Jackson Family Wines is a wine company headquartered in Santa Rosa, California. At 6 million cases sold per year, it is the ninth-largest wine producer in the United States.[1] Jackson Family Wines includes 40 brands, sourced from vineyards and wineries in California, Oregon, the Bordeaux region in France, Tuscany in Italy, Australia, Chile and South Africa.[2][3] It controls 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) in the United States and is the largest owner of coastal vineyards in California and Oregon.[4] The family-owned company is known for the brand Kendall-Jackson.

Jackson Family Wines
LocationSanta Rosa, California
Founded1982 (1982)
First vintage1983
Key peopleJess Jackson, founder
Barbara Banke, chairman
Acres cultivated50,000 (20,000 ha)
Cases/yr6 million
Websitejacksonfamilywines.com

History edit

Early history edit

In 1974, Jess Jackson purchased an 80-acre (32 ha) orchard in Northern California. He planted grapes on the land to attempt winemaking.[5] Jackson Family Wines was founded in 1982,[6][7] and its first vintage of Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay was released in 1983.[8]

In 1986, Jackson Family Wines purchased part of Tepusquet Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley[8] and established Cambria Winery.[9] It established Stonestreet Winery in 1989 in the Alexander Valley.[10] The company expanded into Sonoma and Mendocino counties in 1989, and the central and southern California coast in 1991.[2] In 1993, it acquired La Crema winery in Windsor, California.[11] In 1994, Jackson Family Wines acquired Tenuta di Arceno in Tuscany.[12]

It purchased Alexander Mountain Estate in 1995.[13][14] In 1996, the company purchased Liparita Vineyard,[15] which was renamed W.S. Keyes Vineyard.[16] Jackson Family Wines established Carmel Road Winery in Monterey, California in 1997 and Vérité in Sonoma in 1998.[17] The following year, it purchased the El Maitén estate in Chile.[18]

Expansion edit

Jackson Family Wines expanded to Australia in 2000 with the acquisition of 430 acres (172 ha) Eringa Park vineyard, which was renamed Yangarra Estate Vineyard.[19] That same year, the company acquired Matanzas Creek Winery in Sonoma Valley.[20] It continued an international expansion with the purchase of Château Lassègue in Bordeaux, France in 2003.[21] La Jota Vineyard Co. on Howell Mountain was acquired by Jackson Family Wines in 2005.[22] In 2006, the company acquired Byron Winery, Freemark Abbey, Arrowood and Murphy-Goode Estate Winery in Alexander Valley.[23][24][25]

The company planted Périgord truffle spores in its hazelnut and white oak orchard in 2011. Its first truffle harvest in 2017 produced 17 fungi.[26] It acquired Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard in South Australia in February 2012.[27] The following June, Jackson Family Wines acquired Ramal West Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast.[28] In November 2012, Jackson Family Wines acquired the property that contained Richard's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard.[29]

In 2013, the Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building opened at the University of California, Davis after the Jackson family donated $3 million for the construction of a testing ground for environmentally friendly technologies.[2] That same year, Jackson Family Wines established Capensis, a winery in South Africa. Capensis Chardonnay is produced using grapes from across the Western Cape, including the Fijnbosch vineyard.[30] Yverdon vineyard on Napa's Spring Mountain was purchased by the company in 2013.[31] Jackson Family Wines also acquired Zena Crown Vineyard in Yamhill, Oregon in 2013, and established the Gran Moraine Winery in Yamhill in 2014.[32]

It acquired Siduri and Novy Family Wines in 2015.[33] Siduri was founded in 1994 by Adam and Dianna Novy Lee. It was the first acquisition by Jackson Family Wines that did not include vineyards.[34] In 2016, Jackson Family Wines acquired Penner-Ash Wine Cellars[35] and WillaKenzie Estate in Oregon,[36][37] Copain Wines in Healdsburg, California,[38] and Field Stone Winery in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley.[39]

It was announced that the company was building a new winery in Oregon in March 2017.[40] In April 2017, the Culinary Institute of America at Copia announced it had renamed its amphitheater Jackson Family Wines Amphitheater in honor of a $2 million gift from the family to the culinary college.[41] At the Sonoma County Farm Bureau's Love of the Land event in July 2017, Jackson Family Wines was recognized with the Luther Burbank Conservation Award for its practices and commitment to sustainability.[42] In May 2017, it was announced that the company was acquiring Brewer-Clifton, a Pinot Noir-based winery, including its brand Diatom as well as 60 acres (24 ha) of vineyards and a winery and tasting room in Lompoc, California.[43][44][45] Brewer-Clifton was founded by Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton in 1995.[46] Banke received Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award in 2017 for her work with Jackson Family Winery.[47]

Jackson Family Wines sponsored the Homes for Sonoma project in 2018 after the October 2017 Northern California wildfires.[48]

