California that showcases these grapes in an elevated style. It’s the perfect wine to set the tone for a high-end dinner because it’s different and interesting.”

Asian pear, white peach, quince, lilacs, fresh herbs, and crushed rock aromas reach from the glass and grab you. But it's the palate that is truly captivating—a mélange of pineapple, apple, cedar, and wild herb flavors commands your full attention, demanding drinkers examine the nuance it shows in breadth, weight, and focus.

A historic vineyard from the 1800s recalled to life by the late vintner Leslie Rudd, Edge Hill has garnered volumes of critical praise in the past decade. As Antonio Galloni wrote for Wine Advocate “The passion, dedication and sheer ambition here are impressive.” Then, Robert Parker himself called Edge Hill a “holy grail quest,” before his august publication showered the wines with over two dozen top scores. Wine Spectator followed suit, crowning Edge Hill wines with scores of 94 points and above each year. 

We called winemaker Frederick Ammons immediately after we sampled this bottle during our judging panel, because we couldn’t get it off our minds. He chuckled and agreed to share an exclusive allocation with Wine Access members, noting “For the real potential of terroir and character to shine, I think that it is essential to move beyond our comfort zones.” 

This blend definitely goes beyond the standard “comfort zone” grapes of Napa Valley, blending 56% dense and saline Ribolla Gialla with Grenache Blanc, which adds a pleasant richness, and a touch of Greco di Tufo for nervy freshness, according to Ammons. Together, the three grapes absolutely sing in a wine that’s powerful enough to accompany decadent centerpieces like roasted chicken in a tarragon cream sauce, yet light enough to accompany oysters, one of McCrossin’s favorite pairings. 

The Mixed Whites bottling was inspired by Leslie Rudd’s travels in Northern Italy, where he fell in love with the Friulian whites built around the Ribolla Gialla grape. Upon his return, he set out to replicate their style on his Mt. Veeder estate, where the Ribolla Gialla for this wine is organically cultivated. Here, nearly 1,600 feet above sea level, the grape thrives under Napa’s bright sun, with temperatures moderated by elevation and dramatic nighttime temperature shifts. 

Spontaneously fermented and aged in a mix of neutral oak and ancient clay amphorae, the 2016 Mixed Whites is an elegant, sophisticated challenge to Italy’s aristocratic white blends. It’s also a strong argument that these hard-to-pronounce varieties could rival Chardonnay for dominance in Napa Valley.