Sonoma Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Auteur with a Private Chauffeur
Single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay poured in a 1915 bungalow a block off the Sonoma Plaza, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Auteur is the winery of Kenneth and Laura Juhasz. Kenneth grew up in North Carolina, learned Pinot Noir as a cellar hand in Oregon's Willamette Valley and moved to Sonoma in 2002. After years making wine without a home of their own, the couple bought a small house on First Street West and opened it to guests by appointment in 2012. Kenneth is still the winemaker, and he has also consulted for other Sonoma estates.
The wines are cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from about twenty sites, from the Mendocino coast and Anderson Valley's Wendling, Savoy and Ferrington vineyards to the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley, made with a light hand and little new oak. Auteur has added wines from Burgundy, including Griotte-Chambertin, and its Anderson Valley wines have earned 97 points from The Jeb Dunnuck Report. Its second home is a hillside estate above the Russian River Valley near Healdsburg, with walls of glass over the vineyards, which the San Francisco Chronicle named Best New Tasting Room of 2025.
The Sonoma Bungalow is where it began: a 1915 house a block off the plaza, with tastings inside, out on the shady back patio, or in The Lost and Found, a separate room for a small private group. It feels like a friend's place in town rather than a winery, and it lets you taste top single-vineyard Pinot Noir without leaving Sonoma. Two seated, prepaid tastings are offered, a flight of single-vineyard wines and a flight of appellation blends, for 1 to 8 guests.
Tasting Fees
Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation. Auteur offers two prepaid seated tastings at the bungalow: the Single-Vineyard Designate Tasting Experience and the Appellation-Series Tasting Experience.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
373 First Street West, Sonoma
AVA
Sonoma Valley
Visiting
The Sonoma Bungalow is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tastings are prepaid reservations for 1 to 8 guests; larger parties use the winery's event inquiry.
Known For
Single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast and Burgundy
Founded
Sonoma tasting room opened in 2012 by Kenneth and Laura Juhasz
Good to Know
Reservations are for 1 to 8 guests. The Lost and Found, a separate room at the bungalow, suits a small private group. Auteur's second tasting room is its Russian River estate at 10520 Wohler Road, Healdsburg, also open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a Sonoma hotel such as Ledson Hotel or Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn.
10:00 · Pickup at Ledson Hotel or Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
Ledson Hotel, on the east side of the Sonoma Plaza, is about 5 minutes from Auteur's Sonoma Bungalow, and Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, a historic resort with its own geothermal mineral waters, about 10. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Auteur Wines
The Single-Vineyard Designate Tasting of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, in the bungalow or on the back patio (fee confirmed when we book). We plan about an hour.
11:50 · Annadel Estate Winery
About 35 minutes away. A 33-acre estate at the north end of Sonoma Valley, first established as a winery in 1880 by Henry and Anna Bolle, where the tasting takes in the historic ruins and the vineyard. Owners Katie Honey and Dan Whalen work with winemaker Drew Damskey on estate Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. The private tasting is $75, about 75 minutes, for one party of up to 6. By reservation only, daily.
1:20 · Lunch at Bird & The Bottle
About 15 minutes away. Chef Mark Stark's modern tavern in an old house on Fourth Street in Santa Rosa, with plates to share from a wood-fired grill and two patios. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:50 · Mountain Terraces Winery & Vineyards
About 20 minutes away. The Ledson family's highest vineyard, at up to 2,000 feet on Cavedale Road in the Moon Mountain District, is private, so its Cabernet Sauvignon is poured inside the Ledson Castle, the French Normandy-style landmark on the Sonoma Highway. The private, seated Mountain Terraces tasting of five estate wines with a cheese board is $125 plus tax, about 2 hours. By reservation, Thursday to Saturday; a hospitality coordinator confirms each booking, and cancellations need 72 hours' notice.
4:50 · Back to your hotel
Back in Sonoma by 5:25 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Annadel is private and by reservation, and Mountain Terraces pours Thursday to Saturday, so this day works Thursday to Saturday. The Mountain Terraces tasting runs about two hours with its cheese board, so the day ends around 5:25.
About $200 per person in tasting fees for Annadel and Mountain Terraces, plus Auteur's tasting fee, which is to be verified upon reservation. Fees are paid directly to each winery.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Do I need a reservation at Auteur Wines?
Yes. Tastings at the Sonoma Bungalow are prepaid reservations for 1 to 8 guests. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Auteur Wines?
Tasting fees are to be verified upon reservation. Auteur's booking page lists two prepaid seated tastings, a single-vineyard flight and an appellation flight.
Who owns Auteur Wines?
Kenneth and Laura Juhasz. Kenneth is the winemaker; he came to Sonoma in 2002 after learning Pinot Noir in Oregon.
Does Auteur have more than one tasting room?
Yes. Besides the Sonoma Bungalow at 373 First Street West, Auteur has a hillside estate at 10520 Wohler Road above the Russian River Valley, open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What is Auteur known for?
Single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from cool sites in Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley, and more recently wines from Burgundy.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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