About Mt. Aukum Winery
Mt. Aukum Winery is named for the mountain peak above the Fair Play district — the ridge that gives this El Dorado County sub-appellation its most recognizable skyline and that creates the drainage patterns and elevation effects that make Fair Play one of California's most distinctive wine-growing zones. The mountain is the estate's identity: high, cold at night, volcanic in soil, the source of the elevation advantage that Fair Play Zinfandel and Barbera carry in the glass.
The Tower Road estate produces Zinfandel, Barbera, Grenache, and Syrah from Fair Play AVA vineyards at 2,600 to 3,200 feet with the mountain-peak philosophy the name implies. At these elevations, the diurnal temperature swings reach 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, producing wines of natural acidity and structural tension unlike any lower-elevation California appellation.