in the fields of Boonville in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley, Pennyroyal Farm is a farmstead dairy and winery specializing in sustainability and organic farming practices. The farm, named after the wild mint that thrives on the land, was founded in 2006 by Sarah Cahn Bennett to support family, community, and the environment. It was conceived as a minimum-waste farm , including sustainable design—from constructing solar panels on the barn to ensuring the size of the herd would produce enough manure to be converted into compost for fertilizing the vineyards.
Visitors can now explore 23 acres of low-fossil-fuel vineyard and purchase handcrafted cheeses and award-winning wines, including pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot blanc, and pinot gris – either grown on-site or sourced from their sister property Navarro Vineyards & Winery.
Pennyroyal Farm’s unique farmstead cheeses include fresh chevre, aged goat cheese, and cow’s milk cheese. All of their cheeses and reserve bottlings of pinot have names in Boontling—the quirky historical language of the Anderson Valley.
The farm caters to all ages—kids can participate in grape juice tastings, while furry friends can tag along during patio reservations (leashed only). They even have an enclosed off-leash dog park located near their parking lot!
Enjoy a farm-to-table meal incorporating Pennyroyal’s incredible wines and cheeses, or take home locally sourced goods like bread, jams, cured meats, and more.
See why Pennyroyal Farm is so beloved in Mendocino County. There’s something for everyone here with tours, educational events, tastings, and much more.
Sarah Cahn Bennett, Pennyroyal Farm
By Makenzie Blaylock, Executive Director, MWI
Pennyroyal Farm founder and general manager Sarah Cahn Bennett didn’t always aspire to follow in her parents’ footsteps (Ted Bennett & Deborah Cahn, owners, and founders of Navarro Vineyards & Winery); she went to school to pursue a career in business administration. It didn’t take her long after graduating and moving back to Anderson Valley to find that her real passion was generational: winemaking. Sarah was accepted into the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program, where she began working at the viticulture lab; in between counting berries, she decided to join the animal husbandry club. Sarah met Erika Mackenzie-Chapter, who oversaw the flock and made cheese in her free time. Both grew keen on the idea of a self-sufficient farmstead, where sustainable and regenerative farming practices would produce fresh cheese and delicious wines. Sarah knew the perfect place; thus, Pennyroyal Farms was born.
Leading the vision for the next generation, Sarah Cahn Bennett sees the vineyard, dairy farming, poultry, egg, fiber, fodder, wine, and other food production as essential to the long-term health of farmland. With all these activities, they strive to be a regenerative vineyard in the mold of a traditional old-time American farm, and their wines reflect this dream. Awards from the Mendocino County Fair and the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition prove that Pennyroyal exceeds expectations. Try their award-winning blended white wine, pinotrio and exceptional pinot noir.
Mendocino County, especially Anderson Valley, is a special place with rugged hillsides and peaceful valleys; Sarah admits that although she has traveled worldwide, there is still a unique place. “I can’t think of any other place in the world as beautiful, diverse, and yet still so accessible to everything you need you to need.” Mendocino County is surrounded by the Pacific coast, redwood groves, rivers, and valleys, all of which you can taste in Pennyroyal wines.
Pennyroyal hosts many farmstead kitchen, wine, and cheese pairings, aside from other events like the White Wine and Pinot Noir Festivals hosted by the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association. Sarah strives to show off the lifestyle that is Boonville; soon, they will be hosting sheepdog trials. If you have never attended one, I suggest you check out the trials; it is pretty magnificent.
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