PLACERVILLE . INFO

El Dorado AVA
This is Gold Rush country. The fortunes of this unique AVA are dictated by its elevation, with allowable vineyard land situated between 1,200-3,500 feet. Vineyards above 2,000-feet, resting on high-acid, magma-based soils, enjoy four distinct seasons. Rising above the fog line, El Dorado experiences eastern breezes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which force hot daytime air into the valley below. Land remains affordable and provides all of the attributes for successful grape cultivation. By far the most planted grape in this region is Zinfandel, however, the more profitable Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are both gaining ground, and the wineries that call this appellation home are now experimenting with classic Rhone varietals as well. Source: www.appellationamerica.com 

Fair Play AVA
Situated on rolling hills between 2,000-3,000 feet, the Fair Play AVA has the highest average elevation of any appellation in California. It provides winemakers with the epitome of mountain-grown fruit. Fair Play is entirely contained within the El Dorado and Sierra Foothills AVAs. Vignerons from here take full advantage of the low annual rainfall that forces roots deep into the loam soils, creating highly-concentrated, complex wines. The fruit exhibits remarkable natural acidity, due to cool nights in these high altitudes. There are approximately 350 acres of vines, with up to 200 more in the planning stage. There is growing interest here in Rhone and Italian varietals, alongside the ever popular Zinfandel. Source: www.appellationamerica.com 

Shenandoah Valley of California AVA
The unique Zinfandel grapes of California's Shenandoah Valley rescued this area from obscurity in the wine world. First settled during the Gold Rush by a group from Virginia, the valley produced wine in the late 1800s, but it did not experience a wine boom until well into the 20th century. During the 1960s and 1970s, most of the grapes were sold to jug wine producers. The first steps towards creating an individual identity began in the late 1970's, when Sutter Home Winery began using the Shenandoah's distinctive, heavy and jammy Zinfandel grapes to make a regionally-labeled wine. This put the Valley back on the wine map and in January, 1983, it gained appellation status. The AVA, which spreads into portions of Amador and El Dorado counties, encompasses 10,000 acres, with over 2,000 acres under vine. There are now 16 local wineries, while many of the large California producers continue to access Shenandoah Valley grapes on contract. Of course, the dominant and most highly-regarded grape here is Zinfandel. However, in recent years, there has been much work done with Syrah and producers have achieved remarkable results. Source: www.appellationamerica.com 

Sierra Foothills AVA
These foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains form a belt 170 miles long, ranging from 1,000-3,000 feet high. It encompasses 2.6 million acres covering parts of eight of central California's 12 counties. Well over 100 wineries are at home in the foothills now, where they grow everything from hardy and bold Zinfandels to elegant and graceful Sauvignon Blancs. Generally, this section of the mountain range has warm days and cool nights. It is much cooler here than on the Central Valley floor and the Foothills receive less rain than the more mountainous neighboring appellations. The soils are decomposed granite, formed by mountain erosion over centuries, forcing the vines to probe deeply for nutrients and water. The result is wine that is dense with ripe fruit and plentiful structure.