3422 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 21, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade 

Bureau 

27 CFR Part 9 

[Docket No. TTB–2008–0003; T.D. TTB–73; 

Re: Notice No. 82] 

RIN 1513–AB51 

Establishment of the Snipes Mountain 

Viticultural Area (2007R–300P) 

AGENCY: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau, Treasury. 

ACTION: Final rule; Treasury decision. 

SUMMARY: This Treasury decision 

establishes the 4,145-acre ‘‘Snipes 

Mountain’’ viticultural area in Yakima 

County, Washington. We designate 

viticultural areas to allow vintners to 

better describe the origin of their wines 

and to allow consumers to better 

identify wines they may purchase. 

DATES: Effective Dates: February 20, 

2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: N.A. 

Sutton, Regulations and Rulings 

Division, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau, 925 Lakeville St., No. 

158, Petaluma, CA 94952; phone 415– 

271–1254. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background on Viticultural Areas 

TTB Authority 

Section 105(e) of the Federal Alcohol 

Administration Act (FAA Act), 27 

U.S.C. 205(e), authorizes the Secretary 

of the Treasury to prescribe regulations 

for the labeling of wine, distilled spirits, 

and malt beverages. The FAA Act 

requires that these regulations, among 

other things, prohibit consumer 

deception and the use of misleading 

statements on labels, and ensure that 

labels provide the consumer with 

adequate information as to the identity 

and quality of the product. The Alcohol 

and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 

(TTB) administers the regulations 

promulgated under the FAA Act. 

Part 4 of the TTB regulations (27 CFR 

part 4) allows the establishment of 

definitive viticultural areas and the use 

of their names as appellations of origin 

on wine labels and in wine 

advertisements. Part 9 of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR part 9) contains the 

list of approved viticultural areas. 

Definition 

Section 4.25(e)(1)(i) of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(1)(i)) defines 

a viticultural area for American wine as 

a delimited grape-growing region 

distinguishable by geographical 

features, the boundaries of which have 

been recognized and defined in part 9 

of the regulations. These designations 

allow vintners and consumers to 

attribute a given quality, reputation, or 

other characteristic of a wine made from 

grapes grown in an area to its 

geographical origin. The establishment 

of viticultural areas allows vintners to 

describe more accurately the origin of 

their wines to consumers and helps 

consumers to identify wines they may 

purchase. Establishment of a viticultural 

area is neither an approval nor an 

endorsement by TTB of the wine 

produced in that area. 

Requirements 

Section 4.25(e)(2) of the TTB 

regulations outlines the procedure for 

proposing an American viticultural area 

and provides that any interested party 

may petition TTB to establish a grapegrowing region as a viticultural area. 

Section 9.3(b) of the TTB regulations 

requires the petition to include— 

• Evidence that the proposed 

viticultural area is locally and/or 

nationally known by the name specified 

in the petition; 

• Historical or current evidence that 

supports setting the boundary of the 

proposed viticultural area as the 

petition specifies; 

• Evidence relating to the 

geographical features, such as climate, 

soils, elevation, and physical features 

that distinguish the proposed 

viticultural area from surrounding areas; 

• A description of the specific 

boundary of the proposed viticultural 

area, based on features found on United 

States Geological Survey (USGS) maps; 

and 

• A copy of the appropriate USGS 

map(s) with the proposed viticultural 

area’s boundary prominently marked. 

Snipes Mountain Petition 

Mr. Todd Newhouse, of the Upland 

Winery in Outlook, Washington, 

submitted a petition proposing the 

establishment of the Snipes Mountain 

viticultural area on behalf of the grape 

growers in the Snipes Mountain area. 

The proposed viticultural area covers 

4,145 acres, and currently has 535 acres 

of commercial vineyards. According to 

USGS maps that the petitioner 

provided, Snipes Mountain lies north of 

the Yakima River, between the towns of 

Granger and Sunnyside, in Yakima 

County, Washington. [TTB notes that 

the proposed viticultural area lies 

entirely within the Yakima Valley 

viticultural area (27 CFR 9.69) and also 

entirely within the larger Columbia 

Valley viticultural area (27 CFR 9.74).] 

According to the petitioner, the 

principal distinguishing features of the 

proposed viticultural area are Snipes 

Mountain itself, a singular landform 

rising from the floor of the Yakima 

Valley, and its comparatively unique, 

rocky soils. The proposed viticultural 

area also includes Harrison Hill, east of 

Snipes Mountain. Harrison Hill has 

similar soils, and its topography is 

contiguous with the elevation lines of 

Snipes Mountain. 

