Hickory Sands District AVA

(a) Name. The name of the viticultural area described in this section is “Hickory Sands District.” “Hickory Sands” and “Hickory Sandstone Member” may also be used as the name of the viticultural area described in this section. For purposes of this section, “Hickory Sands” and “Hickory Sandstone Member” are terms of viticultural significance.

(b) Approved maps. The proposed Hickory Sands District AVA boundary was digitally produced using the following 13 United States Geological Survey (U.S.G.S) 1:24,000 scale topographic maps. The U.S.G.S. maps used to create the proposed Hickory Sands District boundary include:

(1) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Fly Gap TX 1962

(2) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Fredonia TX 1962

(3) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Grit TX 1970

(4) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Katemcy TX 1970

(5) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Long Mountain TX 1970

(6) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Mason TX 1967

(7) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Pecan Springs, TX 1963

(8) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Pontotoc TX 1955

(9) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Purdy Hill TX 1962

(10) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Sheep Run Creek TX 1968

(11) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Spy Rock TX 1963

(12) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Turtle Creek TX 1968

(13) USGS 1:24000-scale Quadrangle for Voca TX 1963 In addition to the maps above, a U.S.G.S geologic feature map titled “Hickory Sandstone Member” was used as guidance to define the boundaries points on the topographical maps. Details on the U.S.G.S. geologic feature map referenced are as follows: Hickory Sandstone Member UNIT from the U.S.G.S. Geologic Map Database of Texas Originators: Stoeser, Douglas B.; Shock, Nancy; Green, Gregory N.; Dumonceaux, Gayle M.; Heran, William D. Publication_Date: 2005 Title: Geologic Map Database of Texas Edition: version 1.1 Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: digital map Series_Information: Series_Name: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series; Issue_Identification: DS 170 Publication_Place: Denver, Colorado; Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey Online_Linkage:  https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/2005/17   https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=TXCAh;0 

(c) Boundary. The Hickory Sands District viticultural area is in the State of Texas, primarily in Mason County, with minor portions in McCulloch, San Saba, and Llano counties. Some of the most distinctive characteristics beneficial to viticulture within the proposed AVA originate directly from the Hickory Sandstone geological formation, i.e.- the Hickory aquifer and the Hickory Sands soils. As such, the boundary narrated further below was designed to adhere reasonably to the outlines of the Hickory Sandstone Member where it imparts the benefits of an abundant water source for irrigation and adequate soil depths for vine root structure and lies 1,500 feet or greater in elevation. Acreage not on the Hickory Sandstone Member formation would not have access to the Hickory aquifer, which is crucial for irrigation in the area. Likewise, the Hickory Sands soils with excellent rooting depth and drainage are derived from the Hickory Sandstone and do not occur outside the geologic formation. Those areas below 1500-foot elevation would lose the viticultural advantage of the magnified nightly cool-downs necessary to maintain well-balanced grape characteristics. Due to the importance of the Hickory Sandstone Member to area viticulture, an effort was made to align the proposed AVA boundary closely to the geologic formation. Given the amorphous and non-contiguous nature of the Hickory Sandstone feature, a multi-sided polygon carefully encapsulating the geologic formation was deemed the most practical solution for determining the proposed boundary. The vertices of the polygon faithfully follow the Hickory Sandstone Member geologic feature yet correspond to the closest identifiable U.S.G.S topographical map features. Please be aware that the necessity of using U.S.G.S topographical map features for boundary definition as per TTB regulations resulted in the inclusion of small areas not situated directly on the Hickory Sandstone formation. When creating the boundary, all efforts were made to minimize the inclusion of such acreage while adhering to the TTB criteria for AVA boundary descriptions. It should be known that these areas are likely not well-suited for viticulture if they lack the deeper Hickory Sands soils or access to the Hickory Aquifer. Please refer to Exhibit 34 for a map of the numerical boundary points defined below and Exhibit 35 for a drawn boundary across the 13 U.S.G.S topographical maps cited above. The boundary points are as follows: