Usually it’s French winemakers establishing themselves in America, not the other way around.
The International Debut: Auteur Burgundy
Robb Report Exclusive
While modern California winemaking is filled with the names of French natives leaving a mark there—like Michel Rolland, Philippe Melka, Jean-Charles Boisset, and Julien Fayard—there is almost no flip side to that story. Enter Kenneth Juhasz, proprietor of Auteur in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, who was captivated by Burgundy as a young wine lover on a trip that steered him into his lifelong occupation. After working harvests and consulting in Willamette Valley, New Zealand, Napa, and Sonoma, he has been honing his craft and perfecting his technique with site-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at Auteur since 2003. Adding to his repertoire, Juhasz is about to release the extremely limited production Auteur 2023 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru from a highly prized site in Gevrey-Chambertin.
Auteur 2023 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru is ruby to the eye and has aromas of cherry, pomegranate, cotton candy, and violet. Plush tannins are wrapped around flavors of pomegranate, cranberry, black cherry, vanilla, and candied orange peel that culminate in a vivid finish. With so few bottles available, we know we are not alone in our keen anticipation of the next round of Burgundy releases from Auteur
Starting with the Fall 2025 harvest, we transition from curation to creation—moving into full production under our own hand in Meursault alongside my Burgundian-brother, Pierre-Henri Rougeot. Our permanent footprint in the Côte d’Or will draw from a portfolio of revered appellations, including: Gevrey-Chambertin, Meursault, Corton & Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Chassagne-Montrachet.