Winery owners ‘ashamed’ of oak tree cull

A billionaire couple lambasted for removing a swathe of oak trees at their Paso Robles vineyard have apologised stating that they are “ashamed and sorry” for their actions.

Lynda and Stuart Resnick, who own the Wonderful Company, of which Justin Vineyards and Winery is a subsidiary

Estate Vineyards LLC, a holding company which is managed by Justin Vineyards in Paso Robles and is a subsidiary of the multinational Wonderful Company, cut down hundreds of oak trees earlier this month to make room for more grapes on its 742-acre Sleepy Farm Road estate. The company was ordered to stop work on 9 June by country officials after receiving complaints from neighbours.

Following the cull, a number of restaurants boycotted Paso Robles winery Justin Vineyards, including Big Sky Cafe, Pappy McGregor’s Pub and Grill, Thomas Hill Organics and Fish Gaucho.

Justin Vineyards had already said it would be planting some 5,000 oak trees to counteract the deforestation, however Lynda and Stuart Resnick have since confirmed that part of their vineyard expansion project has been cancelled and that they are now in talks with local officials to donate the land.

The family said it had conducted an internal review of the project and confirmed that while “genuine efforts to meet county ordinances”, there were “absolutely unacceptable lapses in judgement”.

In a statement released on Friday, the couple said: “As the owners of Justin Vineyards and Winery, we try to instil in our local team a neighbourly spirit, environmental responsibility and entrepreneurial independent, but when we learned of the terrible situation at our Sleepy Farm Road property, not to mention our poor reputation within the community we were ashamed and are sorry. We were asleep at the wheel”.

The couple described the company’s actions as an “embarrassment” and that they were “horrified” by the lack of regard for their neighbours and nature.

“We hope that the community will accept our deepest and most sincere apologies and find it in their hearts to forgive us, we want to make things right, starting now”.

The Resnick family, which owns the Wonderful Company, bought Justin Vineyards and Winery in 2010 from Justin Baldwin. Founded in 1981, Justin Vineyards specialise in Bordeaux varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.