Raiatea · Fair Play
A Tahitian girl who dreamed of a vineyard.
It started with a Tahitian girl who dreamed of living on a vineyard and was fascinated watching her father make wine.
Tatiana grew up on Raiatea — a small island in French Polynesia where her family farmed the land to provide for themselves. She carries an intense connection to the land, and a strong belief that if you respect it, it will give you its best.
Our estate wines are managed bud-to-bottle by the family. We control quality at every step of the process to make a wine worth keeping, and that work begins in the vineyard.
The Estate
Apetahi Vineyard
Tatiana named her vineyard Apetahi for one of the rarest flowers in the world — the Tiare Apetahi, known in French Polynesia as the forbidden flower. It grows in only one place on earth: the slopes of Mount Temehani on the island where she was born.
The Apetahi is unusual in another way too. Its petals bloom on only one side — a half-flower, perfectly imperfect. It became our quiet symbol: a vineyard rooted in the islands, planted in the Sierra Foothills, half a world from where it began.
We searched for the right ground from Paso Robles to the Oregon border — looking at aspect, elevation, soil composition, sun hours, daily temperature swings, wind. We didn't want Napa prices and we did want phenomenal wine. We found both in Fair Play.
Apetahi sits above 2,200 feet, on sandy loam soil over decomposed granite, quartz, and gold — the famous Fair Play minerality. Rows run east to west for even sun. 10-foot row spacing, 6-foot cordon, spur-pruned at 8–10 spurs per plant. We target three tons per acre and walk back through the rows as the season asks. About 800 cases a year.
Farming Practices
No herbicides. Hand-pruned. Family-picked.
Rooted in her island heritage, Tatiana believes in respecting the land and the vines. Apetahi is farmed without herbicides. She manages the vineyard herself and is in the rows daily — looking after the vines, listening to them.
We leaf the north side of every row to keep air moving and reduce powdery mildew. Music plays in the rows. Birds are welcome. This is small-lot work, done slowly, by people who know each block of vines by name.
The Team
Made by the family that grows it.
Tatiana is the inspiration behind Polynesian Girl and the glue that holds it all together — the owner, grower, and winemaker.
Years of executive retail background, now applied to business operations, systems, procurement, and growing the distribution channels.
Marty grows the Polynesian Girl brand through new sales channels — and brings an amazing palate to the blending bench when we're finishing a wine.