29478 Federal Register / Vol. 51, No. 159 / Monday, August 18, 1986 / Proposed Rules or for foreign firms doing business in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: North America. The bottomlands United States. Background drained by this river share similar Issued at Washington, DC, on July 10, 1986. geological history, topographical On August 23, 1978, ATF published features, and soils. Norman H. Plummer, Treasury Decision ATF-53 (43 FR 37672, The boundary of the proposed Directorof Environmentand Energy. 54624) revising regulations in Title 27, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4. viticultural area encompasses [FR Doc. 86-16520 Filed 8-15-86; 8:45 am] approximately 53 square miles or 33,920 BILLING CODE 4910-13-M These regulations allow the establishment of definite American acres. The area is approximately 10 viticultural areas. The regulations also miles in length by 5 miles in width and allow the name of an approved is bisected by State Highway 101 and DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY viticultural area to be used as an the Salinas River which flows northwest 155 miles from its souce in San Luis Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and appellation of original in the labeling and advertising of wine. On October 2, Obispo County through Monterey Firearms 1979, ATF published Treasury Decision County into Monterey Bay. At the ATF-60 (44 FR 56692) which added to nothern end of the proposed viticultural 27 CFR Part 9 Title 27 a new Part 9 providing for the area, the elevation of the Salinas River listing of approved American viticultural is approximately 340 feet above sea [Notice No. 6011 areas. level; at the southern end, the evevation Section 4.25a(e)(1) defines an of the Salinas River is approximately San Lucas Viticultural Area American viticultural area as a 435 feet above sea level. delimited grape growing region The "San Lucas" viticultural area as AGENCY: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco distinguishable by geographical proposed includes the entire San Lucas and Firearms (ATF), Treasury. features. Section 4.25a(e)(2), outlines the Land Grant as well as the southern ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. procedure for proposing an American fourth of the San Benito Land Grant and viticultural area. Any interested person the northern half of the San Bernardo SUMMARY: The Bureau of Alcohol, may petition ATF to establish a grape- Land Grant. Tobacco and Firearms proposes to growing region as viticultural area. The Within the area there are establish in Monterey County, petition shall include- approximately 5,000 acres devoted to California, an American viticultural area (a) Evidence that the name of the the cultivation of wine grapes. Areas to be known by the appellation "San proposed viticultural area is locally presently planted in wine grapes range Lucas." This proposal is based on a and/or nationally known as referring to from alluvial fans and terraces over 350 petition filed by Almaden Vineyards of the area specified in the petition; feet above sea level to low-lying hills San Jose, California. Almaden (b) Historical or current evidence that having maximal elevations of 800 feet Vineyards is one of several growers the boundaries of the viticultural area above sea level. The proposed area is having extensive vineyard operations in are as specified in the petition; entirely within the established Monterey the vicinity of the Town of San Lucas in (c) Evidence relating to the Viticultural Area. southern Monterey County, California. geographical features (climate, soil, The use of the name of an approved elevation, physical features, etc.) which History viticultural area as an appellation of distinguish the viticultural features of A Spanish navigator landed at origin in the labeling and advertising of the proposed area from surrounding wine allows the proprietor of a winery Monterey in 1602. Subsequent overland areas; expeditions from Mexico City to Alta to designate the area as a locale in (d) A description of the specific which grapes used in the production of a California included padres who boundary of the proposed viticultural established 21 missions along the wine are grown and enables the area, based on features which can be consumer to identify and to differentiate Camino Real in California. In the portion found on United States Geoglogical of California which later became between that wine and other wines Survey (U.S.G.S.) maps of the largest offered at retail. Monterey County, missions were applicable scale; and, established at Carmel, Soledad and San DATE: Written comments must be (e) A copy (or copies) of the Antonio. received by October 17, 1986. appropriate U.S.G.S. map(s) with the The Spanish imposed rigidly ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: proposed boundary prominently prescribed rules under which land was Chief, FAA, Wine and Beer Branch, marked. parceled into