Huge New Healdsburg Winery Planned for Wohler Road

On the outskirts of Healdsburg, a wine brand called Auteur — currently based in the City of Sonoma — is reportedly planning to build a large, modern-looking new winery and tasting room on 8.2 acres at 10520 Wohler Rd. That’s the property directly next to the historic Raford Inn at the junction of Wohler and Eastside roads, which just sold a couple of months ago to a “vibrant couple” who plans to take the old bed and breakfast “to the next level,” according to their Realtor. The new headquarters for Auteur Wines will share a property line and overlook the inn from above, if the winery is built on the land’s former home site. Auteur bought the vineyard property a few years ago for around $2.2 million, real-estate records show — and has now borrowed over $7 million more for construction, according to Gantry, the company that secured the loan. (Online records also show that another wine brand called Derbes Wines used to live at that same address.) Auteur Wines was founded about 20 years ago by a first-generation Hungarian-American winemaker named Kenneth Juhasz, whose “simple goal is to make the greatest, most pure Pinots in California,” according to the winery’s website. He makes Chardonnays, too. More from the Auteur website: “As a vintner-founded winery, we buck trends, we are independent to explore — we push boundaries, we care about diversity in our farming, we collaborate, we are brave with our wines, we craft with intensity to transpose their place and time, to tell their story. We maintain a solid commitment to the freedom and fluidity of the creative process, surrendering to the land and lifecycle of the season. We are committed to the best farming practices and work with a fierce community of passionate winegrowers, chefs, wine collectors, and dedicated clientele.” So those are our new neighbors on Wohler! No word yet on a potential opening date for the Auteur winery; I’ll keep you posted. (Source: Gantry & Auteur Wines & Ann Amtower via LinkedIn)