Comment from Francini Vineyards (Francini, Joseph P.)

Gentlemen: I am the owner and operator of a Sonoma County Calistoga vineyard that has provided grapes to top Napa and Sonoma wineries for the last 15 years and produced wine since 2001. I strongly object to the arbitrary designation of an AVA that limits it to a given county, as if the characteristics of soil and climate respected political subdivisions. Other vineyards in my immediate area exhibit the same fruit characteristics that is being attributed exclusivell to an imaginary area and demand that those of us with a Calistoga legal address be allowed to use it in our wines without the threat of prohibition. What else would we use? Are we in Calistoga,... but not in Calistoga? Please consider our situation and make sure the rule to be issued does not make us "citizens without a country". Best Regards