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FIVE PERFECT WINE COUNTRY WEEKENDS

A “stunner” – Sonoma Magazine.

As one of the top recommended tasting rooms in Sonoma, we specialize in wine experiences perfect for those seeking a profound retreat and connection to our region’s coastal Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Enjoy Sonoma Magazine’s region-by-region guide to tasting experiences, restaurants and places to explore in top Sonoma County destinations and beyond. When one of the world’s top wine desinations happens to be our own backyard – Sonoma Magazine is the premier tour guide.

Enjoy 5 new reasons to come visit and linger awhile. Sonoma Coast, Russian River and Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Sonoma Valley and Mendocino Weekend Trips.

Auteur – where wine is supposed to calm your heart, calm your mind, and connect you to others.

– by Tina Caputo and Carey Sweet
Images by Eileen Roche

SONOMA MAGAZINE, Sept 2025 Issue

BOOK YOUR WEEKEND RETREAT

Featuring — Auteur Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2022, California
“Founders Kenneth and Laura Juhasz bottle small-lot expressions of some of California’s most exquisite sites for cultivating pinot noir—and this one from Anderson Valley is one of my favorites. Old growth redwood forests give way to rolling vineyards in this still-quiet winemaking region—and the vines make wines with tension, purity and brightness. Raspberry-cherry fruit, savory minerality and a hint of earth and violet make this one a great American classic.”

Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes Food + Wine Contributor

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2025/06/26/11-delicious-american-wines-to-drink-this-4th-of-july/

96 POINTS | AUTEUR GAPS CROWN BOLT BLOCK PINOT 2022 ~ Selected from an unusually rocky block of the vineyard, the 2022 Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard Bolt Block is a deep red/purple hue and displays the more savory and sanguine side of this site, which is usually more fruit forward and giving. Its rockier terrain shines and adds complexity to the wine, with notes of black cherries, crushed violets, gravelly earth, and wild herbs. Aged for 15 months in 80% new French oak, it integrates into the fabric of the wine nicely. Medium to full-bodied, this wine exhibits notable structure and a more serious character, with a more ferrous side that I particularly enjoy.
I anticipate it has the potential to age over the next two decades.

95 POINTS | AUTEUR MANCHESTER RIDGE PINOT NOIR 2022 ~ Pouring a deeper magenta/red color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Manchester Ridge Vineyard is from the highest vineyard in the Mendocino Ridge AVA, at 2000 feet elevation, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It’s aromatic of refreshing alpine herbs, sappy earth, pine, black cherries, violets, and crushed floral perfume. It has great sapidity and mid-palate richness without being heavy and retains wonderful purity. It has a long finish and is going to show well over the coming 15 years.

2022 Auteur Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Bolt Block 96 $85
2022 Auteur Pinot Noir Manchester Ridge Vineyard 95 $85
2022 Auteur Chardonnay Green Acres Vineyard 94 $65
2022 Auteur Pinot Noir Labyrinth Vineyard 94 $85
2022 Auteur Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard 94 $85
2022 Auteur Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard 94 $85
2022 Auteur Pinot Noir Balinard Vineyard 93 $85
2022 Auteur Pinot Noir Starkey Vineyard 93+ $85
2022 Auteur Chardonnay Durell Vineyard 92 $65
2022 Auteur Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 91 $50
2022 Auteur Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 91 $60

** Contact us to acquire at connect@auteurwines.com

SONOMA VINTAGE REPORT OF 2022 >>
Reflecting on that report, I stand behind my remarks that this vintage offers immediate appeal, with wide drinking windows, especially compared to the more structured 2021s. The aromatics lean toward attractive, fruit-driven profiles with savory nuances and approachable structures. The vintage’s top wines offer elegance, purity, and wonderful definition. In particular, the wines from the Sonoma Coast have excelled in 2022, providing some of the highlights of my numerous and extensive tastings. – Jeb Dunnuck

Spending the last 20 years charged up about how to we can redefine Chardonnay — it’s enormously rewarding to see the shift in this paradigm from one of wine’s biggest influencers across the world. Wine Spectator is finally recognizing the major pendulum swing of Chardonnay in the United States, offering Auteur a nice feature in the July Issue, “All About White Wine”. For our longtime supporters, you are aware we’ve embraced this style all along. We will always continue to craft whites that are racy, fresh and vibrant without the “lactic” buttery overtones, while nurturing our partnerships with well-farmed vineyards all along Northern California, keeping the wines true to their regionality.

