Jackson Family Wines

The Jackson Family Wines story begins not in a grand chateau but in a pear and walnut orchard. In 1974, San Francisco land-use attorney Jess Stonestreet Jackson Jr. and his wife Jane Kendall Wadlow Jackson purchased an 80-acre orchard in Lakeport, Lake County, California, and began converting it to premium wine grape production. For several years, they sold the harvested grapes to established local wineries. By the early 1980s, a severe surplus in the California grape market left Jackson unable to sell his crop at a viable price, forcing his hand into winemaking. In 1982, Kendall-Jackson was born, the brand name combining Jackson's surname with his wife's maiden name of Kendall. Winemaker Jed Steele was hired, and the inaugural 1982 Chardonnay experienced a stuck fermentation, leaving the wine slightly sweet. Rather than a setback, Jackson recognized this as an opportunity: the lightly off-dry style was bottled as is, became an instant success, and helped define a whole new category of approachable, fruit-forward American Chardonnay. The wine debuted with 16,000 cases and won the first-ever Platinum Award from the American Wine Competition in 1983. By 1992, Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay was the top-selling Chardonnay in the United States, a position it held for over 25 years.

• Jess Jackson purchased an 80-acre Lake County orchard in 1974 and converted it to vineyards after realizing grapes were more profitable than pears
• A grape market downturn in 1982 forced Jackson to make his own wine rather than sell grapes, creating Kendall-Jackson
• A stuck fermentation in the 1982 Chardonnay accidentally produced a lightly sweet style that became the defining Vintner's Reserve signature
• Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay won the first-ever Platinum Award at the American Wine Competition in 1983 and became the top-selling Chardonnay in America by 1992

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jess Jackson used the commercial success of Kendall-Jackson as a springboard to build a sprawling portfolio of artisan and luxury estates. Cambria Estate Winery was established in 1986 after the family purchased part of the historic Tepusquet Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, with the name honoring Barbara Banke's Welsh heritage. Stonestreet Winery followed in 1989 in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, and La Crema was acquired in 1993. International expansion began in 1993 with Chile and in 1994 with the acquisition of Tenuta di Arceno in Tuscany. The ultra-premium Verite estate was established in Sonoma in 1998, and Jackson Family Wines expanded to Australia in 2000 with what became Yangarra Estate Vineyard. Chateau Lassegue in Bordeaux was purchased in 2003, giving the family a foothold in the most prestigious wine region in the world. Key Napa Valley acquisitions included La Jota Vineyard on Howell Mountain in 2005 and Freemark Abbey, one of Napa's oldest wineries, in 2006. Oregon became a focus from 2013, with the acquisition of Zena Crown Vineyard in Yamhill and the establishment of Gran Moraine Winery in the Willamette Valley. By the time of Jess Jackson's death in April 2011, the company had grown to more than 30 brands producing over 5 million cases annually, with estates on four continents.

• Cambria (1986, Santa Maria Valley), Stonestreet (1989, Alexander Valley), and La Crema (acquired 1993) were key early California expansions
• International expansion began in 1993 with Chile and 1994 with Tuscany's Tenuta di Arceno; Chateau Lassegue in Bordeaux was acquired in 2003
• Verite was established in Sonoma in 1998 under Bordeaux-born winemaker Pierre Seillan, going on to earn over 20 perfect 100-point scores
• Oregon's Willamette Valley became a major focus from 2013, with acquisitions including Zena Crown, Penner-Ash, and WillaKenzie Estate

Jackson Family Wines operates a deliberately tiered portfolio, ranging from accessible, high-volume labels to some of California's most collectable and critically acclaimed wines. Kendall-Jackson remains the commercial engine, with its Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay still America's top-selling Chardonnay. La Crema, acquired in 1993, specializes in cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma and Monterey. At the luxury end, Cardinale produces a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend from mountain sites, while Lokoya focuses on single-appellation Cabernets from Napa's prestigious mountain AVAs including Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder. The crown jewel is Verite, where Bordeaux-born winemaker Pierre Seillan crafts three micro-cuvees, each inspired by a different Bordeaux archetype: La Joie, a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend modeled after Pauillac; La Muse, a Merlot-dominant blend inspired by Pomerol; and Le Desir, a Cabernet Franc-based wine with strong mineral character. Across its history, Verite has accumulated over 20 perfect 100-point scores from major critics. Hartford Family Winery, founded in 1994 in the Russian River Valley by Jess Jackson's daughter Jenny and her husband Don Hartford, focuses on single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

• Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is America's top-selling Chardonnay, blending grapes from multiple California coastal regions for consistent style
• La Crema (acquired 1993) is the portfolio's cool-climate specialist, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma, Monterey, and beyond
• Lokoya produces single-appellation Napa mountain Cabernets from Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder
• Verite's three micro-cuvees, La Joie, La Muse, and Le Desir, have earned over 20 perfect 100-point scores from major critics

