Appellation Healdsburg: A New Kind of Wine Country Stay
In Sonoma’s newest stay, the tasting menu never ends — from house-milled pasta at Folia to honey cocktails under the stars.
If you’ve been considering a fall visit to Sonoma, here’s your sign to book your flight. Appellation Healdsburg, the newly-opened hotel from chef Charlie Palmer and hospitality veteran Christopher Hunsberger, has officially opened its doors, inviting guests to experience wine country through a culinary lens.
Spread across eight and a half acres on the edge of downtown Healdsburg, the property unfolds like a modern-day village: gardens, outdoor lounges, and winding paths connecting a mix of suites, studios, and communal spaces. It’s the kind of setting that feels as if it’s been quietly growing here for years — natural, welcoming, and unmistakably rooted in Sonoma’s agricultural rhythm.
But make no mistake: this is a chef’s hotel. Every detail, from the scent of firewood drifting from the open kitchen to the house-milled flour for handmade pasta, is a nod to food as both craft and connection. The hotel’s signature restaurant, Folia Bar & Kitchen, is led by Reed Palmer (Charlie’s son), whose menu leans into elemental cooking — think smoked duck breast, ember-grilled rockfish, and wood-fired vegetables that taste like they’ve been kissed by the surrounding hills.
Upstairs, Andy’s Beeline Rooftop offers a lighter, livelier take on the region’s flavours, pairing vineyard views with inventive small plates and cocktails infused with honey, herbs, and local citrus. It’s as much a social space as it is a dining one — a place where the sun lingers, the glasses clink, and the line between bar and terrace blurs beautifully.
Beyond the restaurants, food weaves through every part of the guest experience. Welcome bites replace front-desk formality. Culinary workshops and garden tastings invite guests into the creative process. Even the on-site spa embraces the region’s bounty, with treatments inspired by botanicals and wine-country harvests.
In a landscape already rich with luxury retreats, Appellation Healdsburg stands out for its sense of purpose. It’s a property built not around opulence, but around a love of flavour — proof that in Sonoma, the true essence of hospitality still begins at the table.