Name Evidence 

The petition cites ‘‘The Pacific 

Northwesterner’’ (Fall 1959, reprinted as 

Essay 7265 on http:// 

www.HistoryLink.org) in explaining that 

in the late 1850s, Ben Snipes built a 

house at the base of a mountain, later 

known as Snipes Mountain, and 

developed an expansive cattle 

operation. Since the early 1900s, the 

Snipes Mountain Irrigation District has 

provided water to the region. According 

to the USGS Sunnyside quadrangle 

map, the main water canal, the Snipes 

Mountain Lateral, lies to the north of 

Snipes Mountain. The USGS Granger 

and Sunnyside quadrangle maps 

identify Snipes Mountain as an elevated 

landform between the Yakima River to 

the south and a single railroad line and 

Interstate 82 to the north. 

Boundary Evidence 

The petitioner states that growers 

began establishing vineyards on Snipes 

Mountain and adjacent Harrison Hill 

between 1914 and 1917, citing ‘‘The 

Wine Project: Washington State’s 

Winemaking History’’ by R. Irvine and 

W. Clore (Sketch Publications, 1997). 

The second oldest cabernet sauvignon 

vines in Washington State have been 

growing for some 40 years in vineyards 

on Harrison Hill. These vines have been 

producing award-winning wines for 15 

years. On Snipes Mountain, the Upland 

Winery, which operated from 1934 to 

1972, is being reestablished as a historic 

winery. Within the current 535 acres of 

vineyards in the proposed viticultural 

area, a total of 25 varietals are grown. 

According to the written boundary 

description and USGS maps provided 

with the petition, the boundary line of 

the proposed Snipes Mountain 

viticultural area lies between the 750- to 

820-foot elevation lines, thus 

encompassing the mountain from those 

elevations to its peak. The USGS maps 

show that the proposed viticultural area 

is on elevated terrain, and comprises 

vineyards, orchards, roads, trails, a 

reservoir, intermittent streams, gravel 

pits, buildings, and a winery. The 

proposed viticultural area is surrounded 

by generally flat Yakima Valley terrain 


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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 21, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 3423 

that, in areas, dips to approximately 700 

feet in elevation. The Yakima River 

flows adjacent to the southwestern 

portion of the proposed viticultural area 

boundary line before turning to the 

south. The petitioner notes that at 

elevations below the 750-foot contour 

line the valley is flatter, and has ponds 

and other cold air sinks that are 

unsuitable for viticulture. 

According to the written boundary 

description and USGS maps, Harrison 

Hill borders Snipes Mountain in the 

eastern portion of the proposed Snipes 

Mountain viticultural area. According to 

the petitioner, the soils on Harrison Hill 

are similar to the dominant soils in the 

rest of the proposed viticultural area. 

The petitioner explains that the 132 

acres on the south-facing slopes of 

Harrison Hill are suitable for successful 

viticulture and claims that the vineyards 

on Harrison Hill ‘‘are the most 

important acres we grow.’’ Other 

portions of Harrison Hill contain 

residential developments and are thus 

not suitable for commercial viticulture. 

Distinguishing Features 

According to the petitioner, the 

distinguishing features of the proposed 

Snipes Mountain viticultural area 

include an elevated topography that is 

steep in places and a geologic history 

that contrasts with that of the 

surrounding Yakima Valley area. 

According to USGS and digital maps 

provided with the petition, Snipes 

Mountain stands alone in the center of 

the wide Yakima Valley like the crown 

of a brimmed hat. The petitioner notes 

that the Snipes Mountain region 

comprises the Ellensburg Formation. 

This formation consists of alluvial 

outwash, the parent material of the 

unique soils in the Snipes Mountain 

region. 

Topography 

The petitioner describes Snipes 

Mountain and adjacent Harrison Hill as 

rising visibly from the Yakima Valley 

floor. The USGS Sunnyside and Granger 

maps show that the 1,301-foot pinnacle 

of Snipes Mountain contrasts with the 

680- to 780-foot elevations of the 

surrounding valley floor. The petitioner 

notes that about a third of the Yakima 

Valley viticultural area is level, and 

cites the digital elevation maps of the 

Yakima Valley and Snipes Mountain 

from Washington State 10m Digital 

Elevation Model data. 

