DunningWines.com
Title
Dunning Vineyards
Description
Robert Dunning had to be coaxed into entering his wines in one of the largest and most prestigious wine competitions in the country. The end result from the 1996 Orange County Fair competition was a Gold medal for the Merlot, and Bronzes for both the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then Dunning Vineyards has established a strong following among premium wine lovers for their limited release Estate Wines.
The inspiration to establish a small, family-owned winery came after 15 years of successful experimental home winemaking with local grapes. Robert had been producing great wine from Paso Robles vineyards non-commercially for years. But grapes were getting harder and harder to find and Robert was quickly outgrowing his sources. He wanted complete control from the vineyard to the bottle in an effort to produce only the finest wines. In 1991 he began planting his own vineyard with Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in partnership with his brother John and sister Barbara. According to Robert they are not completely done. We want the “right grape for the area.” In 1999, under Robert’s management, Syrah and Zinfandel were planted on the property adjacent to the Dunning ranch and the first crop will be harvested in 2001.
Robert came to the area from Malibu, California. In 1960 his family purchased 80 acres in the hills west of Paso Robles where the vineyard and winery are now located. Robert, his wife Jo-Ann and son Garrett live in the farmhouse on the property aptly named the “Vintage House” as the limestone cellar served as the wineries’ first barrel room. This structure was built in the early 1900’s and is on every bottle of Dunning Vineyards Estate Wine. Over the years he helped out at neighboring vineyards receiving practical, hands-on operational lessons.
Contact
- Dunning, Robert
-
- Paso Robles CA
- United States 93446
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- 805-238-4763
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