"I let the vineyard tell me how to make the wine."
Van avoids sulfur dioxide, and often bottles his wines unfiltered. He ferments his Zinfandel in small lots and punches the cap down by hand.
Van on Wine
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of Van talking about our wines.
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Every bottle of Edmeades bears the unmistakable artisan signature of Winemaker Van Williamson. His mix of technical craftsmanship and native inspiration puts Edmeades out in front among the wines born in the coastal ridges of Mendocino County.
Van's mission is simple: "I want to make wines that are pleasing to people who have no experience with wine, as well as to the connoisseur," he said. His inclusive approach recalls his own roots in Cottonwood, a rural California town near Redding.
"I grew up in a non-wine cowtown where rodeo day is the biggest day of the year," he said. Like many of his friends, he enrolled at Chico State University nearby. Also like his friends, beer was his beverage of choice. But when a Chico wine merchant introduced him to a Pommard Burgundy, he discovered his love for wine and his gift for tasting. Soon his engineering major gave way to enology.
He packed his bags for Fresno, where he earned a degree in 1984 at California State University. On breaks, he worked crush for Ficklin Vineyards and Fetzer Vineyards. His first job after graduation was with Chateau Montelena as cellar foreman and bottling line supervisor. It was in Mendocino that he found his first job as winemaker in 1988 at Greenwood Ridge Vineyards.
His singular style established Greenwood as a leader in Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs. Those remain his specialties at Edmeades, where he has made wine since 1994.
His passion pays off in consistent acclaim. Edmeades averaged 11 Gold Medals a year at major competitions from 1994 through 2006. During the same period, Edmeades claimed 78 critical ratings of 90 points or better.
Van is a confirmed minimalist. Each wine tells the story of the remote Mendocino vineyards where it grows. The winemaker can only build on those natural treasures, Van believes. He avoids sulfur dioxide, and often bottles his wines unfiltered. He ferments his Zinfandel in small lots and punches the cap down by hand.
"I let the vineyard tell me how to make the wine," he said. "The fruit from each vineyard is different and it all has to be treated differently."
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