(Wine-Searcher) - Will an abject apology be enough to redeem a winery that leveled ancient trees without a permit?

The furor over Justin Vineyards clearcutting a stand of mature oak trees in Paso Robles has got to the owners, who released a statement saying they were "ashamed and sorry".

The removal of an estimated 8000 oaks caused fury in Paso Robles, sparking protest meetings, boycotts of Justin-related products such as Pom Wonderful and Fiji Water, and a general backlash against Justin's owners, Stewart and Lynda Resnick.

"As the owners of Justin Vineyards & Winery, we try to instill in our local team a neighborly spirit, environmental responsibility and entrepreneurial independence," the statement said. "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 statement went on to say that the Resnicks had conducted a review of the project, which saw the oaks leveled to make way for more vineyards. The Resnicks also said they had spoken with local residents to get a better handle on public reaction to the felling.

"We've … found that our actions are an embarrassment, and for that, we take full responsibility. We are horrified by the lack of regard for both neighbor and nature that has been exhibited, especially the removal of native oak woodlands, and 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."

Part of that making right will involve the donation of the 380-acre Sleepy Farm Road site where the oaks were felled to the county, although what the county will do with 380 acres of denuded land is uncertain.

"We're actively exploring the best possible ways to make that happen, in addition to looking for other conservation opportunities in the greater Adelaida area," the statement said. "As part of this preservation, we will ensure that all necessary steps are taken to conserve this land in cooperation with county and local officials. Also included in this re-mitigation process will be the implementation of immediate sedimentation and erosion control measures; the elimination of our pond project and restoring it to its natural grade; implementing measures to permanently protect oak woodlands from being removed on at least 100 acres of our property; and planting 5000 new oak trees across our properties.