Yolo County’s small town of Clarksburg situated along the Sacramento River, is known for its wine, but this hasn’t always been the case. Fifty years ago, Warren Bogle Sr., the grandfather of current winery President and Vineyard Director, Warren Bogle, was the first person to plant wine grapes in the Delta. Today, Bogle winery is one of the largest wine producers in the US, and Clarksburg is one of 107 designated American Viticultural Areas (AVA) in the country. The area produces some of California’s most renowned wine grapes planted on more than 7,000 acres and encompassing over 35 varietals.

The Bogle family has strong roots in agriculture beyond the wine they are famous for today. The family began farming corn and sugar beets in Yolo County six generations ago. Then, in 1968 the first wine grapes were planted by Warren’s grandfather and father, Chris, and in 1978 the family began bottling their own wines. Patty Bogle, together with her husband, Chris, grew the family wine business that today is run by three of their children: Warren; Jody, Director of Public Relations; and Ryan, Vice President and CFO.  

In 2011, Bogle completed the Bogle Vineyards Delta Winery, a 250,000 square foot building to house a new energy and water efficient wine processing and storage facility, where they crush, ferment, bottle, and store wine. Approval for the construction of the facility required Bogle to mitigate for the loss of 35 acres of Swainson’s hawk foraging habitat. A conservation mitigation easement is held by the Yolo Land Trust on property near the production facility in Clarksburg. This is land that will remain in farming forever.

The Bogle family had ties to the Yolo Land Trust long before working together on the mitigation easement. Patty Bogle was a member of the Land Trust’s advisory board in the early 2000’s and was instrumental in the success of some of the early A Day in the Country events. Patty helped to grow YLT’s fundraiser from a small Board-hosted party to the large community event it is today. Among the many skills Patty brought to organizing the event was her incredible attention to detail that could be seen in flower arrangements perfectly coordinated with different colored table linens.

The Bogle family is committed to good land stewardship, “our grandfather, father and mother passed these lands on to us and we have accepted the responsibility to leave this land better than we received it. We understand that nurturing our land and preserving its vitality is not only essential for our family, but also the world, so that future generations can enjoy many harvests for centuries to come.”

At the Yolo Land Trust, we appreciate and recognize the important work of farming families like the Bogles. From Capay to Clarksburg and from Davis to Dunnigan, the Yolo Land Trust has a long history of helping landowners preserve the landscape. Our local networks of farmland, rangeland, stream corridors, wetlands and oak woodlands weave together to drive the economy, support wildlife and help make Yolo County a wonderful place to live and work.