Bohlin Cywinski Jackson creates relaxed tasting room in California's wine country
A limestone wall runs along the front facade of a tasting room for Auteur Wines in Sonoma County, which was designed by US architecture studio Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to prioritise a casual atmosphere and a "connection to place".
The project, called Auteur Russian River, is located just outside of Healdsburg, a popular town in Northern California's wine country. It sits within the Russian River Valley, known for its verdant vineyards, redwood forests and mild climate.
The brief consisted of a tasting room for the new home of Auteur Wines, which specialises in pinot noir and chardonnay wines.
Auteur Wines turned to Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to design the new tasting room, as the winery had outgrown its first, a small bungalow in the city of Sonoma, which opened in 2012.
As the winery grew in popularity, its owners sought to create a new and larger home, leading to its acquisition of the eight-acre (3.2-hectare) property near Healdsburg. The site was formerly a hops farm.
For the expanded Auteur Wines facility, the goal was to capitalise on the natural setting and reflect "the relaxed, approachable atmosphere for which the winery is known", according to the studio.
The team conceived a 3,000-square-foot (279-square-metre) building that is set on a hillside overlooking newly planted vineyards.
Rectangular in plan, the building has a thin shed roof that follows the gentle slope of the site and extends outward to create shade.
"The design is modest and residential in scale, while prioritising connection to place and year-round flexibility and comfort for varied group sizes," the team said.
A winding drive leads to the main entrance.
The front elevation is largely opaque, as it is lined with a textured limestone wall with limited openings. There is a slender gap between the stone wall and the roofline, allowing light to filter in through a clerestory.
The rear facade is much more transparent, as it consists of a 50-foot-long (15-metre) wall of windows. The ample glazing provides sweeping views of the landscape.
Within the building, one finds a main tasting room and a cosy lounge with a fireplace.
"Tucked behind the fireplace, a private tasting room responds to our client's desire for a dedicated space to hold more intimate, curated guest experiences," the team said.
The building also contains offices, wine storage and a catering kitchen.
In the main tasting area, one side has sliding doors that open onto a shaded terrace. In warm months, guests can sip wine while taking in the scenery and pleasant weather.
"In cooler temperatures, a blackened-steel fireplace, redwood hearth bench and easily reconfigured furniture offer a comfortable gathering place," the team said.
The building has a carefully chosen mix of wood finishes to provide warmth and texture, including oak floors and cedar ceilings.
Resiliency and energy efficiency were a priority for the project, leading to the inclusion of both passive and active strategies.
The building's fireplace utilises propane, but the rest of the facility runs on electricity. A 24-kW solar array on the hillside helps generate power for the facility.
The project also involved landscape interventions.
"Given the hillside site and heavy seasonal rain, the team carefully navigated stormwater management through a combination of native, drought-tolerant landscaping and bioswales," the firm said.
Overall, the project aims to capture the winery's ethos while setting it up for continued growth.
"The new tasting room embodies the approachable, authentic spirit central to Auteur's early success, while positioning the winery for sustainable growth," the team said.
The architecture studio has multiple offices in the US, including nearby San Francisco, and has designed other winery projects, such as the Caymus-Suisun Winery in Northern California.
Other winery projects in the US include a Napa winery by Bestor Architecture that takes cues from mid-century modernism and a Sonoma County winery by Walker Warner Architects that makes use of redwood, cypress and rammed earth.
The photography is by Matthew Millman.
Project credits:
Architecture and interiors: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
General contractor: Earthtone Construction
Landscape architect: Munden Fry Landscape Associates
Structural engineer: Strandberg Engineering
Electrical engineer: Summit Engineering
Civil engineer: Steve Martin Associates
Mechanical and plumbing: TEP Engineering
T-24 energy compliance: SOLDATA Energy Consulting
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