Kendall-Jackson

Kendall-Jackson
Location Santa Rosa, California, USA
Coordinates 38°29′00″N 122°46′07″W / 38.48333°N 122.76861°W / 38.48333; -122.76861
Appellation North Coast AVA
Founded 1982
Key people Jess Jackson, proprietor; Barbara Banke, proprietor; Randy Ullom, winemaster
Known for Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
Varietals Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Meritage, Malbec, Cabernet Franc
Distribution International
Tasting Kendall-Jackson Wine Center (Santa Rosa, CA);
Kendall-Jackson Tasting Room (Healdsburg, CA)
Website http://www.kj.com

Kendall-Jackson Vineyard Estates is a vineyard and winery, under the Kendall-Jackson brand, located in Santa Rosa, California in the Sonoma Valley wine country. As of 2010 Kendall-Jackson was the highest-selling brand of "super-premium" wine (an industry term referring to wine retailing for more than $15 per bottle) in the United States.[1]

History

The Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California; August 2007.

In 1974, San Francisco land-use attorney Jess Jackson and his wife Jane Kendall Wadlow Jackson converted an 80-acre (320,000 m2) pear and walnut orchard in Lakeport, California to a vineyard and sold wine grapes to local wineries. In 1982, a downturn in the grape market led them to produce their own wine instead of selling the grapes, and the Kendall-Jackson brand was established. That label now continues under the umbrella company, Jackson Family Wines, that Jackson later created.

In the 1980s, Kendall-Jackson rejected the California wine industry's trend toward vineyard-specific wine labeling. It ignored the concept of terroir in favor of blending wines from different regions to achieve desired wine characteristics. They reversed that direction in the mid-2000s, along with a push to upgrade their quality.[2]

After retiring from Hewlett-Packard, Lew Platt was the company's CEO from 2000 to mid-2001.[3]

In late 2006, the Jackson family launched White Rocket Wine Co. in Napa Valley to target the millennial generation of wine drinkers.[4]

In April 2011 Jess Jackson died in his sleep at his Geyserville estate after a battle with cancer. He was 81. His son-in-law, Don Hartford, had been already serving as chief executive officer of the company. The company disclosed a succession plan in March, announcing that president Rick Tigner would be transitioning into the position of CEO (Tigner was featured on the third season, second episode of Undercover Boss). Don Hartford and Barbara Banke will oversee the family's interests on the board of directors.

References

  1. Dan Levy, Bloomberg News (2010-03-08). "Napa wineries fall under foreclosure crush". Bloomberg.
  2. Murphy, Linda (19 February 2004). "Mountain man / A 'retired' Jess Jackson heads for the hills to revamp Kendall-Jackson". San Francisco Chronicle. p. D1. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  3. LaPedus, Mark (September 9, 2005). "Lew Platt, former HP CEO, dies at 64". EE Times. UBM Tech. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
  4. Scott, H. Morgan (31 December 2006). "Kendall-Jackson Founder Targets Younger Wine Drinker". Wine Spectator. p. 15.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.