About Us
It’s All in the Family
It started with John and Carson Lambeth’s dream of a rural life planting and growing grapes. Their dream led them to a storybook-perfect and bucolic place—the Clarksburg, California AVA on the Sacramento River Delta. The vast fields of grapes blessed with warm daytime sunshine and cool evening breezes from the Pacific Ocean immediately convinced them of the land’s potential.
Around the bend from the historic Freeport Bridge drawbridge, where country roads lead the way to the town of Clarksburg, the couple found their sweet spot. They discovered a Delta property with rich, fertile riverbed soils and Sacramento River frontage, and they fell in love with the place. According to John, “The land made us choose it. The closer to the river, the better the soil, and the better the fruit.”
They made their home at Screeching Owl Ranch—26 acres of Clarksburg AVA countryside—and Lambeth Family Vineyards was born.
They began as grape growers, and John and Carson decided to go for quality over quantity early on, lowering production levels to focus on growing the absolute best fruit possible. They planted Petite Sirah and Albariño and later added Tempranillo to their portfolio, focusing on only three varietals while they honed their farming skills.
The hands-on, family-run operation affords them the ability to pay personal attention to every vine and expertly hand-select the bounty once the grapes have reached their optimal ripeness.
For years, John and Carson sold their lovingly tended, precious Petite Sirah and Albariño fruit to two well-known Napa Valley wineries. They held back a small amount of juice to bottle for themselves, family, and friends and soon realized their high-quality grapes were noteworthy. It was only a matter of time before they decided to craft wine.
Today, after years of careful vineyard management, the Lambeth Family bottles and sells wine under the Lambeth Family Vineyards label. The limited-production brand focuses on two grapes, for now, Albariño and Petite Sirah, which grow exceptionally well in the Sacramento Delta terroir. They only craft single-variety, single-vineyard wines to intensify the sense of place.
The business is growing, and their young adult children, Jack and daughter Regan, have each expressed interest in the industry and in learning the ropes to continue the family business. In preparation for his expanding role with the company, Jack has interned at California wineries E. & J. Gallo Winery, Merwin Vineyards, and Miner’s Leap Winery, and completed an internship at Château de Roquetaillade in Mazères, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
It is a family affair, and more and more, the whole clan plays a role in Lambeth Family Vineyard’s success. Their passion, love, and hard work can be tasted in every sip.
“I've been passionate about pursuing a career in viticulture and winemaking for many years, spending summers working in wine-related jobs while I studied Viticulture and Enology at Washington State University and École d’Ingénieurs de Purpan in Toulouse, France.”