94 Points Ferrington Chardonnay — “Sleek, focused flavors of juicy tangering, lemon and pear show ginger, kumquat and wild fennel pollen on a vibrant frame” WS

92 Points Bacigalupi Chardonnay — “Grilled peach, orange blossom notes are fresh and juicy on plush, fleshy frame. Wildflower honey emerge on the finish.” WS

Enjoy these beautiful Chardonnays aligned with the New American palate. One that fully embraces exotic profiles and freshness of flavors.
Please contact us to access these collectibles.

~ BOTH Auteur Sonoma Bungalow + Auteur Russian River Hit the 2025 Top Wineries to Visit in Sonoma by Esther Mobley of The San Francisco Chronicle. We are thrilled to amongst such great Sonoma legends and new producers. Check out the read here — See the full List!

“This new Russian River Estate is nestled into a hillside near the Michelin-starred Farmhouse Inn. “It’s a hidden gem that feels both tucked away and worth the journey,” Juhasz says. “With a 50-foot glass wall framing expansive vineyard views and large doors that open to the terrace, the boundary between indoors and outdoors practically disappears. It’s warm, welcoming, and hard to leave.”

Read Here

Over the last two years, we have been quietly creating a little slice of heaven for you in Russian River Valley. We weren’t actively looking for a property, but we also dreamt of bringing Auteur into the Sonoma’s stunning countryside. So when 10520 crossed our paths, it was magic. When we first visited this special space, we immediately felt a powerful affinity for this piece of land – with its rugged slope of bay, redwood and fir trees, sweeping vineyard views, and the natural springs, we knew it would be a place of renewal, a place to move more slowly, to follow the rivers windy path and to find solace in the shade of towering redwoods and chase the dappled light all the way to the Pacific.

From our hilltop, we offer an uninterupped panoramic embrace of the Russian River Valley located on Wohler Road outside of Healdsburg. Perched on a wooded vineyard hillside, this intimate retreat embraces the region’s vineyards and coastal forests, offering immersive hospitality experiences that draw guests into a setting as layered and expressive as Auteur’s wines.

We can’t wait to welcome you at both locations anchored at both ends of Sonoma County.

Wine critics are buzzing about our zingy and earthy flavors! Our value-friendly appellation wines are crafted with passion for embodying the essence of our entire portfolio. We are thrilled to receive such a positive response from the press and warmly invite you to experience this excitement firsthand. Cheers to an endless array of new adjectives to bring to your next celebration.

 

The SOMM Journal

Oh Terre! Auteur!

95 | Auteur 2022 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast ($50)

Toasty notes are sustained by high-profile acidity. Crème brûlée and pineapple upside-down cake make a dramatic impression as they’re surrounded by bright lemon verbena on the keen mineral finish. 95

96 | Auteur 2022 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($60) This wine boasts delectable notes of cinnamon-spiced pomegranate, hibiscus, and mineral-kissed earth. A pleasant, buoyant mouthfeel upholds black raspberry, a garland of rose petals, and salty mushrooms rooted out of the soil.

