Founded in 2005 by Mary Dewane and Joe Anderson with winemaker Mike Sullivan (ex-Hartford Court), Benovia is a 42-acre estate at the Cohn Vineyard property northwest of Santa Rosa. Focused on single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel from Russian River, Sonoma Coast, and Mendocino. Seated tastings by reservation.
Benovia is named for the parents of founders Mary Dewane and Joe Anderson — "Ben" for Joe's father, "Novia" for Mary's mother — a personal naming that signals the family-scaled ethos of the project. Mary and Joe purchased the historic Cohn Vineyard property in 2003, a 42-acre estate planted in 1972 on a bench above the Russian River north of Santa Rosa, and partnered with winemaker Mike Sullivan to launch the label in 2005. Sullivan had spent the previous decade as winemaker at Hartford Court, a Jackson Family Wines Pinot Noir specialist, where he had built a reputation for site-driven, low-intervention wines.
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — The appellation wine; a polished introduction to winemaker Mike Sullivan's estate style.
Cohn Vineyard Pinot Noir — From a 50-plus-year-old, organically farmed cobblestone vineyard above Westside Road.
Martaella Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From the estate vineyard surrounding the winery, named for the founders' mothers.
Tilton Hill Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast — A cool Sebastopol Hills site giving darker, concentrated fruit.
La Pommeraie Chardonnay, Russian River Valley — The estate's flagship white, balanced and textured.
Today Benovia farms three estate vineyards — Cohn (40-year-old vines in Russian River), Tilton Hill (Sonoma Coast), and Martaella (Russian River) — alongside select grower partnerships in Mendocino and the Sonoma Coast. The lineup centers on single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and old-vine Zinfandel from the Cohn block, with limited release Grenache and Syrah. Winemaking emphasizes native fermentation, whole-cluster inclusion for Pinot Noir, and aging in mostly neutral French oak. The tasting room sits among the vines at the Cohn Vineyard estate northwest of Santa Rosa — reservations are required, and seated tastings typically include vineyard walks and a focus on single-vineyard comparisons.
A fifth-generation Californian who grew up tending family vines on Sonoma Mountain, Mike Sullivan began his career at eighteen in Richard Arrowood's cellar at Chateau St. Jean. He went on to work as assistant winemaker to Helen Turley at Landmark and at Chappellet, then spent roughly a decade as head winemaker at Hartford Family Winery, where he earned The Wine Advocate's 'Wine Personality of the Year.' In 2005 he joined founders Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane to build Benovia from the ground up as winemaking partner, planting estate vineyards and shaping the winery's small-lot Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel. Named co-owner and the North Bay Business Journal's Winemaker of the Year in 2018, he stepped back to a consulting role in early 2026 after two decades, with longtime associate Adolfo Hernandez taking over day-to-day winemaking.
Husband and wife Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane founded Benovia in 2005, naming it for their fathers — Ben Dewane and Novian Anderson — who raised them on the conviction that hard work is its own reward. Both spent earlier careers in healthcare serving the underserved before turning to wine, buying their first Russian River vineyard in 2002. They built Benovia into a small, family-owned house devoted to sustainably farmed, single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In early 2026 the couple began stepping back from daily management, bringing in new leadership while remaining dedicated to the winery they built.
Update your editorial to go live.
UpdateReview your current editorial on the left. Submit changes in the matching fields on the right — leave any field blank if no change is needed.
1. Update one section at a time using its SEND button.
2. Each SEND creates a provisional draft — your live page is not updated yet.
3. Complete the final submission at the bottom to approve and publish.
Your editorial page and submission form are always accessible through this page — and only to you. Update anytime.
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — The appellation wine; a polished introduction to winemaker Mike Sullivan's estate style.
Cohn Vineyard Pinot Noir — From a 50-plus-year-old, organically farmed cobblestone vineyard above Westside Road.
Martaella Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From the estate vineyard surrounding the winery, named for the founders' mothers.
Tilton Hill Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast — A cool Sebastopol Hills site giving darker, concentrated fruit.
La Pommeraie Chardonnay, Russian River Valley — The estate's flagship white, balanced and textured.
Benovia is named for the parents of founders Mary Dewane and Joe Anderson — "Ben" for Joe's father, "Novia" for Mary's mother — a personal naming that signals the family-scaled ethos of the project. Mary and Joe purchased the historic Cohn Vineyard property in 2003, a 42-acre estate planted in 1972 on a bench above the Russian River north of Santa Rosa, and partnered with winemaker Mike Sullivan to launch the label in 2005. Sullivan had spent the previous decade as winemaker at Hartford Court, a Jackson Family Wines Pinot Noir specialist, where he had built a reputation for site-driven, low-intervention wines.
Today Benovia farms three estate vineyards — Cohn (40-year-old vines in Russian River), Tilton Hill (Sonoma Coast), and Martaella (Russian River) — alongside select grower partnerships in Mendocino and the Sonoma Coast. The lineup centers on single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and old-vine Zinfandel from the Cohn block, with limited release Grenache and Syrah. Winemaking emphasizes native fermentation, whole-cluster inclusion for Pinot Noir, and aging in mostly neutral French oak. The tasting room sits among the vines at the Cohn Vineyard estate northwest of Santa Rosa — reservations are required, and seated tastings typically include vineyard walks and a focus on single-vineyard comparisons.
A fifth-generation Californian who grew up tending family vines on Sonoma Mountain, Mike Sullivan began his career at eighteen in Richard Arrowood's cellar at Chateau St. Jean. He went on to work as assistant winemaker to Helen Turley at Landmark and at Chappellet, then spent roughly a decade as head winemaker at Hartford Family Winery, where he earned The Wine Advocate's 'Wine Personality of the Year.' In 2005 he joined founders Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane to build Benovia from the ground up as winemaking partner, planting estate vineyards and shaping the winery's small-lot Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel. Named co-owner and the North Bay Business Journal's Winemaker of the Year in 2018, he stepped back to a consulting role in early 2026 after two decades, with longtime associate Adolfo Hernandez taking over day-to-day winemaking.
Husband and wife Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane founded Benovia in 2005, naming it for their fathers — Ben Dewane and Novian Anderson — who raised them on the conviction that hard work is its own reward. Both spent earlier careers in healthcare serving the underserved before turning to wine, buying their first Russian River vineyard in 2002. They built Benovia into a small, family-owned house devoted to sustainably farmed, single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In early 2026 the couple began stepping back from daily management, bringing in new leadership while remaining dedicated to the winery they built.
Please submit your images separately — they're handled by a different department and will be processed alongside your editorial update.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