Regenerative farming edit

The company has set a goal to transition 100% of their estate vineyards to regenerative farming by 2030.[49] To reduce pesticides, Jackson Family Wines has owls and falcons to attack pests. Drones are used to detect moisture in crops as well as nutritional deficiencies and irrigation leaks. Pressed grapes are composted and returned to the soil to help it retain moisture. In response to growing drought, Jackson Family Wines started planting vines that have deeper root and require less irrigation. Jackson Family Wines runs PVC piping directed to a reservoir on Green Valley Creek and release water into it to keep the environment healthy for the endangered coho salmon.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ "America's 30 largest wine producers (With ties to Lodi)".
  2. ^ a b c "Wine Industry Awards: Barbara Banke, Jackson Family Wines". The North Bay Business Journal. December 4, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  3. ^ "Jackson Family Wines purchases boutique winery Copain". San Francisco Chronicle. May 16, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  4. ^ "Wine-Searcher. Human race only please". www.wine-searcher.com. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Gelles, David (January 5, 2017). "Falcons, Drones, Date" A Winery Battles Climate Change". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Get to Know Four Mother-Daughter Winemaking Teams | Wine Enthusiast Magazine". Wine Enthusiast Magazine. May 10, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  7. ^ "What to Drink Now: Wine for Mom From Moms - D Magazine". D Magazine. May 10, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "As the Planet Grows Hotter and Drier, the Jackson Family Implements Sustainability | Krecker Marketing". kreckermarketing.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "Quality and Quantity at Cambria Winery". www.independent.com. October 5, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Alexander Valley Wineries & Wine Country | Calwineries". www.calwineries.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  11. ^ "La Crema picks new top winemaker". The North Bay Business Journal. January 6, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  12. ^ "Postcard from Italy: Tuscany with Arcanum - D Magazine". D Magazine. August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  13. ^ Sahagun, Louis (May 5, 2011). "A mountain of opposition to proposed renaming of summit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  14. ^ "Mountain man / A 'retired' Jess Jackson heads for the hills to revamp Kendall-Jackson". San Francisco Chronicle. February 19, 2004. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  15. ^ Sullivan, Charles L. (October 1998). A Companion to California Wine: An Encyclopedia of Wine and Winemaking from the Mission Period to the Present. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520213517.
  16. ^ "Mastering Napa Valley's Mountain Appellations | Wine Enthusiast Magazine". Wine Enthusiast Magazine. May 30, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  17. ^ "Seillan: Sonoma has more fine wine potential than anywhere else". www.thedrinksbusiness.com. October 3, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  18. ^ Goldstein, Evan (August 29, 2014). Wines of South America: The Essential Guide. Univ of California Press. ISBN 9780520273931.
  19. ^ Yangarra-Estate-Vineyard.
  20. ^ "Jess Jackson Buys Sonoma's Matanzas Creek | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator".
  21. ^ "Kendall-Jackson Founder Buys Bordeaux Estate | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator". WineSpectator.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  22. ^ Richard, Nalley (October 7, 2016). FOOD & WINE 2017 Wine Guide: America's 500 Best Wineries. Time Inc. Books. ISBN 9780848753757.
  23. ^ "Byron Winery's Single-Vineyard Shift". www.independent.com. March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  24. ^ Staff, Register. "Jackson family gets Legacy winery". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  25. ^ "Jackson Family Announces Purchase of Murphy-Goode". www.winebusiness.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  26. ^ "Ground-breaking truffle harvest portends something big in California". SFChronicle.com. April 1, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  27. ^ Chancellor, Jonathan (February 5, 2012). "US-based Jackson Family Wines buys SA's Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard". www.propertyobserver.com.au. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  28. ^ "US: Jackson Family Wines acquires Ramal West Vineyard". June 13, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  29. ^ "Jackson Family Wines buying Richard's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  30. ^ "Jackson Family bottles single vineyard Chardonnay from South Africa". www.thedrinksbusiness.com. September 21, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  31. ^ "Jackson Family Wines Buys Spring Mountain District Estate | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator". WineSpectator.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  32. ^ "Jackson Family Wines buys WillaKenzie Estate". Statesman Journal. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  33. ^ "Clever couple behind Siduri back with new brands". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. May 14, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  34. ^ "A veteran winemaker throws out the wine-selling playbook". Washington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  35. ^ "Oregon has retained its laser focus on bottling pinot noir | HeraldNet.com". HeraldNet.com. March 2, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  36. ^ "Jackson Family Wines purchases Oregon's WillaKenzie Estate". San Francisco Chronicle. October 5, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  37. ^ "Oregon grown, California owned: Our pinot noir's future". Statesman Journal. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  38. ^ "Jackson Family Wines purchases boutique winery Copain". San Francisco Chronicle. May 16, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  39. ^ "Jackson Family Wines purchases Alexander Valley's Field Stone Winery". San Francisco Chronicle. September 12, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  40. ^ "Jackson building new winery in Oregon". www.thedrinksbusiness.com. March 14, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  41. ^ "Food: Copia amphitheater named for Jackson family". Sonoma Index Tribune. May 25, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  42. ^ Ernst, Anne Ward. "Jackson Family Wines, leaders in sustainability, earn conservation award". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  43. ^ "Exclusive: Jackson Family Wines Purchases Santa Barbara's Brewer-Clifton | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator". WineSpectator.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  44. ^ "Jackson buys Santa Barbara winery". The North Bay Business Journal. May 19, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  45. ^ "Brewer-Clifton Sold to Jackson Family Wines | Wine Enthusiast Magazine". Wine Enthusiast Magazine. May 18, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  46. ^ "Making the Most from Mud". www.independent.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  47. ^ "Jackson Family's Barbara Banke Earns Wine Spectator's 2017 Distinguished Service Award | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator". WineSpectator.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  48. ^ "Community Philanthropy Awards: Quattrocchi Kwok, Sonoma Co. Office of Education, Flight". The North Bay Business Journal. March 27, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  49. ^ Thach, Liz (November 30, 2023). "Why La Crema Winery Employs Sheep In The Vineyard That Dislike Grapes". Forbes. Retrieved December 3, 2023.

External links edit