Clarksburg

Coming into Clarksburg is like entering a Time Machine, for the community is an anachronism, a remnant of an America long gone. It is a small town without a gas station, supermarket, bank or theater, where neighbors work together on community projects. This is a community seemingly isolated from the outside world, but situated only a few miles from the capital of the most populous state in the Union.

Clarksburg was named for Robert Christopher Clark (1815-1901), a lawyer from Kentucky who came to Sacramento in 1853 to practice law. He recognized the farming potential of the fertile soil across the river. In 1856 he bought the land where the town of Clarksburg is now located and later more land to the west. He is credited with planting the first peach orchard in the area.

The upper Delta Clarksburg area is well known for its rich soils, abundant water, unique microclimate, and multi-generational farming families. For more than a century, the region has been known for its production of fine fruits, vegetables and grains. At one time, these products were transported to San Francisco markets by steamships moving back and forth on the rivers and sloughs. Today, these products are offered to world markets through the ports of Sacramento and Stockton.

After a decade of effort by pioneering families like the Wilsons, the vineyards in the Clarksburg region were finally designated the Clarksburg Appellation in the early 1980s because of the area’s unique combination of soils, water, and climate. The soils are rich in organic material with high mineral content. Clarksburg farms and ranches have direct access to abundant water that flows down the Sacramento River from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The cooling winds off San Francisco Bay travel up the Delta to endow the appellation with ideal climate. The area’s warm days and cool nights provide premium viticulture conditions.