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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 215 / Wednesday, November 10, 2021 / Proposed Rules
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Gabilan Mountains Petition TTB received a petition from Parker Allen of Coastview Vineyards, proposing the establishment of the Gabilan Mountains AVA. The proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA is located within Monterey and San Benito Counties, California, and lies entirely within the established Central Coast AVA 27 CFR 9.75. The proposed AVA
also entirely encompasses the established Mt. Harlan 27 CFR 9.131
and Chalone 27 CFR 9.24 AVAs. The proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA
contains approximately 98,000 acres and has 6 commercially-producing vineyards covering a total of approximately 436 acres, as well as 4
wineries.
According to the petition, the distinguishing features of the proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA include its elevation, climate, and soils. Unless otherwise noted, all information and data pertaining to the proposed AVA
contained in this document are from the petition for the proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA and its supporting exhibits.
Name Evidence The proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA takes its name from the Gabilan Mountains range in which the proposed AVA is located. According to the petition, the name is derived from the Spanish word meaning sparrow hawk, a reference to the large number of red-tailed hawks that can be found in the region.1 The petition notes that the word Gabilan is sometimes written as Gavilan, as shown on a 1904 Decision Card from the U.S. Board of Geographic Names.2 However, the petitioner chose the spelling Gabilan, as that is the spelling found on current USGS maps and in the current USGS Geographic Names Information System. 3
The petition notes that the region of the proposed AVA is the setting for John Steinbecks book East of Eden.
Steinbeck wrote that the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley were light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness , whereas the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west were dark and broodingunfriendly and dangerous. The name has recently been used to describe the proposed AVA
region in a real estate listing for a lot consisting of approximately 165 acres 1 Gudde, Erwin G., and William Bright. California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Berkeley: University of California, 2010.
2 See Exhibit 1 of the petition in Docket TTB
20210009 at https www.regulations.gov.
3 See https www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/
ngp/board-on-geographic-names/domestic-names.

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in the Gabilan Mountains. 4 A website for planning hiking holidays includes an entry for the Trails of the Gabilan Mountains. 5 The California State Parks website includes an entry for San Juan Bautista State Park, which includes the home of the military commander of an 1846 battle at Fremont Peak, which took place in the nearby Gabilan Mountains. 6 The petition notes that Fremont Peak is located within the proposed AVA. Finally, the petition states that a species of salamander found only within the proposed AVA
and a few other nearby areas is known as the Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander.7
Boundary Evidence The proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA is comprised primarily of elevations above 1,500 feet. The northern boundary follows the 1,520foot elevation contour and separates the proposed AVA from the lower elevations of the San Juan and Hollister Valleys, as well as from the Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreational Area, which is not available for commercial viticulture. The eastern boundary follows a combination of the 1,520-foot elevation contour and the 1,600-foot elevation contour to separate the proposed AVA from the lower elevations of the adjacent, established San Benito 27 CFR 9.110 and Cienega Valley 27 CFR 9.38 AVAs. The southern boundary follows the boundary of the Pinnacles National Park boundary, to exclude that region of Federally-owned land that is not available for commercial viticulture.
The western boundary generally follows the 1,520-foot elevation contour to separate the proposed AVA from the lower elevations of the Salinas Valley.
Distinguishing Features The distinguishing features of the proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA are its elevation, climate, and soils.
Elevation The proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA is located in a mountainous region with high elevations. According to the petition, the average elevation within the proposed AVA is 2,370 feet. By contrast, the surrounding regions all have lower average elevations, as demonstrated in the following table.
4 https www.realtor.com/realestateandhomesdetail/Gabilan-Range_Hollister_CA_95023_
M2012427678.
5 www.mountainhikingholidays.com/pinnaclesnational-park-hiking-tour.
6 www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22678.
7 californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/
b.gavilanensis.html.

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TABLE 1AVERAGE ELEVATIONS
AVA
direction from proposed AVA
Proposed Gabilan Mountains
Santa Clara Valley north 8
Lime Kiln Valley east 9
Cienega Valley east 10
Paicines east 11
San Benito east 12
Arroyo Seco south 13
Monterey west 14
Santa Lucia Highlands west 15

Average elevation in feet 2,370
345
880
1,105
778
881
331
480
512

According to the petition, the proposed AVAs higher elevations place it above the heavy fog and marine layer.
As a result, the proposed AVA has a cool air climate without the humidity from the fog and low-lying clouds. The petition claims that the lower humidity levels significantly reduce mildew pressure in the proposed AVA, which allows growers to use less fungicide and pursue more organic practices during the growing season.
Climate The petition states that the climate of the proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA
distinguishes it from the surrounding regions, particularly with respect to fog and rainfall. According to a 2016 study cited in the petition, the proposed AVA
averages fewer than 2.5 hours of fog and low clouds per day each year during the months of June through September.16 By contrast, King City, to the south of the proposed AVA averages 7 hours, while Salinas, to the west, and Hollister, to the north, both average 9 hours. Each of these three locations sits at lower elevations than the proposed AVA and lies within valleys with airflow access to the Pacific Ocean. Paicines, which is to the east of the proposed AVA and sheltered from the marine air by the Hollister Hills, receives an average of only 2 hours of fog and low cloud cover daily.
According to the petition, the lack of fog within the proposed Gabilan Mountains AVA has an effect on viticulture. Vines exposed to humid conditions, such as heavy fog or low cloud cover, have a high degree of 8 27

CFR 9.126.
CFR 927.
10 27 CFR 9.38.
11 27 CFR 9.39.
12 27 CFR 9.110.
13 27 CFR 9.59.
14 27 CFR 9.98.
15 27 CFR 9.139.
16 Torregrosa, A., C. Combs, and J. Peters 2016, GOES-derived fog and low cloud indices for coastal north and central California ecological analyses, Earth and Space Science, 3, 4667. See also Figure 2 of the petition in Docket TTB20210009.
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