Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe doled out $5.2 million for a sprawling parcel of land on the northern edge of Central California’s Paso Robles wine region back in 2005. The childhood friends and former executive producers of American Idol went on to raze an existing farmhouse on the property and then spent around four years and $12 million creating a Tuscan-inspired vacation retreat that would double as a winery and an event venue.
After two decades of ownership, the British-born showbiz duo first decided to sell their 160-acre spread during the summer of 2022 for $22 million before substantially chopping the price to nearly $14.8 million last year. Now, with no takers coming to the forefront, the property known as Villa San-Juliette is slated to go under the gavel next month. Elite Auctions is heading up the no-reserve bidding, with Brianna Deutsch and Paul Margolis of Rodeo Realty serving as the listing agents.
The winery includes an expansive tasting room for partaking in more than a dozen different varietals.
Elite Auctions
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Tucked away in the rolling foothills of the San Miguel Mountains, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the property is spotlighted by a 94-acre vineyard with Bordeaux and Rhone-style grapes that produce 12 varietals. Wine facilities include a large tasting room, a gift shop, a commercial kitchen, and two barrel rooms, plus an inventory of award-winning bottled and bulk wine valued at $1.2 million and access to 700 subscription wine club members.
A couple of 3,700-square-foot, three-bedroom residential villas with kitchens, entertaining areas, and marble baths share a veranda and a resort-style pool, while an 1,040-square-foot residence with two bedrooms has been used as a rental destination at $400 per night. Offering picturesque views, the surrounding lawn, gardens, and arbors can also accommodate up to 200 guests for weddings, concerts, and corporate retreats.
The estate’s two 3,700-square-foot villas share the resort-style pool.
Elite Auctions
Warwick and Lythgoe initially decided to sell because it’s time to slow down and spend time with family, according to the New York Post. “Villa San-Juliette has been an incredible chapter for us, a place of beauty and creativity,” Warwick said. “But at this stage of our lives, family has become our priority. With our time increasingly split between Los Angeles and London, the practicalities of frequent travel to Paso Robles make it difficult to give the estate the attention it deserves. It’s time for another family to create their own memories here.”
Private previews of the property are available by request, with the auction set for Saturday, May 17, at 11 a.m., just one day before the Season 23 finale of American Idol takes place.
Click here for more photos of the Paso Robles estate.
Elite Auctions
Authors
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Wendy Bowman