pueblos, presidios, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Petition missions and ranchos. From 1774 to Firearms, RE: Notice No., P.O. Box 385, Almaden Vineyards of San Jose, 1824, Spanish governors in Monterey Washington, DC 20044-0385. California, filed a petition for the awarded 34 relatively small parcels of Copies of this proposal, the petition, establishment of a viticultural area to be land as ranchos in present-day the appropriate maps, and the written known as "San Lucas" in southern Monterey County. comments will be available for public Monterey County, California, in the With Mexico's independence from inspection during normal business hours vicinity of the Town of San Lucas. Spanish rule in 1824, a succession of at: ATF Reading Room, Ariel Rios The petitioned area consists primarily Mexican governors ruled California. Federal Building, Room 4406, 1200 of bottomland and alluvial fans and These governors secularized the Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, terraces in the floodplain of the Salinas extensive landholdings of the missions DC. River as well as the slopes of rolling by bestowing an additional 32 land FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. hills to the east and west of this 10-mile- grants, eight of which were in excess of Michael J. Breen, Coordinator, FAA, long section of the Salinas Valley in 10,000 acres. From 1836 to 1842, 28 land Wine and Beer Branch, Room 6237, Monterey County. grants totaling over a quarter of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and The principal stream that drains the million acres wer awarded. The Rancno Firearms, Washington, DC 20226, valley is the Salinas River, the largest San Benito (6,671 acres) and the Rancho Telephone: (202) 566-7626. submerged or "upside-down" river in San Bernardo (13,346 acres) land grants Federal Register / Vol. 51, No. 159 / Monday, August 18, 1986 / Proposed Rules 29179 were awarded in 1841 and the Rancho elongated 84-mile-long Salinas Valley Soil San Lucas land grant (8,875 acres) was which ranges in width from 10 to 12 The basin of the Salinas River awarded in 1842. miles near the Town of Salinas at its From 1862 to 1890, Alberto Trescony contains a mix of alluvial sand, silt and northern end near the Monterey Bay to clay carried downstream over time by amassed extensive holdings of less than one mile at Bradley at the rangeland consisting of Rancho San tributaries from the mountains and hills southern end near the Monterey-San surrounding the Salinas Valley. The soil Benito and Rancho San Lucas as well as Luis Obsipo county line. the portion of Rancho San Bernardo in the vicinity of the Town of San Lucas north of present-day San Ardo. Distinguishing Characteristics is mostly Lockwood shaly loam, Trescony grazed large herds of sheep otherwise known as "Chalk Rock." The petitioner states that in addition and cattle on the land and rented tracts Other soil series common to the of land to tenant farmers who raised to history and name the proposed proposed area are Oceano (loamy sand), viticultural area is distinguished feed grains, primarily wheat and barley. from Metz complex (loam and sand), Garey As the area prospered, a large grain adjoining bottomlands to the northwest (sandy loam), Greenfield (fine sandy elevator was erected on a site which and southeast by temperature and by loam), and the Snelling-Greenfield later became the Town of San Lucas. climate and is distinguished from complex (loam). All are rapidly draining With the extension of railroad service highland areas to the east and west by to well drained, coarse to medium south to San Lucas in the 1880's, the differences in topography, elevation, textured soils that formed in alluvium. town continued to thrive and for a while geology, and soils. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The natural its size elipsed that of King City, its Data from the soil survey of Monterey vegetation consists of annual grasses immediate neighbor to the north. The County support restricting the "San and forbs. Roots penetrate to a depth of "San Lucas District," comprised of the Lucas" appellation to the area as more than 60 inches. Soils of these Town of San Lucas, the San Lucas and petitioned. series are used mostly for dryland grain San Benito land grants, and the northern and range. With the use of irrigation, half of the San Bernardo land grant, Topography and Elevation these soils can be planted to row crops gained a reputation for raising grain, The major physiographic units in such as grapes. cattle and horses. Monterey County are the valley lands of Climate The petition includes documentation the Salinas Valley, the Gabilan and of the planting of wine grapes in 1970. Diablo Ranges to the east of the valley, The climate of Monterey County Today, the area has approximately 5,000 and the Santa Lucia Range ranges from cool and moist along the acres devoted to wine grape cultivation. to the west of the valley.