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    Benovia Winery

    4.6 (65 reviews)
    PriceyWineries
    Closed 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

    By appointment only

    Updated 3 months ago

    Benovia Winery Photos

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    The vineyard is gorgeous
    Deanna V.

    Enjoyed a wonderful tasting at Benovia with our estate host, David, to celebrate a friend's birthday. We had a large party and they accommodated us with ease. We did have a reservation and I recommend you make one too. Our tasting menu had a great combination of chardonnays and pinot noirs that showcased their vineyards and passion for wine. Stop by to enjoy some beautiful wines in a gorgeous venue.

    Cheers!
    Craig F.

    Enjoyed a relaxing tasting of Benovia's Martaella Experience, which was 2019-2020 vertical of the estate Chardonnays and Pinots, preceded by a delightful sparkler and rose. Enjoying a comfortable seating on their deck, overlooking the vineyards with Mt Saint Helena in the background, enhanced the experience. (now, if they could only put mufflers on the aircraft from the Santa Rosa airport...) David, our host, provided interesting background on both the winery and the vineyards. In addition to the'official' tasting, we also sampled the Tilton Pinot and Sonoma Mountain Grenache. The wines here are consistently good, and Benovia is among the top Pinot producers we recommend when asked (which is why we're "Benovian" club members).

    Tina O.

    Lovely tasting room, lovely views, lovely wines! I went here the other day with some wine club members for an event that included 3 different kinds of oysters supplied by Drake's Bay Oysters as well as some shrimp. We were treated to tastes of several lovely Benovia wines: Blanc de Noir Sparkling, La Pommmeraie Chardonnay, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, Martaella Estate Pinot Noir and Sonoma County Zinfandel. I must say I liked them all but especially the Martaella Pinot Noir - yum. The event was kept at a small attendance so it was intimate, quiet and elegant. I highly recommend you visit Benovia and taste and buy some of their fantastic wines.

    Smoother than a baby's bum, or is it smoother than a used car salesman.
    Rew C.

    Beautiful place - nice drive up through the vineyards and buildings with floor to ceiling glass. The tasting room is a perfect space with loungie places to sit or an 8-Top table which was our choice. Our Server was newer to the industry yet could still answer more detailed questions about the wines, the story, and the many vineyards they own and source from. I did not love the wines and I'm aware enough to know that my palate isn't the same as yours. When I'm putting together a wine list I have to purchase wines that are good for other people that may not be my preferred style. They have to be Balanced and Structurally right without flaws. These wines were a more austere style which I sometimes like. She gave us the first Pinot Noir and said you want to bring this out for someone casual, not your best friend, client, (or anyone that likes wine) Haha - seriously I don't understand why you would have anyone taste this maybe not a guy that's in the industry. Then she said something like it can be your House wine hahahahahaha - for $42 DOLLA$$ I can buy a 6 pack of wine that's better or a case of OLD ENGLISH 800 Yeah Baby!! The higher end Pinot was nice enough but too much for my interest. Besides that ugly Pinot everything else was Balanced and Structured well. And more importantly I know people that like good wine (Dennis) and really enjoy Benovia. Sometimes it's your palate, sometimes it's not your style and sometimes it is the wine being flawed. Look at what reviewers write before trusting their experience. They make good wines - I may call them lean and you may call them D-LISH-US!

    Our view while tasting on the deck.
    Jeff M.

    This was our second visit to Benovia Winery. The winery is tucked back from the road and surrounded by vineyards. The tasting room is very nice, relaxed setting, and the deck provides views of the vines and mountains in the backdrop. Benovia is best known for their Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. These wines are well made, balanced with good structure. Our host for the day was David Hewitt. David has been in the wine industry for 20+ years. He is a walking encycopedia when it comes to wine and really knows his Pinots. We spent the better part of 2 hours enjoying many of the wineries portfolio of wines. David provided much information on the Pinot Noir grape which made for a much more enjoyable tasting. Benovia has a $30 per person tasting fee but that is waived for every 2 bottle purchase per person. Even if we were to not have purchased 4 wines the fee is very fair due to the large pours and the number of wines tasted. We enjoyed our afternoon at Benovia Winery and would recommend it to any that enjoy fine wine. Our visit to Benovia was nothing less than 5 stars. Yes, as good as it gets...

    Mary B.

    Private wine tasting...perfect way to end our day of travel! We called when we were an hour away and Monica hosted us at their beautiful place. This time we saw the outdoors since it was a clear sunny day! Love Tilton Hill Pinot noir, and good to taste all the other delicious choices from Benovia.

