Mais Fica - The Vineyard
The Mais Fica estate vineyard is situated in the Northern California Sierra foothills, half way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. Located in the Pleasant Valley district of Placerville, at an elevation of 2500’, we are surrounded by pines and oaks. The Crystal Basin mountain range provides a stunning backdrop to our beautiful setting and vineyards. We are focused exclusively on producing Rhone varietal wines.
The ten acre estate was purchased in 2001 and shortly thereafter preparations commenced for establishing a vineyard. In the spring of 2003 the first 2.5 acres were cleared and prepared for planting. A Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) trellising system was put in place and drip irrigation installed. VSP allows for maximum light and air penetration to the fruiting zone which will enable us to achieve full ripeness. In the spring of 2004 approximately 2000 dormant rootstocks consisting of 110R, 1103P and 140R were planted. The vineyard is laid out on fairly steep south facing slopes.
In the fall of 2004 field grafting of budwood took place. Two clones of TCVS (Tablas Creek Vintage Select) Mourvedre and Grenache were chosen. Tablas Creek Vineyard, located in Paso Robles, California, has been instrumental in bringing Rhone varietals from Chateau de Beaucastel, a famous vineyard located in Chatenauneuf-du-Pape, to California.
Our two clones of Grenache are like two different animals. Clone A produces a light-colored, fruity wine that is excellent for use in our french-style Rosé wine. Clone B produces a much deeper colored wine with luscious notes of cherry and strawberry. We look forward to making this as a separate varietal wine.
Our Mourvedre Clone A and B wines are also very different. Clone A is much deeper in color than our Clone B. Both clones, however, produce a wine with aromas of earth, leather and game. In June of 2009 we grafted TCVS Clone C Syrah on all of our Mourvedre B vines. Syrah will allow us to produce a full Châteauneuf du Pape style wine. Look for our flagship MGS (Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah) blend in the summer of 2012.
Our vineyard is managed by Alfonso Elena from Napa, California. Together we plan to keep yields low by careful pruning and crop thinning. We manage leaf canopy for sunlight exposure and harvest at full maturity. Our goal is to produce the highest quality of fruit possible to ensure the finest wine.