Paso Robles Rift

[Rebel Rose]

The westside Paso Robles wineries have just submitted an application for recognition as a separate appellation.

An application for appellation recognition requires not only soil and meteorological reports, but also proof that the area is considered distinctive at local, regional, and national levels. Therefore, the application packet includes quotes from wine writers. For some time, wine writers have been referring to "west Paso Robles" as having significantly different soils, weather, and wines.

Templeton Gap, which is the largest of several east-west wind corridors, starts at the end of Estero Bay, and is the steep cut through the hills that Highway 46 West follows. It begins to widen into a larger, flatter valley that points off through Wild Horse Winery, and extends into the El Pomar district well behind Wild Horse, out by Hansen Vineyard, Victor Hugo, et al. Although the terrain becomes flatter and less obviously a "cut," the wind tunnel effect flows back through the Gap well into the east side.

Some wineries, while dubious that the boundaries are completely accurate, support the formation of a Westside appellation because they feel it is an important first step in recognizing the different soil profiles that characterize the east side and the west side. Which is not to say that one is better than the other, just that differences exist, and that the differing soil profiles each present their own viticultural challenges.

I think it's interesting that Paso Robles has been so slow to declare subappellations, especially when local vintners have long referred to specific areas like Adelaida, Willow Creek, Estrella Bench and Templeton Gap. At dover Canyon we have been putting specific "microclimate" information on our back labels for years; our labels were used as part of the submission.

For those of you familiar with Paso Robles, what do you think? Any questions?

[ludja]

Is there a map available to link to that shows where the new proposed appellation would lie and some of the geographical features you mention?

Is the proposal for all wineries west of 101? Do you have an estimate of how many wineries would be in the new appellation versus in all of Paso Robles?

Do you feel this makes sense or is this still a rather arbitrary boundary? You hinted that perhaps there should be more sub-regions even within what would be Paso Robles West. It may be difficult for you to comment on this publicly being owner of one of the wineries involved.

I don't know the geography well enough to comment more specifically, although, in general, the terrain and temperature were markedly different between the two regions for the wineries we visited. In general, in my amateur opinion, if it really demarcates areas with different terroir I think it is a good advance for Paso Robles wines and for consumers of wines from that region.

Matt Kramer is definately one of the writers who has discussed this, for example, in "Matt Kramer's New California Wine: Making Sense of Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast, and Beyond" (2004). I don't have the book with me now so I can't reread his exact opinions on this.

Are there many wineries in the position of having vineyards that are located in what would be the two different appellations? Also, would the wineries in the new appellation be part of Paso Robles West and all the rest would just be Paso Robles?

How long is it expected before a decision is made on the application for the new appellation?

Sorry for so many questions!

Edited December 2, 2005 by ludja (log)

[Rebel Rose]

Is there a map available to link to that shows where the new proposed appellation would lie and some of the geographical features you mention? 

There isn't an online link to the application map, but at WineryBound.com you can (if you have a fast connection or a lot of patience) pull up a satellite image of the Paso Robles area.

Is the proposal for all wineries west of 101?  Do you have an estimate of how many wineries would be in the new appellation versus in all of Paso Robles?

Yes, it would include all wineries west of the Salinas River/Highway 101 border, from the Monterey County border down past a small triangle of Templeton. Turley-Pesenti and Dusi Ranch are just within the borders. As are Siot-Rotta and St. Peter of Alcantara old vine zin vineyards.

Do you feel this makes sense or is this still a rather arbitrary boundary?  You hinted that perhaps there should be more sub-regions even within what would be Paso Robles West.   It may be difficult for you to comment on this publicly being owner of one of the wineries involved.

In a way it does make sense because west of the Salinas riverbed the Paso Robles terrain changes markedly. However, I do feel that the Westside block does not recognize Templeton Gap as a long east west corridor with its own characteristics, and I'm a little nonplussed by the inclusion of the relatively hotter San Miguel area to the north, and the exclusion of the more temperate Templeton Village area to the south.

Still, it's a beginning, and as wineries in the various subregions begin to recognize--and market--their own locales, I think we'll see some more definition into the areas I mentioned previously. I just hope that it will be done carefully and scientifically, and not as a result of vanity vineyard promotions.

(By the way, I often refer to smaller areas as 'microclimates,' but that's actually incorrect. A 'microclimate' exists under the vines; a small viticultural area is a 'macroclimate.' Nevertheless, I like the sound and common usage of 'microclimate.')

Are there many wineries in the position of having vineyards that are located in what would be the two different appellations?  Also, would the wineries in the new appellation be part of Paso Robles West and all the rest would just be Paso Robles?

Yes, and exactly.

How long is it expected before a decision is made on the application for the new appellation?

I don't know, but I'm guessing within a month--with government holidays, possibly just after the New Year.

Correction: I was operating from memory . . . now that I'm actually looking at the map, there's a thin dog leg running along Hwy. 101 through Templeton past Atascadero to Santa Margarita.

[jbonne]

Will there be some weird labeling twist for Eastside wineries using Westside fruit (Vina Robles comes to mind) or, rather more quietly, vice versa?

Will border checkpoints be set up on either side of the 101?

[Raoul Duke]

Actually they're going to brick up the east/west access route.