According to the petitioner, the north 

side slopes of Snipes Mountain 

gradually increase in elevation but the 

south side slopes are steeper. As shown 

on USGS maps, the south side slopes 

increase from 850 to 1,200 feet in 

elevation over a short distance. The 

petitioner explains that these steeper 

slopes are suited to viticulture because 

they have good air drainage, which 

helps to prevent spring and fall frost 

damage to the plants in the vineyards. 

Geology and Soils 

The petitioner notes that, according to 

the Washington Division of Geology and 

Earth Resources, the geology of central 

Washington consists mainly of a 

volcanic basalt mantle 10 to 15 million 

years old (‘‘Late Cenozoic Structure and 

Stratigraphy of South-Central 

Washington,’’ by S.P. Reidel, N.P. 

Campbell, K.R. Fecht, and K.A. Lindsey, 

Bulletin 80, pp. 159–180, 1994). Further 

study shows that subsequent alluvial 

events covered portions of the Yakima 

Valley, creating the Ellensburg 

Formation (‘‘Sedimentology of proximal 

volcaniclastics dispersed across an 

active foldbelt: Ellensburg formation 

(late Miocene), central Washington,’’ by 

G.A. Smith, Sedimentology 35: 953–997, 

1988). The Ellensburg Formation 

consists of a conglomerate of round, 

river-washed rocks and coarse sediment; 

tectonic uplift in the Ellensburg 

Formation created Snipes Mountain 

(Reidel et al.). 

The petitioner describes the soils in 

the proposed viticultural area based on 

the Soil Survey of the Yakima County 

Area, Washington (U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, 

1985). The petitioner also provides a 

table that compares soil series in the 

established Yakima Valley viticultural 

area with those in the proposed Snipes 

Mountain viticultural area. This 

comparison, based on parent material of 

the soils, shows that the soils in each 

region formed under differing geological 

events. The petitioner explains that 

almost all soils on Snipes Mountain, 

deposited by an ancient flood, now 

generally are dry. The soils on the 

mountain also are older and have more 

rock fragments than those elsewhere in 

the Yakima Valley region. 

According to the petition, one third of 

the soils in the Yakima Valley 

viticultural area formed in alluvium and 

30 percent of the soils formed in loess 

over lacustrine deposits. In contrast, 

within the proposed Snipes Mountain 

viticultural area only 3.32 percent of the 

soils formed in alluvium. These soils are 

of small extent because tectonic uplift 

exposed the southwest face of Snipes 

Mountain, lifting it above the influence 

of additional alluvial deposits. Warden 

soils formed in loess over lacustrine 

deposits, and these soils cover 53 

percent of the proposed Snipes 

Mountain viticultural area. Typically, 

these soils are on the north- and 

northeast-facing slopes, in positions 

where the parent material was in place 

prior to tectonic uplift. The HarwoodBurke-Wiehl soils comprise 13.6 percent 

of the soils in the proposed viticultural 

area, compared to less than 1 percent of 

the entire Yakima Valley viticultural 

area. 

On Snipes Mountain 82 percent of the 

soils are classified as Aridisols, which 

are soils low in organic matter and 

found in generally dry areas. In the 

Yakima Valley 47 percent of the soils 

are classified as Aridisols, but 43 

percent are classified as Mollisols, 

which are soils that have a deep, dark 

surface horizon and a high organic 

matter content. Typically, Mollisols are 

in low lying areas near ground water 

that supplies moisture to plants 

ultimately increasing the accumulation 

of organic matter. 

According to the petitioner, vineyards 

on the south-facing slopes of Harrison 

Hill have produced highly valued 

grapes. The soils on Harrison Hill and 

Snipes Mountain are similar. The 

steeper, south-facing slopes of Snipes 

Mountain provide good air drainage to 

prevent spring and fall frost damage to 

the grapevines. 

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and 

Comments Received 

TTB published Notice No. 82 

regarding the proposed Snipes 

Mountain viticultural area in the 

Federal Register (73 FR 22883) on April 

28, 2008. In that notice, TTB invited 

comments by June 27, 2008, from all 

interested persons. We expressed 

particular interest in receiving 

comments on whether the proposed area 

name, Snipes Mountain, would result in 

a conflict with currently used brand 

names. We also solicited comments on 

the sufficiency and accuracy of the 

name, boundary, climatic, and other 

required information submitted in 

support of the petition. We received six 

comments from individuals in response 

to that notice. Five comments supported 

the establishment of the Snipes 

Mountain viticultural area as originally 

proposed. One commenter expressed 

concern ‘‘with confusion that may be 

caused by the name, Snipes Mountain, 

with a premium vineyard that is not in 

the proposed [viticultural area] but is 

very close to it * * * Snipes Canyon.’’ 

