The San Miguel District is the northernmost AVA of the greater Paso Robles winegrowing region in California's Central Coast. It was established in 2014 and encompasses the area around the town of San Miguel in San Luis Obispo County.
The total area covers more than 18,500 acres (7500ha), with elevation between 580 and 1600 feet (176-488m). The topography is defined by the foothills of the Santa Lucia Range, which runs for 105 miles from Monterey County into San Luis Obispo, and the convergence of the Salinas and Estrella rivers. Deep alluvial soils and recent alluvial fans offer good drainage with the rivers providing some sandy loam and clay loam originating from the river beds but distributed into the higher terraces over time. San Miguel District gets an average rainfall of 11.4 inches annually with less influence from the Pacific Ocean and its cooling effects by way of the Templeton Gap than more southerly Paso Robles regions.
The predominant grape varieties planted are in line with the greater Paso Robles viticultural area with red wines dominating led by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Zinfandel makes up a notable amount followed by southern Rhone red varieties such as Grenache, Syrah and notably Mourvèdre, a variety that does well in warm, dry climates.
