Dusi Vineyard

The story of the historic Dusi Vineyard began in the early 1920s, when Sylvester and Caterina Dusi emigrated from Northern Italy and settled in Paso Robles. The Dusi Vineyard introduced some of the first Zinfandels to California’s Central Coast; vineyards were rare in Old California in the early 1900's. Sylvester and Caterina were highly enterprising, and working together with their three sons – Guido, Dante and Benito, eventually bought an additional property on the west side of Highway 101 in 1945 and planted Zinfandel. Zinfandel was the Italian varietal of choice at the time, and remains the vineyard’s mainstay varietal today.

The intense flavor profiles of the “Dusi Fruit” are characteristic of the land’s unique micro climate and the family’s old-world, handcrafted grape growing techniques, which promotes sustainable vineyards, through use of techniques like cover crop and dry farming. This 100-acre estate is located just south of Paso Robles in the Templeton Gap. A region that features the greatest day-to-night temperature variation of any appellation in California, providing ideal conditions for vibrantly flavored yet exceptionally balanced wines. The vineyard has been sought after by many fine wineries, for the production of old vine zinfandel such as: Turley, McPrice Myers, Ridge, Tobin James, and Grey Wolf. These local wineries have been purchasing the fruit for many years, creating their own versions of Dante Dusi Vineyard designated Zinfandels.

Three generations after Janell Dusi's great-grandparents first planted Zinfandel she is continuing the legacy of one of the area’s most well loved vineyards, expanding on the family owned business and taking 20 percent of the production off the Family Vineyards to create J Dusi Wines.