Auteur, French for "author", was founded in 2003 by husband and wife Kenneth and Laura Juhasz, who came to Sonoma after harvests in Burgundy, Willamette Valley, and New Zealand and consulting work for some of California's most established producers. The brand's identity is built on small-lot, vineyard-designated wines from cool-climate sites: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from sixteen vineyards stretching from Mendocino to the inlet bays of Carneros, with focused expressions of Sonoma Coast, Russian River, and Carneros terroir. The Chardonnays are non-malolactic, fermented and aged without the softening secondary fermentation, giving them an aromatic, mineral profile uncommon in California.
Sonoma Coast Chardonnay: a grand-cru declassification drawing on Hyde, Durell, and Sangiacomo fruit; brioche, lemon curd, and salty minerality, fermented without malolactic.
Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Carneros: single-vineyard expression from one of Carneros's most celebrated sites; steely and precise.
Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast: whole-cluster-pressed, native-fermented, and built for depth.
Sangiacomo Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast: vineyard-designate Pinot from the Juhasz family's micro-lot program.
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: the cool-climate house blend; refined and balanced by power and grace.
The original tasting room sits in a restored 1915 Sears-and-Roebuck-catalog bungalow on the west side of Sonoma Plaza, with a small garden patio under heritage olive trees. Auteur has since opened a second tasting room, a modern, architect-designed building set among the rolling hills of a new estate vineyard outside Healdsburg, with views of the Russian River and Mt. Jackson. Both rooms host seated, private tasting experiences by appointment. Auteur is consistently cited by Wine Spectator as a top winery to visit in Sonoma, and Robert Parker has praised the pricing as "one to admire and support, as the wines clearly justify what are moderate levels."
