Founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife winemakers Kenneth and Laura Juhasz, Auteur built its reputation on small-lot Pinot Noir and non-malolactic Chardonnay from cool-climate Northern California. Robert Parker called the work 'consistently exceptional.' Two tasting rooms: the 1915 bungalow on Sonoma Plaza and a new Russian River estate near Healdsburg.
Auteur — French for "author" — was founded in 2003 by Kenneth and Laura Juhasz, husband-and-wife winemakers 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 Juhász 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. In 2024, Auteur 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."
The son of a Hungarian refugee, Kenneth Juhasz financed his way through college working in wine shops and restaurants before a soul-searching trip through Europe with his twin brother lit a lifelong passion for Burgundy. He chased that obsession through harvests and consulting stints in Oregon's Willamette Valley — where he met his wife and partner Laura — as well as New Zealand, Napa, and Sonoma, arriving in wine country in 2001 and spending roughly a decade as winemaker at the Donum Estate. He and Laura founded Auteur in 2003, and the largely self-taught, instinct-driven winemaker built a cult following for site-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drawn from cool pockets of the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley. His pursuit of Burgundian purity has since come full circle with a tiny-production Auteur Grand Cru bottled in Burgundy itself.
Laura Juhasz grew up with her hands in the dirt in rural Wisconsin and met her husband, winemaker Kenneth Juhasz, in Portland, where he was working as a cellar hand. In 2003 the two moved to Sonoma and co-founded Auteur, a small-lot house devoted to expressive, cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. As co-founder and chief of operations, Laura wears many hats across the winery — and in 2025 helped open Auteur’s striking new Russian River estate on Wohler Road, extending the couple’s vision of hospitality rooted in a sense of place.
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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 Juhász family's micro-lot program.
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir — The cool-climate house blend; refined and balanced by power and grace.
Auteur — French for "author" — was founded in 2003 by Kenneth and Laura Juhasz, husband-and-wife winemakers 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.
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. In 2024, Auteur 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."
The son of a Hungarian refugee, Kenneth Juhasz financed his way through college working in wine shops and restaurants before a soul-searching trip through Europe with his twin brother lit a lifelong passion for Burgundy. He chased that obsession through harvests and consulting stints in Oregon's Willamette Valley — where he met his wife and partner Laura — as well as New Zealand, Napa, and Sonoma, arriving in wine country in 2001 and spending roughly a decade as winemaker at the Donum Estate. He and Laura founded Auteur in 2003, and the largely self-taught, instinct-driven winemaker built a cult following for site-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drawn from cool pockets of the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley. His pursuit of Burgundian purity has since come full circle with a tiny-production Auteur Grand Cru bottled in Burgundy itself.
Laura Juhasz grew up with her hands in the dirt in rural Wisconsin and met her husband, winemaker Kenneth Juhasz, in Portland, where he was working as a cellar hand. In 2003 the two moved to Sonoma and co-founded Auteur, a small-lot house devoted to expressive, cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. As co-founder and chief of operations, Laura wears many hats across the winery — and in 2025 helped open Auteur’s striking new Russian River estate on Wohler Road, extending the couple’s vision of hospitality rooted in a sense of place.
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