 

WINE ENTHUSIAST Editors’ Choice

93 | Auteur Wines 2022 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)

There’s a zingy freshness on the pineapple-scented nose of this Chard made from the Old Wente clone that simply screams summer. The palate gives green apple, pear, lemon curd, chalky minerality and fresh cut flower flavors before a racy, acid-driven finish. —T.R.C. Published 9/1/2024

 

VINOGRAPHY

2022 Auteur Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Pale yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of candied lemon peel and pink grapefruit. In the mouth, wonderfully bright and juicy flavors of lemon peel and lemon pith bring in a faint bit of lemon-curd creaminess but also crackling stony minerality and a hint of salinity. Zingy and mouthwatering. Whole-cluster pressed and then fermented with ambient yeasts. Aged 11 months in 25% new French oak. 13% alcohol. 392 cases made. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $50. AY

2022 Auteur Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherries and raspberries. In the mouth, raspberry and cranberry flavors have a bright juiciness thanks to excellent acidity as faint, gauzy tannins coat the mouth, and notes of citrus peel linger in the finish. Hints of dried herbs and a touch of forest floor emerge with time. Fermented with ambient yeasts. Aged 11 months in 35% new French oak. 14% alcohol. 621 cases made. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $60. AY

Read the full review here from wine critic, Alder Yarrow.

https://www.vinography.com/2024/11/vinography-unboxed-week-of-11-10-24

 

WINE SPECTATOR

92 | Auteur Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Kirsch and red licorice notes are forward and friendly in feel in this red, with light floral and tea notes helping to add range on the lightly toasted finish. Drink now through 2030. 621 cases made.

90 | Auteur Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 

Pretty aromatics of lemon oregano, verbena and green tea mingle with firm flavors of pomelo, lemon zest and green apple on a sleek, mouthwatering frame, with touches of crushed rock minerality and fresh ginger on the finish. Drink now. 392 cases made.

JEB DUNNUCK

91 | Auteur Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

The 2022 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast offers an attractive nose of candied apple, preserved lemon, and honeysuckle. Medium-bodied, it has a light touch on the palate and a nice refreshing feel, with a pithy texture and a clean finish. It’s a very charming wine to drink over the next several years.

91 | Auteur Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

The dark ruby/magenta 2022 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast takes on deep aromas of black cherries, violets, and sweet herbs. Medium-bodied, it fills the palate with an expansive feel, ripe tannins, and a juicy ripe feel throughout, with a bit of spice through the finish. It’s going to show its best over the next 4-6 years.

 

On a typical Carneros morning, the fog lingers in Hyde Vineyards, one of the most hallowed sites for grape-growing in all of California. But what truly stands out when we walk the Hyde property is the airy sea breezes off San Pablo Bay, where you smell the mix of sea salt and garrique. It’s an extraordinary feeling that we consistently and clearly expressed in the salinity characteristics of our Hyde Chardonnay.
Hyde Vineyards is a majestic and impressive 200-acre vineyard situated in Napa County, first cultivated in 1979. Managed by Larry Hyde and his son Chris, who is about to take over the business. Chris, who could carry a large Napa ego, is the farthest from it. Hyde’s are very serious about paying attention to the details and striving for excellence: tiny berries, tiny clusters, great acidity. But every time they replant a section, they adapt to the site better by replacing blocks northeast by southwest in the same direction of the prevailing winds.

Chardonnay from Hyde Vineyard is highly sought-after and has won multiple accolades. It is a highly collectible vineyard to follow. Noteworthy labels include Aubert, HDV, Kistler, Ramey, Mira, Patz & Hall, Ram’s Gate, Saxon Brown, Bouchaine, Massican, and Auteur.

We encourage you to compare a few extraordinary Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay selections.

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Hyde Vineyards
County: Napa
Appellations: Carneros; Napa Valley
Year first planted: 1979
Total acres planted: 200
Chardonnay acres: 113
Primary Chardonnay clones: Hyde Wente; Hyde San Benito; Musque
Soil types: Haire; clay loam
Sustainable and organic practices

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Wine Spectator’s California’s Best Chardonnay Vineyards Article Link

94 | Wine Enthusiast