Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/07/20/E9-17179/proposed-establishment-of-the-sierra-pelona-valley-viticultural-area-2008r-176p
Timestamp: 2017-02-22 01:35:15
Document Index: 367237671

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 4', 'art 9', 'art 4', 'art 9', '§\u20099', 'art 4']

:: Proposed Establishment of the Sierra Pelona Valley Viticultural Area (2008R-176P)
Proposed Establishment of the Sierra Pelona Valley Viticultural Area (2008R-176P)
A Proposed Rule by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on 07/20/2009
We must receive written comments on or before September 18, 2009.
74 FR 35146
35146-35151
Notice No. 97
E9-17179
Sierra Pelona Valley Petition
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E9-17179
Start Printed Page 35146
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposes to establish the 9.7-square mile “Sierra Pelona Valley” American viticultural area in southern California. 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. We invite comments on this proposed addition to our regulations.
http://www.regulations.gov (via the online comment form for this notice as posted within Docket No. TTB-2009-0004 at “Regulations.gov,” the Federal e-rulemaking portal);
You may view copies of this notice, selected supporting materials, and any comments we receive about this proposal at http://www.regulations.gov within Docket No. TTB-2009-0004. A direct link to this docket is posted on the TTB Web site at http://www.ttb.gov/​wine/​wine_​rulemaking.shtml under Notice No. 97. You also may view copies of this notice, all related petitions, maps or other supporting materials, and any comments we receive about this proposal by appointment at the TTB Information Resource Center, 1310 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20220. Please call 202-927-2400 to make an appointment.
Mr. Ralph Jens Carter submitted a petition proposing the establishment of the Sierra Pelona Valley viticultural area on behalf of local grape growers. The proposed viticultural area covers 9.7 square miles and contains 96 acres of commercial vineyards. The proposed viticultural area lies 30 miles north of the City of Los Angeles, 35 miles east of the Pacific Ocean, and 20 miles southwest of the Mojave Desert. TTB notes that the proposed viticultural area is not within any established American viticultural area, and that the boundary line of the proposed viticultural area neither overlaps nor runs along any other proposed or established viticultural area boundary line. The evidence submitted in support of the petition is summarized below.Start Printed Page 35147
The petition provides historical, physiological, and geographical data to define the boundary of the proposed viticultural area.
Viticulture in the proposed Sierra Pelona Valley viticultural area started in 1995, according to the petition. By 2008, the region had 96 acres of commercial vineyards.
The petition, citing http://www.wunderground.com and the “Soil Survey of the Antelope Valley Area” (issued by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, 1970), states that precipitation in the proposed viticultural area averages between 9 and 12 inches per year and occurs mainly in winter. Citing “Daymet” (a database designed by Peter Thornton, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Climate and Global Dynamic Division, University of Colorado at Boulder), the petition states that in the Sierra Pelona Valley daily growing season temperatures can vary by 40 to 50 degrees F, with summer daytime temperatures reaching 102 degrees F, and summer nighttime temperatures frequently dropping to 50 to 60 degrees F.
To contrast the climate in the proposed viticultural area with that in the surrounding areas, the petition gives climate data for several locations outside the proposed area (“Soil Survey of Antelope County, California”). Sandberg is at an elevation of 4,517 feet in the high mountains northwest of the proposed viticultural area, and although it has a total annual average precipitation of 12.1 inches, about the same as the upper-end precipitation in the proposed viticultural area, Sandberg has average daily growing season maximum and minimum temperatures of 77 and 54 degrees F. San Fernando, at an elevation of 977 feet in a low-lying area to the southwest of the proposed viticultural area, has a total average monthly precipitation of 16.9 inches and average daily growing season maximum and minimum temperatures of 85 and 52 degrees F. Palmdale, at an elevation of 2,665 feet in the desert due east of the proposed viticultural area, has an total average monthly precipitation of 8.9 inches and average daily growing season maximum and minimum temperatures of 87 and 55 degrees F.
The petition notes that soils on alluvial fans and terraces, like those in the proposed Sierra Pelona Valley viticultural area, are renowned throughout the world for wine grape growing (“Viticulture and the Environment,” by John Gladstones, Winetitles, 1992).
According to the petition, the Sierra Pelona Valley is on a formation of Start Printed Page 35148Mesozoic granitic and metamorphic rocks, mostly gneiss and other metamorphic rocks with granitic intrusions. The petition notes that these mineral-rich rocks are particularly well suited to producing several varieties of wine, especially Syrah. To the north of the proposed viticultural area, the rocks consist of varying metasedimentary schist types of Precambrian age, but mostly of Paleozoic or Mesozoic age. A minor fault line lying along the north edge of the Sierra Pelona Valley is at the contact line between the alluvium in the Sierra Pelona Valley on the south side of the fault and the schist on the north, upland side of the fault. The south side of the fault is subsiding in places.
The soils on the valley floor in the proposed viticultural area have significant differences compared to those on the surrounding mountains. On the valley floor and on foot slopes at the edges of the valley floor, the soils are very deep and moderately drained (General Soil Map, “Soil Survey of the Antelope Valley Area, California”).
And although the poor soils reduce the growth rate of the vines, the wines made from the grapes of those vines have more natural balance, according to the petition. The petition explains further that the soils of the area benefit the classic grape varieties, which generally produce well only in poor sandy soils (“Terroir, The Role of Geology, Climate, and Culture in the Making of French Wines”). The reduced vine growth rate decreases the need for summer pruning, irrigation, and use of farm equipment. On the other hand, these soils have multi-directional sun exposures, which allow for the planting of a variety of grapes.
