About Us

Milt and Marilyn Honea were high school sweethearts who met at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord before attending UC Berkeley. The couple got married in 1955, and then Milt earned his MBA at Harvard Business School, launching him into a long, distinguished career that ended with him serving as President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of Centerpoint Energy in Houston.

After Milt retired in 1997, the Honeas moved to Santa Barbara, the region where they would purchase the 40-acre property that would become Honea Vineyards in 2002. Despite coming into the world of viticulture from a completely different background, Milt tackled the family’s new project with the same enthusiasm and work ethic that made him a great businessman. With assistance from Marilyn, their children and grandchildren, the Honeas  turned a property that included just one acre of grape plantings, with pet horses roaming the rest of the land, into 18 acres upon which Italian grapes were planted, with the help of Steve Clifton of Palmina Wines.

Milt passed away in 2008, but the family remained committed to the land and grapes that he worked so hard and lovingly to plant six years earlier. In 2016, the Honea family entered a relationship with Margerum Wine Company, and with the help of Coastal Vineyard Care Associates, the Italian varietals were removed, and new Rhône grapes were planted. The quality of the fruit and the wine produced show the versatility of the Honea Vineyards, which now provides Margerum with 10 different Rhône varietals.