Why La Honda?
Our name hails from the mountain town of La Honda, up over Skyline from Woodside, where our first ever vineyard grows Pinot Noir among the stunning redwood groves and Pacific-facing meadows. La Honda’s untainted beauty and community are all increasingly precious vestiges of ‘old California’ within the Bay Area.
Why Redwood City?
With over 100 small vineyards up in the hills between Woodside and Los Gatos we could have located ourselves anywhere locally. Instead of being another remote winery, we chose our urban location to build a beautiful stone and wood filled winery in an extremely convenient location to produce the wine and entertain guests.
Our Region
The Santa Cruz Mountains wine region derives its quality from a unique confluence of climate and geology. Beyond the perfectly rocky yet rich soils pushed up either side of the San Andreas fauilt, the appellation is bordered by two bodies of water – the Pacific Ocean on the west and the San Francisco Bay on the east. This situation creates a cool climate that moderates California’s late season heat spikes, producing intense wines with beautiful balance.
–
“There is no doubt in my mind the Santa Cruz Mountains is the greatest and most overlooked terroir in the United States. Period.” Antonio Galloni
As the venerable Wine Spectator magazine also said, the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation is “the most under-appreciated appellation in the world.”
Our Vineyards
Within this region, La Honda Winery is blessed with a uniquely wide spread of ideal varietal-specific vine locations. Between La Honda Pinot Noir vineyards that are perfectly cooled by Pacific fog and Los Gatos Cabernet vineyards that love to bake in the sun, our vines enjoy a huge difference in soils, elevation, sun exposure and day/night temperatures.
–
This diversity is key to growing the perfect fruit for each one of our wide range of wines. It’s also key to us growing and making truly local wines for the community, as these are the closest vineyards to San Francisco and most of the Peninsula.