TTB notes that in Notice No. 82 we 

proposed only the full name of the 

viticultural area, ‘‘Snipes Mountain,’’ as 

a term of viticultural significance. TTB 

believes ‘‘Snipes Mountain’’ is readily 

distinguishable from ‘‘Snipes Canyon.’’ 

Further, TTB is not aware of any 

conflict with existing brand labels that 


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3424 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 21, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 

would occur if the viticultural area is 

established as proposed. 

TTB, with the consent of the 

petitioner, has made a minor adjustment 

to the proposed southern boundary of 

the Snipes Mountain viticultural area. 

To simplify the boundary description, 

we have removed from the proposed 

viticultural area a few acres of nonagricultural land located south of the 

Union Pacific railroad line in section 27, 

T10N, R21E, near the town of Granger. 

We also rewrote other portions of the 

proposed boundary description for 

better clarity and conciseness. 

TTB Finding 

After careful review of the petition 

and the comments received, TTB finds 

that the evidence submitted supports 

the establishment of the proposed 

viticultural area. Therefore, under the 

authority of the Federal Alcohol 

Administration Act and part 4 of our 

regulations, we establish the ‘‘Snipes 

Mountain’’ viticultural area in Yakima 

County, Washington, effective 30 days 

from the publication date of this 

document. 

Boundary Description 

See the narrative boundary 

description of the viticultural area in the 

regulatory text published at the end of 

this document. 

Maps 

The maps for determining the 

boundary of the viticultural area are 

listed below in the regulatory text. 

Impact on Current Wine Labels 

Part 4 of the TTB regulations prohibits 

any label reference on a wine that 

indicates or implies an origin other than 

the wine’s true place of origin. With the 

establishment of this viticultural area 

and its inclusion in part 9 of the TTB 

regulations, its name, ‘‘Snipes 

Mountain,’’ is recognized under 27 CFR 

4.39(i)(3) as a name of viticultural 

significance. The text of the new 

regulation clarifies this point by 

specifying ‘‘Snipes Mountain’’ as a term 

of viticultural significance for purposes 

of part 4 of the TTB regulations. 

Once this final rule becomes effective, 

wine bottlers using ‘‘Snipes Mountain’’ 

in a brand name, including a trademark, 

or in another label reference as to the 

origin of the wine, will have to ensure 

that the product is eligible to use the 

viticultural area’s full name as an 

appellation of origin. 

For a wine to be eligible to use a 

viticultural area name or other term of 

viticultural significance as an 

appellation of origin or in a brand name, 

at least 85 percent of the wine must be 

derived from grapes grown within the 

area represented by that name or other 

term, and the wine must meet the other 

conditions listed in 27 CFR 4.25(e)(3). If 

the wine is not eligible for labeling with 

the viticultural area name or other 

viticulturally significant term and that 

name or term appears in the brand 

name, then the label is not in 

compliance and the bottler must change 

the brand name and obtain approval of 

a new label. Similarly, if the viticultural 

area name or other viticulturally 

significant term appears in another 

reference on the label in a misleading 

manner, the bottler would have to 

obtain approval of a new label. 

Accordingly, if a previously approved 

label uses the name ‘‘Snipes Mountain’’ 

for a wine that does not meet the 85 

percent standard, the previously 

approved label will be subject to 

revocation, upon the effective date of 

the establishment of the Snipes 

Mountain viticultural area. 

Different rules apply if a wine has a 

brand name containing a viticultural 

area name or other term of viticultural 

significance that was used as a brand 

name on a label approved before July 7, 

1986. See 27 CFR 4.39(i)(2) for details. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

We certify that this regulation will not 

have a significant economic impact on 

a substantial number of small entities. 

This regulation imposes no new 

reporting, recordkeeping, or other 

administrative requirement. Any benefit 

derived from the use of a viticultural 

area name is the result of a proprietor’s 

efforts and consumer acceptance of 

wines from that area. Therefore, no 

regulatory flexibility analysis is 

required. 

Executive Order 12866 

This rule is not a significant 

regulatory action as defined by 

Executive Order 12866. Therefore, it 

requires no regulatory assessment. 

Drafting Information 

N.A. Sutton of the Regulations and 

Rulings Division drafted this notice. 

List of Subjects in 27 CFR Part 9 

Wine. 

The Regulatory Amendment 

■ For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, we amend title 27 CFR, 

chapter 1, part 9, as follows: 

PART 9—AMERICAN VITICULTURAL 

AREAS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 9 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 27 U.S.C. 205. 

