From vines planted in 1925 to wines crafted for today’s tables, fourth-generation Paso Robles winegrower Janell Dusi is honoring her family’s agricultural legacy, one bottle at a time.

For Janell Dusi, Zinfandel goes far beyond just being a grape variety. It’s a family heirloom, an agricultural legacy of connection to the land, and a living piece of Paso Robles history.

Her family’s roots in California agriculture stretch back more than a century, when her great-grandparents emigrated from Northern Italy and settled in Paso Robles. In 1925, they planted Zinfandel vines, joining other Italian families who were establishing vineyards in the region. More than 100 years later, those same vines are still producing grapes, and the Dusi family is still tending the land.

“Zin is super special here in Paso Robles because it’s the roots. It’s the foundation that Paso was built on,” says Janell, a fourth-generation grape grower and the founder of J Dusi Wines.

For generations, the Dusi family focused on growing exceptional grapes for other wineries. But Janell had a different idea: Why not make wine from the grapes her family had spent a century cultivating?

A Farmer’s Daughter

Janell’s childhood looked a little different from that of most kids. Growing up on her family’s 100-acre vineyard, she spent her days surrounded by grapevines, tractors, and the rhythms of farm life.

“I grew up on 100 acres of old vines, so it was our playground, it was our backyard, it was our livelihood,” she recalls.

As the youngest of three children, Janell was expected to pitch in alongside her two older brothers. Whether it was helping in the vineyard after school or lending a hand during harvest, farming was simply part of everyday life.

For decades, the family’s business centered on growing grapes and selling them to winemakers throughout Paso Robles. The quality of Dusi Vineyard fruit earned a reputation among local producers, many of whom proudly featured the vineyard’s name on their wine labels.

But Janell wanted to take the family’s agricultural legacy one step further.

“These grapes go out the driveway, and we get paid for grapes, and people wanna use our name,” she remembers thinking. “Let’s do it ourselves.” Her father and grandfather weren’t immediately convinced. “They were like, ‘But we’re farmers. That’s what we do.’ And I’m like, ‘You guys are great farmers, but I wanna go beyond.'”

And that’s exactly what she did.

From Farmer’s Daughter to Winemaker

Determined to learn the craft, Janell sought out mentors, worked at neighboring wineries, and even traveled to Australia to experience a harvest on the other side of the world.

It was demanding work, often seven days a week and 12 hours a day. But for someone raised in agriculture, long hours and hands-on learning were nothing new. “I’ve learned by doing. I’m hands-on, I’m a farmer’s daughter, I’m used to all the hard work, and that’s where I feel at home.”

In 2006, Janell launched J Dusi Wines, starting with just 400 cases of Zinfandel made from her family’s grapes. In 2013, she found a permanent home for the winery, giving her the space and equipment to make wine on her own terms.

Since then, production has expanded to include an assortment of wines, from her signature Zinfandel to Pinot Grigio and blends designed to introduce more people to the diversity of California Grown winegrapes.

Yet Zinfandel remains at the heart of everything she does.

A Century of Zinfandel

The old Zinfandel vines planted by Janell’s ancestors represent an extraordinary piece of the region’s agricultural heritage.

Unlike many modern vineyards that rely on irrigation, the Dusi family’s century-old vines are dry-farmed, surviving on natural rainfall and the moisture their extensive root systems can reach deep beneath the soil. 

“Those roots have to dig deep. They have to find the natural water table,” Janell explains.

That connection to the land helps shape the character of the grapes. Janell is careful to preserve that expression in her wines. While Zinfandel is often associated with big, bold, jammy flavors, she prefers a fresher, more restrained approach.

“I want the fruit to be there, but I want it to be fresh and bright fruit without being jammy and over alcohol.” Achieving that balance takes careful decisions in the vineyard and winery, from harvest timing to oak usage.

Rather than manipulating her wines to taste the same year after year, Janell embraces the differences that each growing season brings. Her wines undergo native-yeast fermentations, allowing the fruit to express the character of its origins.

“I want to show what happened in the vineyard. I want to show my dad, my nephew, boots in the ground from sun up to sun down, and the work that they do in the vineyard.”

For Janell, each vintage is a snapshot of a particular year. The wines capture the weather, growing conditions, and dedication of the people who farmed the grapes.

Caring for the Land, Honoring the Past

With four generations of agricultural history behind her, Janell understands that protecting the land is essential to preserving the family’s livelihood.

“A huge part of sustainability is taking care of our earth for generations to come,” she explains. “My grandparents have done a great job, and they’ve instilled in me to take care of the land we live on.”

The family’s dry-farmed old vines are one example of that commitment. Another is the annual planting of cover crops, including legumes, beans, and peas, which help return nitrogen and organic matter to the soil. These practices reflect generations of knowledge passed down through the family, along with an appreciation for the resources that make California agriculture possible.

Janell also hopes consumers will recognize the hard work behind the agricultural products they enjoy every day.

“I wish people around the country knew what farming entails,” she says. “What we grow is what you eat.”

As agricultural land faces pressure from development and small farms confront mounting challenges, she believes it’s more important than ever to celebrate the people who grow our food and wine.

An Agricultural Community Worth Celebrating

While the Dusi family’s history is rooted in its own vineyards, Janell is quick to recognize the broader community that makes Paso Robles wine country special. She describes a region where neighboring growers and winemakers share equipment, lend a hand when something breaks, and celebrate one another’s success.

“If I need to borrow someone’s [equipment], my forklift goes out, battery, I call the neighbor,” she explains. “He drives across the highway to help me lift something up.”

That same collaborative spirit extends to the wines they enjoy.

“I want to drink my neighbor’s wine because I love what they’re doing over there.”

Visitors to J Dusi Wines can experience that warm hospitality firsthand through curated tastings featuring Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, and other wines, accompanied by optional light bites.

It’s an opportunity to discover not just the wines, but the family and agricultural history behind them.

A Legacy in Every Glass

For Janell, making wine is about more than bringing her family’s grapes from vineyard to bottle. It’s about creating something that connects people and preserves memories.

J Dusi Wines even carries that philosophy onto its corks, which encourage wine lovers to record the people and occasions that made a particular bottle memorable.

“Wine brings everybody together,” she says.It’s a fitting sentiment for a family whose work has brought people together around California wine for more than a century.

And while Janell has taken the Dusi family tradition in a new direction, the foundation remains unchanged: a love of farming, a respect for the land, and a dedication to the vines her ancestors planted.

“I hope people enjoy my wine with a smile on their face, with some friends or some family,” she says, “and hopefully remember some Zinfandel.”

A century after the first Dusi Zinfandel vines took root in Paso Robles, the family’s story continues to grow—one harvest, one vintage, and one shared glass at a time.

Article written by Alison Needham (@atable_defloured), images and video by James Collier, Paprika Studios.