Environmental stewardship has been central to Jackson Family Wines' identity for decades. All estate vineyards earned certification under California's Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW) program by 2010. The company installed its first solar panels in 2012 and went on to build what it describes as the U.S. wine industry's largest on-site solar array, with renewable energy currently powering more than 30 percent of winemaking operations. A pivotal moment came in 2019, when Jackson Family Wines co-founded International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) alongside Spain's Familia Torres, an organization designed to unite wine companies in a collective push toward decarbonization. Through its Rooted for Good: Roadmap to 2030 initiative, unveiled in August 2021, the company committed to cutting its carbon footprint in half by 2030 and becoming climate positive by 2050, across all emission scopes without purchasing carbon offsets. Specific targets include transitioning 100 percent of estate vineyards to regenerative farming practices, expanding renewable energy to power over 50 percent of winemaking operations' electricity, and moving to zero-emission vehicles. Innovative viticulture practices include deploying owls and falcons for natural pest control, using drones to monitor crop moisture and health, grazing sheep for weed management, and planting vine rootstocks requiring less irrigation to address increasing drought conditions.

• All estate vineyards were certified under the CCSW program by 2010; the company built the U.S. wine industry's largest on-site solar array
• Co-founded International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) with Familia Torres of Spain in 2019 to drive industry-wide decarbonization
• The Rooted for Good: Roadmap to 2030 (launched August 2021) commits to cutting carbon footprint in half by 2030 and being climate positive by 2050
• Regenerative farming goal: 100 percent of estate vineyards transitioned to regenerative practices by 2030, including cover crops, composting, and livestock integration

Jackson Family Wines has remained privately held and family-run throughout its history, a distinction that is increasingly rare at its scale. Jess Stonestreet Jackson Jr., born February 18, 1930, passed away on April 21, 2011, after treatment for melanoma. Following his death, his wife Barbara Banke assumed the role of Chairman and Proprietor, becoming the first woman named Wine Enthusiast's Wine Personality of the Year in 2012 and receiving Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award in 2017. Jess Jackson had five children, including Jenny Jackson Hartford and Laura Jackson Giron from his first marriage, and Katie, Julia, and Christopher Jackson from his marriage to Barbara Banke. Son-in-law Don Hartford was named Vice Chairman, and the next generation of the Jackson family continues to take active leadership roles throughout the company. The family's commitment to independence has allowed each winery in the portfolio to maintain its own distinct identity, winemaking philosophy, and team, while sharing resources in areas like distribution and sustainability programs. The Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building at the University of California, Davis, funded with a $4 million family gift and opened in 2013, stands as a lasting contribution to wine education and research.

• Jess Jackson (1930-2011) passed away from melanoma; wife Barbara Banke became Chairman and Proprietor, the first female Wine Enthusiast Wine Personality of the Year (2012)
• Five children, Jenny, Laura, Katie, Julia, and Christopher, play active roles in company leadership alongside son-in-law and Vice Chairman Don Hartford
• Each winery in the portfolio operates with its own dedicated winemaker, vineyards, and style, while sharing group resources
• The $4 million family-funded Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building at UC Davis opened in 2013, a LEED Platinum-certified research and teaching facility

Central to the Jackson family's winemaking philosophy is the conviction that exceptional wine can only come from exceptional vineyard sites, particularly those at higher elevations and in cool coastal climates. This belief drove the company to become the largest owner of coastal vineyards in California and Oregon, controlling 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) in the United States alone. Founder Jess Jackson coined the term 'Flavor Domaine' to describe his approach of matching individual grape varieties to the terroir best suited to them. The philosophy holds that mountain sites and coastal ridges produce wines of superior intensity, freshness, and character, a tenet that has guided every major acquisition from the high-elevation Stonestreet Mountain Estate in Alexander Valley to the cool Willamette Valley in Oregon. Outside the United States, the portfolio spans St. Emilion in Bordeaux, Tuscany, McLaren Vale and South Australia, Chile's Colchagua Valley, and the Western Cape of South Africa, where Capensis produces Chardonnay from the Fijnbosch vineyard. Each international estate operates with its own winemaker and stylistic focus, connecting the global portfolio under a shared commitment to site-driven, estate-grown wines of distinction.

• Jackson Family Wines is the largest owner of coastal vineyards in California and Oregon, controlling 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) in the United States
• The 'Flavor Domaine' philosophy, conceived by Jess Jackson, calls for matching grape varieties precisely to the terroir best suited to express their finest attributes
• Mountain and coastal ridge sites are prioritized globally, from Alexander Valley's Stonestreet Mountain Estate to Oregon's Willamette Valley and Australia's McLaren Vale
• International estate wines span Bordeaux (Chateau Lassegue, St. Emilion), Tuscany (Tenuta di Arceno), South Africa (Capensis), Chile, and Australia (Yangarra)