Osa Major Wines is a one woman enterprise – from trucking grapes to selling bottles, and everything in between. Winemaker and owner Emily Fernwood spent the years after college traveling and working harvest gigs the world over, from California and Oregon to Australia and New Zealand, until founding Osa Major Wines in 2020. Bay area native Emily is looking to a lighter, brighter side of California wines, and finding them in pristine vineyard sites, early picking and low-intervention cellar work. This old school, minimalist approach is evident in this Semillon, named ‘Gold in the Hills’ as a nod to California’s history and the Sierra Foothills vineyard on which it it grown. Emily says, “In keeping with this theme, you’ll find notes of honeycomb, warm hay, chamomile, and a hint of tarragon. Semillon is the “other” white Bordeaux grape – if you’ve never had it before, it’s likely you’ve had it’s more famous and more aromatic counterpart, Sauvignon Blanc. I came to love Semillon while living and working in Australia, where it is generally racy and picked very early.” Far from oaky/buttery but with a bit more weight and flesh on the bones, this one is for lovers of fuller-bodied Chardonnay. Pretty notes of chamomile, butterscotch, lemon curd and baked apple makes this a perfect pairing for poultry dishes, creamy pasta and cozy root vegetable soups.