    Dottie, the tasting room doggo.
    Liane M.

    An Incredible find!One of my favorite tasting experiences ever! We luckily got in without a reservation (though we generally try to be organized- no guarantees if you don't) and we were well taken care of by Jen & Jeff, and Jeff's lovely canine sidekick, Dottie. Jeff is the perfect tasting room associate! He was funny and knowledgeable and down to earth. Great time- a bit off the beaten path but beautiful vistas and terrific wines!

    Karen S.

    How do you convince the California Highway Patrol that my wine tasting appointment is an emergency and to let me through the barricade? This was my dilemma when visiting Benovia. We headed there with plenty of time to spare only to run into a road race with all of the roads to the winery closed off. Just after I had finally found a CHP officer that bought my story and moved the barricade, David called to apologize for the problems with the road race and suggestions on alternate ways to get there. Once we finally got to the winery, David was a delight. I'll admit I have never been a fan of pinot noirs, but have come around in the past few years and now I do appreciate them. David helped me understand the grape and wine more to further my appreciation. We pretty much bought every pinot and chardonnay we sampled along with their grenache. Do you know how when you do a tasting you get a few clunkers? Not the case here. We visited on a foggy morning so our tasting was inside as opposed to on their lovely patio. The inside is very cozy their with a fireplace and a lovely view of the vineyards. We never felt rushed and David sent us on our way with recommendations for other wineries and restaurants. It's worth making the appointment and trying this lovely off the beaten path stop.

    View while sitting out back in the shade and just BEING
    Gene W.

    There is a term used by the locals in Sonoma called the Trifecta Of the Russian River Valley. It means visiting Paul Hobbs, Lynmar and the little known Benovia Winery. Hers is my take on the trifecta as it relates to Benovia. For starters you are sometimes greeted by Mr. David Hewitt, a man who has a great legacy outside of wine but you will have to visit to get him to explain. That is not the purpose of this review. Tucked Waaay down the road off Guerenville rd., is a connector road called Fulton Rd. Nice spot, Benovia sits in Santa Rosa and very peaceful. Sommelier David (not really but he knows his stuff) welcomes and interacts with you similar to a masterful waiter at a fabulous restaurant. He is there but you never know it. The 2018 spring release is less than 2,500 cases and they include my favorite and flagship 2015 Cohn Estate Pinot Noir. As Benovia describes this release and I couldn't agree more, " sensual texture .. ruby red color"(check put photo of this bad boy). Their larger volume pinot noir is their Russian River Valley and has more depth than I thought it would. And in Vino Geno's opinion, the rocket ship for growth going forward as it pertains to Milennials (they love box wines and screw caps but my first vinos back in the day were Lancer's and Boones Farm apple wine in a box so my palate got ruined at a very young age), will be rose made from pinot noir grapes. This will be embraced and Benovia has a great one. Look out Miraval Winery of Provence, France (wine owned by the pseudo snobs Angelina Joline and Brad Pitt) as anyone can buy grapes in Provence, a winery and capture the desired color.. but get some pinot noir grapes from Russian river valley and create the next BOM, and the color entices me as well with Benovia rose. You heard it from me and the dry Rose's are not your mother's wine she used to love to drink at parties.DRY! The Theee Sisters chardonnay from Fort Ross/Seaview, is really phenomenal Burgundian style & demonstrates the deliverable these grapes provide due to the cool climate they are grown in. Only 234 cases so better snag a few as I absolutely loved the total mouth feel/nose of this wine. Yes you can lay this down 5 + years in my opinion. Let's wrap this review up with a few facts that you may not know. * I did not stay at the cottage overnight but hear it is wonderfil* Benovia is named after Joe Anderson and his wife Mary Dewane (the proprietors and founders) and their respective fathers- Mary's father's name "Ben" with Joe's father's name "Novia(n)" * and the name of the estate vineyard "Martaella", is a combination of Joe's mother's name "Martha" and Mary's mother's name "Eleanor"* 2012 marked the year they released the first Martaella Vineyard and Tilton Hill Pinit Noirs wish I could still find some * Mary and Joe are striving for 100% estate grown products * the La Pommeraie Pinit Noir fruit is sourced from Zio Tony Vineyard of the Martinelli family* try the Tilton Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir for a different experience- vineyard is near the town of Freestone, very close to the Pacific and Benovia's coldest vineyard site. This is a keeper for the price* clone me please- they used Dijon clones for for Tilton and is a bit less than 12 acres/ love where this vineyard sits* there are 9 clones of pinot noir and 4 clones of Chardonnay, & when acquired in 2005 there were just 14 acres of pinot and now has grown to 42 acres. "That's All Folks" and get out there and watch Benovia become very well known & savored. "My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me." -Henry Ford, Ciao, Vino Geno

    Nice pinots. Nice people. Open for barrel tasting usually appointment only.

