We chose to start with the more northern of the two regions for our first trip: Clarksburg. The Clarksburg AVA is sixteen miles long, eight miles wide and runs from the north next to the town of Freeport, west to the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel, east to Interstate 5 and south to Twin Cities Road. The region encompasses just under 57,000 acres with roughly 10,000 acres planted to vineyards. A major misconception about the Delta is that it is as hot as the Great Central Valley. The reality is that the major rivers that feed this wonderful flood plain have carved a gap between the Coast Ranges on their trip to the ocean that allows the cooling sea breeze to create a coastal influence other areas further north or south do not enjoy.
The soils found here are primarily loam and clay and supports roughly 25 different grape varietals. Most of us have heard of the Chenin Blancs and Petite Sirahs from the area, but Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Zinfandel, Viognier and Pinot Grigio are also heavily planted. Although there are eleven wineries situated in the region there are several larger producers, like Sutter Home, that have located vineyards here as well. Continued ...
