‘American Idol’ producers’ SLO County wine estate going to auction. See inside
The vineyard estate shared by the producers behind “American Idol,” “So You Think You Can Dance” and “America’s Got Talent” is headed to auction this month.
Villa San-Juliette, a 160-acre property nestled deep in the wine country of San Miguel, was built two decades ago by Hollywood producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe as a passion project spawned from the producers’ love of Paso Robles’ wine country.
Over those two decades, it’s evolved into a full-service vineyard, winery and destination for wine lovers — though unlike many of the other vineyards dotting the countryside, this vineyard can still function as a home, Rodeo Realty Realtor Brianna Deutsch said.
Buying the property isn’t just about acquiring the estate’s spacious home — a Tuscan-inspired residence that features the winery’s tasting room on its ground floor — it’s about acquiring the whole estate, which includes the vineyard, winemaking and business operations, Deutsch said.
While the producers are sad to sell the property, they’re hoping it will go to someone with the same appreciation for the wine country estate, Deutsch said.
“They’re in a kind of at that space in their lifetime where they’re both retiring, they’ve retired from the TV industry, and they want to spend more time with their family and travel,” Deutsch said. “They really wanted to hand it to someone that would take it to the level that they wanted.”
What is Villa San-Juliette?
Sitting on 160 acres at 6385 Cross Canyons Road, Villa San-Juliette’s land is split between residential, event hosting and winemaking uses.
The central building, which sits at the end of a driveway lined with cypress trees — part of the Mediterranean vibe of the property, according to Deutsch — follows a Tuscan architectural look, and is home to both the villas and tasting room.
The driveway connects to a parking loop for valets, and leads to the main outdoor hosting space in front of the central building, which is shaded by a towering oak tree in the center of the front yard.
Deutsch said the estate’s event venue — which includes a natural amphitheater for up to 200 guests — routinely hosts weddings as part of its business, with at least 20 more still on the calendar for 2025.
Within the central building, the main floor is occupied by a tasting room, featuring a bar and wine racks for the pouring and tasting of wine and decorated with marble finishes and photos of Warwick and Lythgoe from their producing days.
The pair of 3,700-square-foot villas are accessed through private doors, and take up the eastern and western wings of the building, along with its top floor.
Each villa served as a getaway home for Lythgoe and Warwick and their families and can be purchased for the same purpose or as vacation rentals, Deutsch said.
Both villas connect to a private pool and deck space behind the tasting room, complete with a hot tub and outbuilding for pool supplies.
Leaving the residential part of the property behind, the driveway also connects to the wine production buildings responsible for processing, crushing, fermenting and barreling the wine, which is harvested from around 100 acres of vines, Deutsch said.
A guest house used by the winemaker — or by wedding couples staying the night at the estate — is also attached to the side of the wine production facilities.
As is, Villa San-Juliette grows 12 wine grape varietals under the direction of winemaker and Cal Poly graduate Dan Smith, including classics such as cabernet sauvignon, syrah and sauvignon blanc and lesser-known varietals such as petit verdot and alicante bouschet, according to the winery’s website.
Villa San-Juliette’s wines have netted scores in the high 80s and low 90s from Wine Enthusiast and sell for anywhere between $36 on the low end and $100 on the high end, depending on the varietal.
More recently, Warwick and Lythgoe had around 30 acres of vines cleared, providing a space that can be used for agricultural uses or for agritourism ventures such as on-property cabins for glamping, Deutsch said.
Why is Villa San-Juliette selling at auction?
Lythgoe and the Warwicks purchased the property for $5.2 million in 2005, according to Deutsch.
Since then, with the host of improvements made to the property and the vineyard’s reputation growing in the local wine scene, the value has appreciated considerably; the producers attempted to sell Villa San-Juliette in 2022 with a listing price of $22 million, but were unable to secure a buyer, Deutsch said.
This time through, Villa San-Juliette’s next owner will be decided at auction on Saturday, May 17, at 11 a.m., Elite Auctions market director Mark Crane said.
An opening bid has not been set, as the auction will operate under a unique system, Crane said.
Before the auction opens, potential buyers can make a pre-auction offer to Warwick and Lythgoe, Crane said, and they could choose to accept one of those offers.
If not, the highest pre-auction offer will become the starting bid for the auction, and if the winner of the auction happens to be the same person who made the highest starting bid, the current owners will pay them a 5% credit of the opening bid amount.
Crane said the estate has already received plenty of interest from local vineyard owners, out-of-state buyers and even international clients.
More information on Villa San-Juliette including auction registration is available at Elite Auctions’ website.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
