Tucked between the rugged ridges and redwood trees of Mendocino County, Anderson Valley has a well-deserved reputation for wine quality thanks to pioneering wineries like Navarro Vineyards & Winery, Husch Vineyards & Winery, Handley Cellars and Roederer Estate. This 15-mile-long valley and its surrounding hills, just 2.5 hours north of San Francisco, are both a paradise for growing wine grapes and a quiet, counter-culture community in which to live. The valley’s cool-climate suitability for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay has also made it irresistible to wine companies based elsewhere who have bought grapes, vineyards and wineries here. In contrast to them, however, is a new generation of small-scale, top-quality winemakers who call Anderson Valley home as they pursue their own elegant styles of Pinot Noir.
Pennyroyal Farm
Sarah Cahn Bennett, co-owner and general manager
It’s common knowledge that cheese and wine pair nicely on the table. Now Pennyroyal Farm is proving that they pair equally well on the farm. This 100-acre property in Boonville is the only commercial farmstead cheesemaker in Mendocino County, and it also grows grapes to make beautifully balanced estate wines.
The relationship is synergistic, says Sarah Cahn Bennett. She manages
