California Winery of The Year:
Kendall-Jackson

During his drive to the top,
Jess Jackson has never lost sight of quality.

QRW Staff

Jess Jackson is all about winning. Curlin, the thoroughbred in which he owns a majority stake, was “Horse of the Year” in 2007, after winning The Preakness and The Breeders’ Cup. And Jackson’s Kendall-Jackson wine empire, which now has over 12,000 acres of vines in California, along with burgeoning interests around the world, is doing equally well. So well, in fact, and with such a sure hand on quality, that QRW has chosen Kendall-Jackson as its “California Winery of The Year” for 2008.

Jackson started out humbly enough in 1974, purchasing an 80-acre pear and walnut orchard in the (then) northern California backwater of Lake County. This was soon converted to vineyards, and in 1983, the Kendall-Jackson label was launched. Today, K-J is one of the biggest and most diversified wine brands in California, producing well-made value wines under the “Vintner’s Reserve” tag and more complicated offerings under the “Grand Reserve” banner. In addition, the California empire has expanded to include “Stature,” a superb red Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley, and “Highland Estates,” an outstanding array of high-end varietal wines from top AVAs throughout the state. Moreover, for years these wines have been awarded a place in our exalted “California Best of The Best” — the result of some of the most competitive blind tastings in the industry. Six wines were given the 5-Star/Extraordinary Wine tag in just the last three years. Further, it is not often that a winery repeats. K-J has not only repeated, but has had two or more wines on the “Best” list. In this issue, for example, two more Kendall-Jackson wines were accorded “Best” recognition: 2005 Napa Mountain and the 2003 Stature Napa Valley.

As big as Kendall-Jackson is, it remains firmly in touch with quality. Some of the thanks for this must go to K-J’s talented Winemaster Randy Ullom and to his able assistants, Chris Johnson (head red wine maker) and Mark Theis (head white wine maker). But the lion’s share of credit certainly has to go to Jess Jackson himself. It is his vision, his drive, that more than anything else has propelled Kendall-Jackson to the top and made it a clear winner in our eyes.