Season XII: Janell Dusi, Winemaker, J. Dusi Wines + Paper Street, Paso Robles
Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode!
Janell Dusi is the winemaker behind J. Dusi wines, and part of an enviable legacy. Her great-grandparents came to Paso Robles from Italy in the early 1900s and planted Zinfandel across their spacious property. The following two generations kept at it, farming vines and selling to some of the biggest, most iconic brands in the wine industry, names like Ridge and Turley. While Janell also considers herself a farmer — I mean, how could she not with a family like that? — Janell went on to become a winemaker. In fact, when she was 13, she made her first Zinfandel and won an honorable mention at the California Mid-State Fair. And that was just the beginning. Janell shares with me and Matt about studying Global and International Studies at UC Santa Barbara, the ins and outs of growing zin, and how she came up with the name Paper Street for her new vineyard.