Tasting room is open weekends and holidays. Taste handcrafted estate grown and produced Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Syrah and Viognier. Visit our beautiful west hillside winery and vineyards.
For A. John Berardo, growing grapes and making wine are a celebration of
his Italian heritage. He has fond childhood memories of his father and uncles making wine and storing barrels under his family’s home. He hopes to
continue the richness of that family tradition with AJB Vineyards.
The winery and vineyard are located on Township Road just five miles west of
Highway 101. The property has a rich local history as part of the Mennonite community that had settled there over a century ago. The original house still
exists and all of the new structures are built to reflect the original farm-style.
The original vineyard site, a 16.5-acre parcel, was chosen for its gently
rolling, south-facing slopes, its westside microclimate, and its lovely historic
buildings with the promise of country living. Unbeknownst at the time, the property is also blessed with one of the world’s best soil types – limestone –
capable of producing the world’s best wine grapes.
The first blocks of AJB Vineyards were planted in 1993 and consisted of
Viognier and Syrah. The remaining acreage was planted from 1994 to 1996 and include Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Zinfandel.
The winery opened in October 1999. Beginning with the 1999 harvest, all of
AJB Vineyards’ wines will be estate grown and produced.
In the summer of 1999 the Berardos purchased an adjacent 23.5 acres,
which gives them a total of 40 acres. This will allow them to reach their ultimate goal of a 5,000 case winery where the wines are completely estate
grown and produced.
Currently, John is working to craft
full-bodied, premium wines that realize the full potential of the Paso Robles area. Like most Italians, John enjoys wine with food, and hopes to produce
wines that can either be drank with tonight’s dinner or cellared for that extra
special occasion.
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