The petition states that fine quality wine grapes are universally associated with soils on midslopes where outwash accumulates and deeper soils form (“Terroir, The Role of Geology, Climate, and Culture in the Making of French Wines”). These midslopes, the petition notes, are sometimes called viticulture “bellies,” because they hold the sediment washed from the weathered rocks above and create vineyards. In most of the proposed viticultural area, wine grapes are grown on gentle midslopes.
TTB concludes that this petition to establish the 9.7-square mile Sierra Pelona Valley American viticultural area merits consideration and public comment, as invited in this notice.
Part 4 of the TTB regulations prohibits any label reference on a wine that Start Printed Page 35149indicates or implies an origin other than the wine's true place of origin. If we establish this proposed viticultural area, its name, “Sierra Pelona Valley,” will be recognized as a name of viticultural significance under 27 CFR 4.39(i)(3). The text of the proposed regulation clarifies this point.
In addition, if we establish the “Sierra Pelona Valley” viticultural area under the terms of the proposed rule, the name “Sierra Pelona” standing alone also will be considered a term of viticultural significance because, we believe, consumers and vintners could reasonably attribute the quality, reputation, or other characteristic of wine made from grapes grown in the proposed “Sierra Pelona Valley” viticultural area to the name “Sierra Pelona.” See 27 CFR 4.39(i)(3), which also provides that a name has viticultural significance when so determined by the appropriate TTB officer.
Therefore, the proposed part 9 regulatory text set forth in this document specifies “Sierra Pelona Valley” and “Sierra Pelona” as terms of viticultural significance for purposes of part 4 of the TTB regulations. If this proposed regulatory text is adopted as a final rule, wine bottlers using “Sierra Pelona Valley” or “Sierra Pelona” 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 “Sierra Pelona Valley” as an appellation of origin.
For a wine to be labeled with a viticultural area name or with a brand name that includes a viticultural area name or other term identified as being viticulturally significant in part 9 of the TTB regulations, 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 term of viticultural significance 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 “Sierra Pelona Valley” or “Sierra Pelona” 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 approval of the Sierra Pelona Valley viticultural area.
We invite comments from interested members of the public on whether we should establish the proposed Sierra Pelona Valley viticultural area. We are interested in receiving comments on the sufficiency and accuracy of the name, climate, soils, and other required information submitted in support of the petition. We especially are interested in comments concerning the inclusion, within the proposed boundary line, of the valleys and canyons to the west and north that surround the Sierra Pelona Valley landform, as shown on the USGS Sleepy Valley map. We also are interested in receiving comments on the proposal to identify “Sierra Pelona” as a term of viticultural significance. Please provide any available specific information in support of your comments.
Because of the potential impact of the establishment of the proposed Sierra Pelona Valley viticultural area on wine labels that include the terms “Sierra Pelona Valley” or “Sierra Pelona” as discussed above under Impact on Current Wine Labels, we are particularly interested in comments regarding whether there will be a conflict between either of these terms and currently used brand names. If a commenter believes that a conflict will arise, the comment should describe the nature of that conflict, including any negative economic impact that approval of the proposed viticultural area will have on an existing viticultural enterprise. We are also interested in receiving suggestions for ways to avoid any conflicts, for example, by adopting a modified or different name for the viticultural area.
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: You may send comments via the online comment form posted with this notice in Docket No. TTB-2009-004 on “Regulations.gov,” the Federal e-rulemaking portal, at http://www.regulations.gov. A direct link to that docket is available under Notice No. 97 on the TTB Web site at http://www.ttb.gov/​wine/​wine_​rulemaking.shtml. Supplemental files may be attached to comments submitted via Regulations.gov. For complete instructions on how to use Regulations.gov, visit the site and click on “User Guide” under “How to Use this Site.”
Please submit your comments by the closing date shown above in this notice. Your comments must reference Notice No. 97 and include your name and mailing address. Your comments also must be made in English, be legible, and be written in language acceptable for public disclosure. We do not acknowledge receipt of comments, and we consider all comments as originals.
On the Federal e-rulemaking portal, Regulations.gov, we will post, and you may view, copies of this notice, selected supporting materials, and any electronic or mailed comments we receive about this proposal. A direct link to the Regulations.gov docket containing this notice and the posted comments received on it is available on the TTB Web site at http://www.ttb.gov/​wine/​wine_​rulemaking.shtml under Notice No. 97. You may also reach the docket Start Printed Page 35150containing this notice and the posted comments received on it through the Regulations.gov search page at http://www.regulations.gov.
§ 9. Sierra Pelona Valley.
(a) Name. The name of the viticultural area described in this section is “Sierra Pelona Valley”. For purposes of part 4 of this chapter, “Sierra Pelona Valley”, and “Sierra Pelona” are terms of viticultural significance.
(6) Proceed north along the section 34 west boundary line 1 mile to the line's intersection with the 2,800-foot elevation line and the section 27 west boundary line; then
(21) Proceed north along the section 6 west boundary line 0.4 mile to the line's Start Printed Page 35151intersection with the 3,400-foot elevation line, T5N, R13W; then
Signed: July 7, 2009.
[FR Doc. E9-17179 Filed 7-17-09; 8:45 am]