| Paso Robles AVA | |
| Type: | American Viticultural Area |
| Year: | 1983[1] |
| Wine Years: | [2] |
| Country: | United States |
| Part Of: | California, Central Coast AVA, San Luis Obispo County |
| Sub Regions: | Adelaida District AVA, Creston District AVA, El Pomar District AVA, Paso Robles Estrella District AVA, Paso Robles Geneseo District AVA, Paso Robles Highlands District AVA, Paso Robles Willow Creek District AVA, San Juan Creek AVA, San Miguel District AVA, Santa Margarita Ranch AVA, Templeton Gap District AVA[3] |
| Climate Region: | Region II, III |
| Precipitation: | 10to(-) |
| Soil: | Primarily, bedrock composed of weathered granite, volcanic and marine sedimentary rocks overlayed with sandstone, mudstone or calcareous shales.[4] |
| Total Size: | 614000acres 1996: 52618acres added[5] 2009: 2635acres added[6] |
| Planted: | 40000acres[7] [8] 1983: 5000acres 1996: 235acres added 2009: 1000acres added |
| Vineyards: | 172[9] |
| Grapes: | There are more than 40 wine grape varieties such as Albarino, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Counoise, Grenache, Grenache blanc, Malbec, Marsanne, Merlot, Mourvedre, Nebbiolo, Orange Muscat, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Picpoul, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah, Tannat, Tempranillo, Tinta Cao, Viognier, and Zinfandel |
| Varietals: | 60 |
| Wineries: | over 200 |
Paso Robles is the third American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, California. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury on November 3, 1983 based on a petition submitted by Martin Brothers Winery.[10] The area encompasses 609673acres with approximately 18500acres cultivated with wine grapes known for their heritage varietal Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Rhône-style wines.[2]
The name of the area dates from the late 18th Century, the missionary period of the area. The full Spanish name is "El Paso de Robles" or "the Pass of the Oaks." This name was given by travelers between the San Miguel mission, located within the boundaries of the viticultural area, and Mission San Luis Obispo. A land grant, in this name, was conveyed by Governor Micheltorena to Pedro Narvaez on May 12, 1844. This land grant includes the present areas of Paso Robles, Templeton, and Adelaida. The land grant was patented on July 20, 1866, to Petronillo Rios. In 1857 the Paso Robles land grant was purchased by three men. These men, capitalizing on the hot springs andmud baths of the area, set out to make the Paso Robles Hot Springs one of the finest resort spas in the Country and built the first of the famous hotels. The community serving the hotel and resort visitors was incorporated as the City of El Paso de Robles on February 25, 1889. Since that time, the entire area of the viticultural area has been referred to as the Paso Robles area.[2]
Grapes were first introduced into the Paso Robles area in 1787 by Spanish missionaries at Mission San Miguel Arcangel, founded in 1797, produced wine and it is assumed that the grapes were harvested in nearby areas. The earliest date was 1873 showing that approximately 40acres were vineyards. One winery established in the last century is still involved in wine production, Rotta Winery, now Tablas Creek Vineyard.[11] In addition to this winery, there are twelve others and one under construction. There were 62 existing vineyards at the establishment of Paso Robles viticultural area comprising approximately 5000acres with more grape plantings planned, generally adjacent to or in close proximity to the existing vineyards.[2] [12] Commercial wine growing, however, was not started until the 1880s with the establishment of Ascension Winery, later known as York Mountain Winery, and today known as Epoch Estate Wines. In 1914, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist, conductor, and statesman, established a vineyard on his ranch. The Zinfandel grape was introduced to the area in this vineyard. Wine produced by York Mountain Winery from this vineyard was awarded a gold medal at the California State Fair.[2] Since 1990, when there were fewer than 20 wineries in Paso Robles, a large expansion of activity has seen the number rise to more than 200 wineries today. Wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. commented on the region's promise of quality of wine, emphasizing the wineries L'Aventure, Linne Calodo, Saxum Vineyards, Doce Robles "Twelve Oaks" Winery & Vineyard, Villa Creek Cellars, Castoro Cellars and Tablas Creek Vineyard as the "leading Paso pioneers".[13]
In 2007, a proposal to split the area at the Salinas River and form a new "Paso Robles Westside AVA" was made. The proposal was withdrawn in 2009, and a new proposal was made to sub-divide the AVA into eleven viticultural areas with their separate unique attributes.[14]
Effective on November 10, 2014, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) issued a final rule in the Federal Register establishing eleven distinct sub-appellations within the existing Paso Robles viticultural area.[15]