To most, the abandoned warehouse on Hudson Street, less than a mile from the Healdsburg Plaza, looked old and dingy, with crumbling wooden walls. But to Kenwood designer Shawn Hall, it was a blank canvas, ready to be reborn as a chic new tasting room for Truett Hurst Winery.
It had been a busy time for her client, winery owner Phil Hurst, who had recently regained control of the acclaimed Truett Hurst and VML brands. He founded the labels in 2008 but sold them a decade later to Washington-based Precept Wine Co.
After reclaiming his brands, Hurst was unable to afford the ultra-pricey 24-acre Dry Creek Road estate, which included a tasting room and a 13-acre vineyard. But in partnership with Ken Wilson — owner of the expansive Wilson Wines portfolio — he relocated both labels to a new shared tasting space on Mill Street, just steps from downtown Healdsburg’s roundabout.
Then, in December, Hurst moved Truett Hurst and VML into their new home: the historic warehouse on Hudson Street that Hall and her firm, Shawn E. Hall Designs, had transformed into a vintage-modern French showpiece.
For Hall, it was an opportunity for new beginnings, not just for a long-neglected building, but for a winery working to capture the attention of younger consumers in an increasingly competitive market.
A historic building with urban appeal
The building on Hudson Street, just off Front Street, has a long history. Originally constructed in 1875 as a cream of tartar plant, it later housed the French American Wine Co., founded in Healdsburg in 1903. Its complete transformation, including the addition of a new patio, took Hall over a year to complete.
Hall is no stranger to bold redesigns. She’s known for her work on 18 restaurants and 16 tasting rooms across the Bay Area, including Willi’s Seafood and Costeaux Bakery in Healdsburg, La Folie Lounge in San Francisco, Madrigal Winery in St. Helena and her own former restaurant, Gypsy Café in Sebastopol.
She said she was glad Hurst chose the downtown-adjacent location (also owned by Wilson) instead of returning to his previous, rural estate.
“The wine industry is in such flux,” Hall said. “Everybody seems to be changing from the big estates to city tasting rooms. This generation doesn’t seem to want to go to the actual wineries as much as they want to just hit, hit, hit (multiple tasting rooms).”
While the original Dry Creek property successfully drew crowds with its barbecue parties and live music, Hurst had also noticed a growing shift toward convenience in recent years.
“It feels like people aren’t going out, doing the longer drives,” he said. “They’re not making the effort to do that three-hour-long, sit-down, boring tasting. It’s just easier for them to go visit 10 wineries downtown in two hours instead of going out to the valleys.”
Younger drinkers also tend to gravitate toward more “funky” and authentic experiences, Hall said, something that large corporate wineries often struggle to provide but that comes naturally to smaller, family-owned producers like Truett Hurst.
As part of its summer event series running through August, the new tasting room is offering live music, along with fresh-grilled tri-tip on a baguette and a glass of wine for $25 (free for club members).
“But we also did something crazy the other day with a flower class,” Hurst said. “Like 75 people came in to learn how to press flowers and have some wine. It was lovely, you know, it wasn’t the same old baloney.”
Reflecting the quirky spirit of Sonoma County
Hurst originally had his eye on a different building next door to the new tasting room, but Hall convinced him to reconsider. The first space lacked character, she said, and would have turned into just another generic tasting room: a bar, a few vineyard photos on the walls and little else. It felt uninspired, especially for younger audiences, and didn’t reflect the quirky, creative spirit of Sonoma County.
Hurst quickly saw her point. “I think we have to think differently and be more progressive and modern in our approach,” he said.
“As a designer, I love being thrown a weird building like this,” Hall added of the Hudson Street tasting room. “I mean, I can tell you, this was not a pretty place. It was dark and ugly, with a giant metal door and covered windows.”
She replaced the metal door with a glass roll-up trimmed in bright red, opened up a low ceiling to reveal a soaring roofline with skylights and stripped the coverings off what turned out to be expansive, high-set windows. Now, the space is filled with natural light and sunsets bounce off clean white walls.
Hall also repurposed old wooden doors as room dividers and installed antique residential doors on sliding tracks to give the offices privacy and charm. She made sure to showcase fire engine red Adirondack chairs — a signature detail from the original Dry Creek estate.
Choose your own adventure
At the new tasting room, guests can tailor their experience. Some may opt for a quick splash of Sonoma County Brut Sparkling at the 20-foot-long weathered wood bar. Others might settle into oversize armchairs, plush sofas or communal tables for a full flight. The lineup includes the White Sheep Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir, Rattler Rock Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Sonoma County Southdown Zinfandel, Rocslide North Coast Red Blend, GPS Darkhorse Mendocino County Red Blend and Estate Petite Syrah.
The $25 tasting fee keeps the experience approachable and walk-ins — along with well-behaved dogs — are welcome. (On a recent visit, a lovely dachshund named Winnie gave it four paws up.)
From the outset, Hall insisted a patio was a must to elevate the tasting experience — even if it would take longer to build. (While younger wine drinkers lean into urban settings, she has found they still crave a connection to the outdoors.)
The result is a lush, inviting outdoor space, with overflowing Corten steel planters, a custom shade awning, a traditional stake arbor with grapevines climbing the trellis, and a sleek modern fountain.
With the wine world more competitive than ever, Hall knows the stakes are high. “I need to create experiences that people will remember,” she said. And that’s a challenge she’s still passionate about.
“Hospitality is our industry and this is what I love about living here,” she said.
Truett Hurst Winery, 428 Hudson St., Healdsburg, 707-433-9545, truetthurstwinery.com