[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 2, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27420-27421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09042]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

27 CFR Part 9

[Docket No. TTB-2023-0002; Notice No. 221A; Re: Notice No. 221]
RIN 1513-AC78


Proposed Establishment of the Crystal Springs of Napa Valley 
Viticultural Area; Comment Period Extension

AGENCY: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Treasury.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is 
extending, for an additional 60 days, the comment period for a notice 
of proposed rulemaking it published as Notice No. 221, entitled, 
``Proposed Establishment of the Crystal Springs of Napa Valley 
Viticultural Area.'' TTB is taking this action in response to a request 
to extend the comment period from a wine industry trade association.

DATES: The comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking, 
published at 88 FR 13072, on March 2, 2023, is extended. Comments on 
Notice No. 221 are now due to TTB on or before June 30, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may electronically submit comments to TTB on Notice No. 
221, and view copies of Notice No. 221, its supporting materials, this 
comment extension notice, and any comments TTB receives on Notice No. 
221 within Docket No. TTB-2023-0002 as posted on the Regulations.gov 
website (https://www.regulations.gov), the Federal e-rulemaking portal. 
Please see the ``Public Participation'' section of this document below 
for full details on how to comment on Notice No. 221 via 
Regulations.gov or U.S. mail, and for full details on how to obtain 
copies of Notice No. 221, its supporting materials, this document, and 
any comments related to this proposal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen A. Thornton, Regulations and 
Rulings Division, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G 
Street NW, Box 12, Washington, DC 20005; phone 202-453-1039, ext. 175.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March, 2, 2023, the Alcohol and Tobacco 
Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) published a notice of proposed rulemaking in 
the Federal Register entitled, ``Proposed

[[Page 27421]]

Establishment of the Crystal Springs of Napa Valley Viticultural 
Area.'' See Notice No. 221 at 88 FR 13072. In that document, TTB 
proposed to establish the approximately 4,000-acre ``Crystal Springs of 
Napa Valley'' American viticultural area (AVA) in Napa County, 
California. The proposed AVA is located entirely within the existing 
Napa Valley AVA (27 CFR 9.23), which, in turn, is entirely within the 
existing North Coast AVA (27 CFR 9.30).
    TTB published Notice No. 221 in response to a petition submitted on 
behalf of local vineyard owners and winemakers. Within the proposed 
AVA, there are approximately 30 commercial vineyards which cover a 
total of approximately 230 acres. The distinguishing feature of the 
proposed Crystal Springs of Napa Valley AVA is its topography. Further 
details concerning the proposed AVA are available in Notice No. 221. 
TTB designates viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe 
the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify 
wines they may purchase.
    TTB recently received a request from the Napa Valley Vintners 
(NVV), a wine industry trade association, to extend the comment period 
for Notice No. 221 for an additional 90 days. In its request, NVV 
stated that in order to properly evaluate and respond to Notice No. 
221, the group ``needs further time to study and map all vineyards 
using the Crystal Springs designation in relationship to the boundaries 
of the proposed AVA and to report its findings to the NVV Napa Name 
Protection Committee, which reviews all nested AVAs, and then to the 
NVV Board of Directors.''
    After reviewing the NVV request, TTB has decided to extend the 
comment period for Notice No. 221 for an additional 60 days. TTB 
believes that an additional 60 days is an adequate extension of the 
comment period. If needed, TTB will consider additional requests to 
extend the comment period as necessary for interested parties to 
evaluate the vineyards using the Crystal Springs designation. 
Therefore, TTB will now accept public comments on Notice No. 221 
through June 30, 2023. See the Public Participation section of Notice 
No. 221 for details on how and where to submit comments.

Mary G. Ryan,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2023-09042 Filed 4-28-23; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4810-31-P