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    10 months ago

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    Well rounded winery. Quality of Wine, the atmosphere, and hospitality are second to none. I will be back!!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Benovia Winery

    Review Highlights - Benovia Winery

    I'm so glad we went back because the wine and our tasting host, David, were just as great as we remembered!

    Mentioned in 12 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    We had such a fantastic wine tasting experience at Paradise Ridge, and a huge part of that was…read morethanks to Kevin. He was warm, knowledgeable, and made the entire tasting feel relaxed and engaging without ever being overwhelming. He explained each wine and the regions they came from in a way that was easy to understand but still really interesting--perfect whether you're a casual sipper or more into the details. The standout for us was the 2019 Zinfandel--bold, smooth, and just really memorable. Definitely the one we're still talking about. Beyond the wine itself, wandering through the sculpture gardens added something really special to the visit. It's such a peaceful, beautiful setting and made the whole experience feel more like an afternoon escape than just a tasting. Honestly, Kevin made it. We'd come back again just to have another tasting with him. You are full of Aloha. Mahalo!!!

    Paradise Ridge is soooo dreamy. I attended a company dinner party here and was really impressed by…read morethe wine and views. The vibe is cozy, relaxing and just the right amount of fancy. I had way too much wine and took a million pictures because the scenery demanded it. The food was kind of underwhelming and not worth noting, but honestly, the wine and scenery more than made up for it. Also the staff were friendly, attentive and heavy on the pours making the whole night indulgent and fun. Overall 9/10. Good venue for a company gathering.

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    Matanzas Creek Winery

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    One of the best small wineries in the area. Fabulous grounds with lavender fields (where we did…read moreyoga) and an antique wooden storage barn and fragrant products like soaps, honey etc. There is also a bocce court and a few special outdoor picnic tables you can reserve for groups. Their wines were delicious; the whites had a hint of elderflower scent and there was a nice, lighter Chardonnay, not too buttery. For reds, the Cab was full bodied and fruity. Their Malbec tastes authentic and showed off the winemaker's South American roots. Our very knowledgeable and cheerful guide Nicole, said the winemaker came from Chile. Her descriptions were helpful and she had a friendly, energetic enthusiasm which showed a true love of her job. The was a good full plate of cheeses and salamis available. They even gave us a "to go" cup to wander around the grounds, so overall it was a very generous pour to sample! Highly recommended to book in advance and allow time to explore the grounds.

    Absolutely stunning property with an outside seating area that overlooks rolling vineyards and the…read morehills of Bennett valley. We stumbled across this property on a recent visit with my dad who lives in the area and I'm so glad that we did. We didn't have reservations but we're still accommodated. Chris took us through our tasting for the day and was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and had a ton of great food recommendations for the area. The estate tasting consisted of 6 wines for $35. We were given a delicious pour of their non vintage brut rose as a welcome pour. I enjoyed all of the wine that we tasted through. Somehow during our visit I missed their lavender gardens but that just means I have to plan another visit.

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    The first time I came here was around 2022, when Covid practices were still prevalent and these…read moreguys had a pleasant outdoor tasting area. I specifically came back here with my friends to enjoy some wine and a great outdoor experience with hopefully the same hospitality we got last time. We arrived and we were seated...it is still beautiful, but it seemed like the person who took care of our tastings just appeared to be very distracted and not so into the wine pours...we got small explanations of what we were getting and probably got the smallest tasting pours I have ever encountered anywhere...in which we got five. I thought the price tag of 30pp they would not be so stingy...and we did purchase a few bottles but there was no discount on the tastings even for that. I would highly encourage you to go elsewhere if you want to get a proper tasting. This place is just not the same as it was....what a pity.

