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, pushing him into winemaking. In 1982, Kendall-Jackson was born, the brand name combining Jackson's surname with his first wife's maiden name Kendall. Winemaker Jed Steele (1945-2025) was hired, and the inaugural 1982 Chardonnay experienced a stuck fermentation that left the wine slightly sweet. Rather than treating this as a setback, Jackson recognized it 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. 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
• A grape market downturn in 1982 pushed Jackson into making his own wine rather than selling grapes, creating Kendall-Jackson
• A stuck fermentation in the inaugural 1982 Chardonnay accidentally produced a lightly sweet style that became the defining Vintner's Reserve signature
• By 1992 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay was America's top-selling Chardonnay, a position held for over 25 years

Throughout the 1980s and beyond, 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; its name pays homage to 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 with the acquisition of Tenuta di Arceno in Tuscany in 1994. 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 Saint-Emilion was purchased in 2003, giving the family a foothold in Bordeaux. 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 onward, and South Africa entered the portfolio in 2014. By the time of Jess Jackson's death in April 2011, the company had grown to more than 30 brands producing several 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: Tenuta di Arceno in Tuscany (1994), Yangarra in Australia (2000), Chateau Lassegue in Saint-Emilion (2003), South Africa (2014)
• Verite was established in Sonoma in 1998 under winemaker Pierre Seillan, born in Lauzun in southwestern France with two decades of Bordeaux experience
• Napa Valley anchors include La Jota Vineyard on Howell Mountain (2005) and Freemark Abbey (2006)

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 a category leader. 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 four of Napa's prestigious mountain AVAs: Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder. The crown jewel is Verite, where winemaker Pierre Seillan crafts three micro-cuvees, each inspired by a different Bordeaux archetype: La Joie, a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend modeled on Pauillac; La Muse, a Merlot-dominant blend inspired by Pomerol; and Le Desir, a Cabernet Franc-led wine with strong mineral character. Verite has accumulated more than 20 perfect 100-point scores across all major critics to date.

• Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay remains a category-leading American Chardonnay, blending grapes from multiple California coastal regions
• 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, Le Desir) have together earned more than 20 perfect 100-point scores

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 US wine industry's largest on-site solar array, with renewable energy 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 electricity, and moving to zero-emission vehicles.

• All estate vineyards were certified under the CCSW program by 2010; the company built what it describes as the US 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

Jackson Family Wines has remained privately held and family-run throughout its history, a distinction that is increasingly rare at its scale. After Jess Stonestreet Jackson Jr.'s death, his wife Barbara Banke assumed the role of Chairman and Proprietor, 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. Central to the family's winemaking philosophy is the conviction that exceptional wine can only come from exceptional vineyard sites, particularly higher elevations and cool coastal climates. This drove the company to become one of the largest owners of coastal vineyards in California and Oregon, controlling approximately 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) in the United States alone. The $4 million family-funded Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building at UC Davis opened in 2013 as part of the university's LEED Platinum-certified Teaching and Research Winery complex and stands as a lasting contribution to wine education and research.

• Jess Jackson founded Jackson Family Wines; after his death, wife Barbara Banke became Chairman and Proprietor and received Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award in 2017
• Five children (Jenny, Laura, Katie, Julia, Christopher) play active roles in company leadership alongside son-in-law and Vice Chairman Don Hartford
• Among the largest owners of coastal vineyards in California and Oregon; approximately 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) in the United States
• The $4 million Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building at UC Davis opened in 2013 as part of UC Davis's LEED Platinum-certified Teaching and Research Winery complex