It All Starts in The Vineyard

The Lambeth Family Vineyards lie in the up-and-coming Clarksburg America Viticultural Area (AVA), a pastoral strip along the Sacramento River near the charming small town of Clarksburg, California, population 400-ish. Known to locals and wine insiders as a source spot for quality fruit, the appellation has been quietly coming into its own for decades.

In fact, some of the most prestigious California winemakers turn to the AVA’s growers to provide fruit for their creations. They know that temperature and soil play leading roles in fruit quality, and the Sacramento River Delta’s day and evening temperatures are comparable to the best wine grape regions in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. The rich, ancient riverbed soil of the Delta provides fertile ground for growing wine grapes.

The Clarksburg AVA spans three counties in the Sacramento Valley: Solano, Yolo, and Sacramento. Some vineyards here date to the 1800s, yet the region is so unspoiled and unknown that there are only twelve wineries and forty-six growers in the entire 65,000-acre AVA, and only 9,000 acres are planted to vine. Most of the region is farmland. And that’s part of its charm.

Sunny days bestow the warmth needed to shepherd the grapes to maturity, and nighttime maritime breezes cool the fruit enough to prevent it from over-ripening. The result is a long growing period that allows the little Sacramento Delta gems to reach their full potential.