    They had some snacks menu the prices were absolutely great. I couldn't believe how reasonable they…read morewere. We totally lucked out. The weather was perfect, our server was great, Victoria was our server and we had so many laughs and good conversations Victoria was wonderful, We had a great tasting. The Reds were lovely, and the price was extremely reasonable, which seems a rarity nowadays. Sit outside under the pergola and enjoy the view. There is enough space between each other and feel like your conversation is still private. It was relaxing and delicious, excellent visit Cheers, my friends and SYOY 09/30/25

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    I have been a member at St. Francis for six years and am finally posting a review for their amazing…read morewine and food pairings. I have enjoyed this offering at St Francis at least once a year and it never disappoints. The food is fresh, unique and delicious, the flavors accentuated by the wines. On this visit, the potato and Gruyère soup was a standout, as was the beet gnudi that was deeply flavorful with the mushroom sauce reduction that had great depth and heft. The service was attentive and friendly as always, with a lot of knowledge about the food, wines and region shared through the meal. Set in a beautiful room with a view of their vineyards, it's a lovely few hours. I highly recommend if you're looking for an experience in wine country.

    I came here with a large group for a birthday wine trip (13 people). We had a reservation and were…read moreseated outdoors. We had a 4 wine tastings, 2 whites and 2 reds. The reds were a pinot noir and zinfandel, but neither really stuck to me. For the whites, it was a sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. The chardonnay was okay but the sauvignon blanc was my favorite out of all 4. Not only does it smell sweet and fruity, but it also tastes like it! I ended up buying a bottle of it to bring home ($35 if you're not a member). Our wine was paired with 12 spreads. All of them were delicious and some were even quite unique, like the sweet pea one! My favorites were the brie, carrot, and rhubarb spreads. Not really sure if I concluded on which spread paired the best with which wine, but they were nice snacks to munch on. If you're seated outdoors, you get a nice view of the vineyard as well as some mountains. There also looked to be some pedal powered trolley, which we saw a group doing but didn't do it ourselves.

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    Farmstead At Long Meadow Ranch - Patio dining

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    This was for our 23rd wedding anniversary, so as a treat, I decided to invite my husband and close…read morefriends to lunch. While working in St. Helena, I could never find an opening in a reservation, so here was a great opportunity now that all of us are retired. Our friends live in Clear Lake while we live in Vallejo, so this is a central place to meet. It was the best decision I made because every year for the past several anniversaries, we've gone to Cache Creek to C2. Their food and service is excellent because my husband enjoys poker, but I thought a change of scenery would be nice. And it was! Firstly, it was very kind of the staff to present us with a greeting card signed by everyone -- how sweet and thoughtful! We will cherish that! Secondly, we were very impressed with how the food/wine was locally sourced. It was incredible to hear the story about Custom, the Bull, and taste the difference between the Highland beef compared to Angus. Our waitress was "Erica S." She was engaging, personable, and very informative. My husband and I would definitely like to return to return to experience the dinner menu! We and our guests had the following dishes: Artichoke appetizer Arbororio Biscuits & Gravy Two Cheeseburgers Three Bloody Mary's Farmstead Margarita When they found out it was our anniversary celebration, the house sent over four glasses of complimentary champagne and a dish of dessert -- again, very sweet and kind of them I now understand why so many crowds flock to this restaurant! It's well worth the wait! If you have not experienced a meal there, you must definitely go now!

    I was really excited to try this restaurant for the first time, especially for Mother's Day, and…read morewhile the food itself was excellent, the overall experience was disappointing enough that I would not return. From the beginning, there seemed to be constant miscommunication between staff. We specifically booked an outdoor reservation and were seated inside instead. While mistakes happen, it set the tone for the rest of the evening. The bigger issue involved the wine and corkage fee. We purchased a bottle directly from the market associated with the restaurant and were told by the employee there that the corkage fee would be waived if we bought their wine. When we sat down, our server Sara told us that was not true and that we would still have to pay the fee. I explained what we had been told, and when she asked if I wanted a manager involved, I said yes. Before the manager even arrived or clarified the situation, the server opened our bottle of wine. In the silence and confusion, I reasonably assumed the fee issue had been resolved. Then the manager came over and told us we would still be charged and implied that nobody at the market would have told us otherwise. The way it was handled made my husband and I feel like we were being accused of making the whole thing up, which was especially upsetting on Mother's Day. At that point, the bottle was already opened, so we were essentially stuck paying the fee regardless. Between being seated incorrectly, the poor communication between employees, and how dismissive the situation felt, the service completely overshadowed what should have been a special meal. The rest of the service we felt ignored and there was minimal effort to accommodate. Great food alone is not enough to justify returning when the hospitality experience feels this frustrating and unprofessional.

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