James Judd & Son Vineyards is the culmination of one hundred and forty years of traditional family farming since their forefathers stepped into the new world in 1863. The Judd estate Cabernet vineyard is trellised along the foothills of historic San Miguel at the north end of the Paso Robles appellation where it is nurtured by simmering hot days and cooled by the morning fog from the nearby Pacific.

The Petit Verdot, Malbec, Tempranillo and Barbera grapes are grown at the Judd Vineyard in Shandon, a high-altitude bluff overlooking the Central Coast wine country. The sweeping divergence between day and night temperatures and the extended growing season are ideal for enticing high-maintenance Petit Verdot and Tempranillo grapes to ripen fully. Long hot summer days without shade are perfect for the sun loving Malbec and Barbera.

Paso Robles is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on California’s central coast. The growing season is defined by a climate of warm afternoons and evenings cooled by coastal fog. Daily temperature swings of 40 degrees or more are not unusual.

The landscape is defined by rolling hills, dry riverbeds, rocky terrain, and abundant wild life. Deer, coyotes, rattlesnakes, tarantulas, rabbits, hawks, vultures, and owls live in and around our field. The soils range from sandy loam to clay loam. Our Malbec, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, and Barbera are grown side-by-side in blocks of seven acres in our Shandon vineyard. The field is set on the top of a large hill where the grapes receive maximum exposure to the sun. Temperatures in this vineyard average 10 degrees higher than San Miguel. All water used in our vineyards comes from our own wells.