Auburn Road Vineyards is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Scott and Julianne (Jules) Donnini. Located in Pilesgrove, New Jersey, the vineyard was founded in 2003 when the couple left their successful careers as attorneys in Philadelphia to pursue winemaking. Jules serves as the self-taught winemaker, while Scott manages operations and marketing. The couple transformed the property from an old horse pasture into a thriving agritourism destination. Today, the 23-acre vineyard produces around 6,000 cases of wine per year and is home to "The Enoteca," a European-style wine bar that features woodfired pizza, espresso, and gelato.
Because the vineyard ages certain vintages for years in French oak barrels or blends multiple years to achieve specific flavors, not all bottles feature a single year on their labels.
This spring at the Eastern Winery Exposition 2026 in Richmond, Virginia, I tasted these wines along with Michael Kaiser, David Falchek, and Richard Leahy.
Auburn Road Good Karma flagship red wine is a blend of vinifera grapes. Merlot and Pinot Noir are the two primary components of this wine, with contributions from Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of the grapes are estate grown, but the Pinot Noir is cultivated from their Woodfield Vineyards location. The individual wines are aged in stainless steel tanks and aged neutral Hungarian and American oak barrels for nine months. They are blended right before bottling. The resulting wine is a light, almost Italian-styled red, with bright notes of dried or cough drop cherry, red raspberry, cedar, and a lovely blue slate. With bright acidity and smooth nature, this wine is extremely easy drinking, and finishes with white pepper, and a lovely dose of cherry that lingers a good long time. A terrific light bodied wine perfect for lunch, chicken, fowl, or pork, even perfect with fish. Or a nice charcuterie board. An incredibly versatile wine.
Auburn Road Eidólon (pronounced “eye-DOLE-on”) is a red wine blend of the vinifera grapes Merlot (45%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot (5% each) and the hybrid grape Chambourcin (45%). All grapes are grown at their Auburn Road and Woodfield vineyard locations. This wine is their “Coeur d’Est” blend – a collaborative, creative blending concept by New Jersey wineries in the Outer Coastal Plain. The wines were aged in American oak. This is a big, dry red wine. Chewy. It oozes charm. The nose and palate both start with dried cherries, blackberry, cassis, and prune, with a lovely vanilla smooth middle. The finish is a combination of black tea and white pepper. And the dark fruit just lasts and last. Perfect for roasted meats, and big pasta dishes. But versatile enough for pork and game. An absolutely impressive wine. Loved it.
Auburn Road Peaceful Warrior Sixth Chakra is their varietal Chambourcin based wine, tinged with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. All grapes grown at Auburn Road and Woodfield vineyards locations. A hybrid grape, few people make really classic wines from Chambourcin. It's big tannins and high acidity have been met with large doses of sugar by other producers, making wither a sweet red or a port (it does make for exceptional ports). But Auburn Road is treating it like vinifera in the way its winemaking approaches this grape. Various vintages are aged and oak and blended for the perfect wine. This is a fruit forward red wine, with big notes of bramble, dark cherry, cassis, mocha, cedar, and hints of even fig. There's a lovely whiff of forest floor. Great acidity is balanced by the terrific flavor. The wine finishes with notes of vanilla, spice, black tea, and another lovely dose of big dark cherry. One of the best Chambourcins on the east coast!
The wines at Auburn Road continue to improve each year, making them one of the better quality producers not just in New Jersey, but on the east coast. Their techniques - very European in origin - and blending art an art form, and I certainly hope they're able to pass that knowledge along. They are a rare gift to winemaking.