‘American Idol’ producers selling SLO County winery for $22 million. See the stunning photos
A 159-acre winery estate with a unique Hollywood connection is on the real estate market for $22 million.
Located in the heart of Paso Robles wine country, Villa San-Juliette is owned by the original executive producers of the hit reality show “American Idol” — Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe — along with Warwick’s wife, Julie, according to the winery website.
Lythgoe and the Warwicks purchased the property at 6385 Cross Canyons Road in San Miguel for $5.2 million in 2005, according to listing agent Brianna Deutsch.
Now they’re putting the Tuscan-style estate up for sale in order to make more time for travel in their retirement, Deutsch said.
The property is listed by Deutsch and Paul Margolis of Rodeo Realty Beverly Hills.
Longtime wine lovers, Lythgoe and Ken Warwick discovered the property while exploring the region and decided to transform the land into a sprawling estate. It’s located in the Estrella District of the Paso Robles American viticultural area.
“They’re such wonderful TV producers. They’re legends,” Deutsch said of Lythgoe and Warwick. “They went in just as fans of wine. It was their dream to build their own vineyard.”
The partners spent five years and “a lot of money” building the sprawling winery estate, Deutsch said.
“They wanted it to be perfect,” she said. “They wanted it to be a place where they could go relax and where the public could come and enjoy.”
Property owned by ‘American Idol’ producers features 2 villas
Deutsch described Villa San-Juliette as “the crown jewel of the Central Coast.”
The property, which opened to the public about 10 years ago, features two Tuscan-style villas, a pool, tasting room, vineyards and winery facilities, according to the listing.
There are also “sprawling lawns with panoramic views, which serve as the ideal venue for special events such as weddings and retreats,” the listing said.
Warwick and Lythgoe built the 4,000-square-foot villas — each featuring three bedrooms and three bathrooms — as places where they and their families could retreat from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood, Deutsch said.
Today, the villas are frequently used to host guests or bridal parties participating in wedding ceremonies on the estate, she said.
“I think what’s unique about Villa San-Juliette is it’s aesthetically beautiful but the food and the wine are great too,” Deutsch said.
San Miguel winery produces award-winning wines
Villa San-Juliette grows 12 wine grape varietals, ranging from classics such as cabernet sauvignon, syrah and sauvignon blanc to lesser-known favorites such as petit verdot and alicante bouschet, according to the winery website.
Cal Poly graduate Dan Smith is the head winemaker at Villa San-Juliette.
Since Smith came on as head winemaker, “the wines have just gotten better and better,” Deutsch said.
Wine Enthusiast has ranked Villa San-Juliette wines from 90 to 93 points, according to the winery website, meaning that they’re “excellent and highly recommended.”
Many of the wines were also gold and double gold winners in the Central Coast Wine Competition, the website said.
Villa San-Juliette gets worldwide interest from buyers
The Villa San-Juliette property has been listed for about a week, but inquiries have already been pouring in from possible buyers, Deutsch said.
“We’ve had a lot of interest from all over the world,” she said. “We had offers before we went to market.”
She said that Lythgoe and the Warwicks are taking their time to find someone who will maintain the Villa San-Juliette legacy they created.
“Now we’ll see what happens, but I think it will take a very special buyer, she said.
This story was originally published August 19, 2022 at 3:48 PM.