Subpart C—Approved American 

Viticultural Areas 

■ 2. Subpart C is amended by adding 

§ 9.213 to read as follows: 

§ 9.213 Snipes Mountain. 

(a) Name. The name of the viticultural 

area described in this section is ‘‘Snipes 

Mountain’’. For purposes of part 4 of 

this chapter, ‘‘Snipes Mountain’’ is a 

term of viticultural significance. 

(b) Approved maps. The two United 

States Geological Survey 1:24,000 scale 

topographic maps used to determine the 

boundary of the Snipes Mountain 

viticultural area are titled: 

(1) Sunnyside, Wash., 1965, photo 

revised 1978; and 

(2) Granger, Wash., 1965. 

(c) Boundary. The Snipes Mountain 

viticultural area is located in Yakima 

County, Washington. The boundary of 

the Snipes Mountain viticultural area is 

as described below: 

(1) The beginning point is on the 

Sunnyside map, to the southwest of the 

town of Sunnyside, at the intersection of 

South Hill Road and the eastern 

boundary of section 34, T10N, R22E. 

From the beginning point, proceed 

south along the eastern boundary of 

section 34 for less than 0.1 mile to its 

intersection with the 750-foot elevation 

line, T10N, R22E; then 

(2) Proceed along the 750-foot 

elevation line, first southeasterly then 

westerly, to its first intersection with the 

Union Pacific railroad line in section 31, 

T10N, R22E; then 

(3) Proceed west-northwesterly along 

the Union Pacific railroad line, crossing 

onto the Granger map, and continue 

along the railroad line to its intersection 

with the northern boundary of section 

27, T10N, R21E; then 

(4) Proceed north in a straight line for 

less than 0.1 mile to the line’s 

intersection with the 820-foot elevation 

line in section 22, T10N, R21E; then 

(5) Proceed along the meandering 820- 

foot elevation line, first northwesterly 

then easterly, and, returning to the 

Sunnyside map, continue along the 

elevation line to its intersection with the 

northern boundary of section 34, T10N, 

R22E; then 

(6) Proceed east along the northern 

boundary line of section 34 and then 

section 35 to its intersection with the 

820-foot elevation line, section 35, 

T10N, R22E; then 

(7) Proceed southwesterly along the 

820-foot elevation line to its intersection 

with the eastern boundary of section 34, 

T10N, R22E; and then 

(8) Proceed south along the eastern 

boundary of section 34 for 


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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 21, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 3425 

approximately 0.2 mile, returning to the 

point of beginning. 

Signed: December 5, 2008. 

John J. Manfreda, 

Administrator. 

Approved: December 19, 2008. 

Timothy E. Skud, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax, Trade, and 

Tariff Policy). 

[FR Doc. E9–990 Filed 1–16–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–31–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade 

Bureau 

27 CFR Part 9 

[Docket No. TTB–2008–0005; T.D. TTB–72; 

Re: Notice No. 85] 

RIN 1513–AB47 

Expansion of the Paso Robles 

Viticultural Area (2008R–073P) 

AGENCY: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau, Treasury. 

ACTION: Final rule; Treasury decision. 

SUMMARY: This Treasury decision 

expands by 2,635 acres the existing 

609,673-acre Paso Robles American 

viticultural area in San Luis Obispo 

County, California. The expanded Paso 

Robles viticultural area lies entirely 

within San Luis Obispo County and the 

multicounty Central Coast viticultural 

area. We designate viticultural areas to 

allow vintners to better describe the 

origin of their wines and to allow 

consumers to better identify wines they 

may purchase. 

DATES: Effective Dates: February 20, 

2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: N.A. 

Sutton, Regulations and Rulings 

Division, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau, 925 Lakeville St., No. 

158, Petaluma, CA 94952; phone 415– 

271–1254. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background on Viticultural Areas 

TTB Authority 

Section 105(e) of the Federal Alcohol 

Administration Act (FAA Act), 27 

U.S.C. 205(e), authorizes the Secretary 

of the Treasury to prescribe regulations 

for the labeling of wine, distilled spirits, 

and malt beverages. The FAA Act 

requires that these regulations, among 

other things, prohibit consumer 

deception and the use of misleading 

statements on labels, and ensure that 

labels provide the consumer with 

adequate information as to the identity 

and quality of the product. The Alcohol 

and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 

(TTB) administers the regulations 

promulgated under the FAA Act. 

