Fodor's Expert Review Benovia Winery

Winemaker Mike Sullivan's Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs would taste marvelous even in a toolshed, but guests to Benovia's unassumingly chic Russian River Valley ranch house will never know. Appointment-only tastings of his critically acclaimed wines take place in the brown-hued living room or on the open-air patio. From either vantage point, the views of the estate Martaella Vineyard all the way to Mt. St. Helena draw the eye. Opting for a minimalistic approach in two Chardonnays from Martinelli family grapes, Sullivan subtly emphasizes the minerality in a wine from the Three Sisters Vineyard in the coastal Fort Ross–Seaview AVA. By contrast, he lets a hint of California ripeness express itself in La Pommeraie, from Zio Tony Ranch in the warmer Russian River Valley. The same scenario plays out with the estate Tilton Hill and Cohn Pinot Noirs, the former from cooler Freestone, the latter from fruit grown farther inland.