The Legend of Calafia

The winery name derives from legend about a queen and her society of
amazons on an island in the West Indies recorded in the log of Columbus'
first voyage. The legend was then popularized by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo,
a historical novelist, in his book, published in 1503 in which he named
the queen "Calafia." The origin of the word "Calafia"
remains a mystery. Explorer Hernado Cortez landed near the tip of Baja
in 1513 and was reminded of the rugged terrain described in Montalvo's
book. Believing he was on an island he named it "Calafia's Land"
which became California.

Queen Calafia's great wealth was guarded by griffins; half eagle, half
lion. We use griffins in our logo, protecting the fruit that vines and
land bear.