Part 4 of the TTB regulations (27 CFR 

part 4) allows the establishment of 

definitive viticultural areas and the use 

of their names as appellations of origin 

on wine labels and in wine 

advertisements. Part 9 of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR part 9) contains the 

list of approved viticultural areas. 

Definition 

Section 4.25(e)(1)(i) of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(1)(i)) defines 

a viticultural area for American wine as 

a delimited grape-growing region 

distinguishable by geographical 

features, the boundaries of which have 

been recognized and defined in part 9 

of the regulations. These designations 

allow vintners and consumers to 

attribute a given quality, reputation, or 

other characteristic of a wine made from 

grapes grown in an area to its 

geographical origin. The establishment 

of viticultural areas allows vintners to 

describe more accurately the origin of 

their wines to consumers and helps 

consumers to identify wines they may 

purchase. Establishment of a viticultural 

area is neither an approval nor an 

endorsement by TTB of the wine 

produced in that area. 

Requirements 

Section 4.25(e)(2) of the TTB 

regulations outlines the procedure for 

proposing an American viticultural area 

and provides that any interested party 

may petition TTB to establish a grapegrowing region as a viticultural area. 

Petitioners may use the same procedure 

to request changes involving existing 

viticultural areas. Section 9.3(b) of the 

TTB regulations requires the petition to 

include— 

• Evidence that the proposed 

viticultural area is locally and/or 

nationally known by the name specified 

in the petition; 

• Historical or current evidence that 

supports setting the boundary of the 

proposed viticultural area as the 

petition specifies; 

• Evidence relating to the 

geographical features, such as climate, 

soils, elevation, and physical features 

that distinguish the proposed 

viticultural area from surrounding areas; 

• A description of the specific 

boundary of the proposed viticultural 

area, based on features found on the 

United States Geological Survey (USGS) 

maps; and 

• A copy of the appropriate USGS 

map(s) with the proposed viticultural 

area’s boundary prominently marked. 

Paso Robles Expansion Petition 

Background 

Previous Petitions 

On October 4, 1983, the Bureau of 

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) 

published a final rule, T.D. ATF–148 (48 

FR 45239), to establish the ‘‘Paso 

Robles’’ American viticultural area 

(AVA) in northern San Luis Obispo 

County, California (see 27 CFR 9.84). As 

established, the Paso Robles AVA was 

entirely within the Central Coast AVA 

(27 CFR 9.75) and, to the west, it 

bordered the much smaller York 

Mountain AVA (27 CFR 9.80). In 1983, 

the Paso Robles AVA contained 

approximately 5,000 acres of vineyards. 

As established, the Paso Robles AVA 

was defined by the San Luis ObispoMonterey county line in the north, the 

Cholame Hills to the east, and the Santa 

Lucia Mountains to the south and west. 

According to T.D. ATF–148, the Santa 

Lucia Mountains largely protect the 

Paso Robles AVA from the intrusion of 

marine air and fog from the Pacific 

Ocean, giving the Paso Robles AVA a 

drier and warmer summertime climate 

than regions to the west and south. 

However, in T.D. ATF–216 establishing 

the Central Coast AVA, 50 FR 43128 

(October 24, 1985), ATF recognized that 

there was, to a lesser degree, marine 

influence on the climate in Paso Robles. 

The Paso Robles AVA also is 

characterized by day to night 

temperature changes of 40 to 50 degrees, 

annual rainfall of 10 to 25 inches, 600 

to 1,000 foot elevations, and welldrained, alluvial soils in terrace 

deposits. 

Lacking a feasible way to use physical 

features, such as ridge lines, to define 

the boundary of the Paso Robles AVA, 

the original petitioner largely used a 

series of township and range lines and 

point-to-point lines to delineate the 

AVA’s boundary. The southernmost 

portion of the Paso Robles AVA was 

delineated to the south by the east-west 

T29S/T30S township boundary line and 

to the east by the north-south R13E/ 

R14E range line. 

On June 13, 1996, ATF published a 

final rule, T.D. ATF–377 (61 FR 29952), 

expanding the Paso Robles AVA along 

a portion of its western boundary. This 

expansion added approximately 52,618 

acres of land similar to that contained 

in the original AVA. The expansion 

added to the AVA seven vineyards 

containing 235 acres of grapes planted 

after the 1983 establishment of the Paso 

Robles AVA. The Paso Robles AVA, as 

expanded, remained entirely within San 

Luis Obispo County and the Central 

Coast AVA, and this westerly expansion 


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