New owners pour up sweet future for previously foreclosed Old Sugar Mill

Once navigating foreclosure and an uncertain future, the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg is now writing a new chapter under new ownership. 

"So the first thing we want to do is get the foot traffic back, get the tenants all happy here. Then get the weddings and events going again because those have been kind of stopped the last six months," said Jobin Randhawa, the new property manager. 

Local company Highland Pacific Capital, LLC, bought the complex, home to more than a dozen winery tasting rooms, in late December.   

With a purchase price of nearly $12 million, the new owners did not want to see the popular venue shut down.   

"I grew up here in Woodland, so Yolo County. We were always looking for properties to buy, but nothing ever really caught our eye," said Randhawa. 

Randhawa says he saw a lot of potential on the large, 128-acre property. That starts with the businesses inside the mill's main building. After the property went into foreclosure in the summer of 2025 following the former owner's sudden death, the wineries stayed open despite the uncertainty. 

They even spent their own money to keep the lights on. 

"If they hadn't done that, we would have bought an empty building. They stayed here. They kept everything going. They kept the vision alive," said Randhawa. 

That vision is summed up simply by Michael Smolich, owner of Bump City Wine Company.

"We got people in, everybody's tasting, having a good time. That's what the Sugar Mill is all about," said Smolich. 

Bump City has had a tasting room at the mill for more than a decade. Smolich says he is excited to see the property under new ownership. 

"They're putting stuff into it, cleaning it up and getting it going again. We just need people to come in and visit taste the wine," said Smolich. 

For loyal customers of the Sugar Mill, serving wine is serving the Yolo County community. 

"I'm extremely excited that it's moving forward in the right direction. I think that this is history and such a meaningful place to so many people," said Monica Khan, a longtime customer. 

As for what's on tap for the future? 

Randhawa wants to restore the property to its former glory and bring back some popular events of the past. 

"Longer term, concerts. We want to make this a destination. We need food here. That's the biggest thing. People always tell us we need food here, so we're working on that as well," said Randhawa. 

They also want to bring back grape crushing on site for the wineries to help boost the local wine grape business.