The Malibu-Newton Canyon Viticultural Area (95R-014P)

This final rule establishes a viticultural area in the State of California to be known as ``Malibu-Newton Canyon.'' The petition for this viticultural area was filed by Mr. George Rosenthal, President of Rancho Escondido, Inc. The ``Malibu-Newton Canyon'' viticultural area comprises approximately 850 acres within Newton Canyon, a bowl-shaped valley located on the south-facing side of the Santa Monica Mountains. Vineyards currently within the proposed viticultural area are located on the Rancho Escondido Estate. Rancho Escondido is comprised of approximately 157 acres, all of which lie within the proposed area. Approximately 14 of these acres are planted with premium wine producing vineyards. Varietals include Cabernet Savignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Petite Verdot. Currently, there are no wineries located within the proposed ``Malibu-Newton Canyon'' area. ATF believes that the establishment of viticultural area names as appellations of origin in wine labeling and advertising allows wineries to designate the specific areas where the grapes used to make the wine were grown and enables consumers to better identify the wines they purchase.