Humboldt County

Humboldt County is an out-of-the-way wine growing region located deep in Northern California immediately north of Mendocino County. This area is technically the start of the Pacific Northwest and is much cooler & wetter than most other winegrowing zones in California. Given the expansive nature of Humboldt County there are actually surprisingly few vineyards here, as most of the terrain is mountainous, hard to access, or covered in dense forests. The primary focus in this cool climate region has been Pinot Noir, although certain microclimates can support the ripening of Bordeaux Varietals and even Zinfandel. Most of the vineyards in Humboldt County are located in river gorges and are surrounded by towering redwood trees. Mixed alluvial soils rife with loam are typical in vineyards near rivers while rocky shale up is common higher up in the hills. Wine production in Humboldt County is limited to small and boutique producers, but this region shows potential to be one of the best cool climate growing zones in the entire state of California.