11 Viticultural Areas

Adelaida District

Topography

Santa Lucia Range high mountain slopes grading to foothills; 900 – 2200 feet.

Soil

Shallow, bedrock residual soils and patchy colluvial hillside soils from middle member of Monterey Formation and older rocks; largely calcareous soils.

1 REGION(S) II–III transitional
2 25
30

Beyond Paso

Topography

Soil

1 REGION(S)
2

Creston District

Topography

Old erosional plateau at the base of the La Panza Range; alluvial terraces and fans of Huerhuero Creek; 1,000 – 2,000 feet.

Soil

Old, well developed terrace and hillside soils; mix of granitic and sedimentary rocks.

1 REGION(S)III
2 11.5
25

Downtown / Tin City

Topography

Soil

1 REGION(S)
2

El Pomar District

Topography

High, older terraces, fans, and hills; 740 – 1,600 feet

Soil

Quaternary alluvial soils, well developed loams to clay loams, some calcareous, with Monterey Formation sandstone and siltstone at depth in some areas.

1 REGION(S)II
2 15
20-25

Paso Robles Estrella District

Topography

Rolling plains of Estrella River valley and terraces; 745 – 1819 feet.

Soil

Quaternary alluvial soils of diverse ages across younger to older terraces, deep to moderate depth, with remnant patches of older valley fill at highest elevations.

1 REGION(S)III
2 12.5-15.5
35-40

Paso Robles Geneseo District

Topography

Upfaulted hills through old river terraces along Huerhuero–La Panza fault; 740 – 1,300 feet.

Soil

Old alluvial terrace and residual hillside soils of moderate depth with cementation of the gravelly Paso Robles Formation and older granites.

1 REGION(S)III-IV
2 13-14
20-25

Paso Robles Highlands

Topography

Old Pliocene–Pleistocene erosional surface across the Simmler, Monterey and Paso Robles formations below the La Panza Range; 1,160 – 2,086 feet.

Soil

Deep, sometimes cemented alluvial soils; old leached alkaline soils common, with younger sandy soils along active steams.

1 REGION(S)IV
2 12
50+

Paso Robles Willow Creek District

Topography

High elevation mountainous bedrock slopes across a more erodible member of the Monterey Formation; 960 – 1,900 feet.

Soil

Mostly bedrock (residual) soils from the middle and lower members of the Monterey Formation, patches of alluvial soil along streams, largely calcareous, loams to clay loams.

1 REGION(S)II
2 24-30
20

San Juan Creek

Topography

San Juan Creek younger river valleys with alluvial terraces and fans as a tributary to the upper Estrella River; 980 – 1,600 feet.

Soil

Well to moderately drained, deep alluvial soils, sandy loams to loams to clay loams on the highest, oldest terraces.

1 REGION(S)III-IV
2 10.4
35-40

San Miguel District

Topography

Footslope of Santa Lucia Range, with alluvial terraces of the Salinas and Estrella rivers and small recent alluvial fans; 580 – 1,600 feet.

Soil

Deep, alluvial sandy loams to loams to a few clay loams (some with clay pans) from the river bottoms up onto the higher terraces.

1 REGION(S)III
2 11.4
30-35

Santa Margarita Ranch

Topography

High, steep mountain slopes of ancient Salinas River and upper reaches of incised contemporary Salinas River along the Rinconada Fault; 900 – 1,400 feet.

Soil

Deep alluvial soils derived from many lithologies and varying in texture, with patchy residual soils on mountain slopes.

1 REGION(S)II
2 29
25

Templeton Gap District

Topography

Santa Lucia Range mountain slopes and broad alluvial terraces; elevations 700 – 1,800 feet.

Soil

Broad alluvial terraces and fans of Paso Robles Creek and the Salinas River over bedrock; alluvial soils of shallow to moderate depth and sandy to silty to clay loams; calcareous in places.

1 REGION(S)II
2 20
20

York Mountain

Topography

Soil

1 REGION(S)
2