Kendall-Jackson Celebrates 25 Year Anniversary
A
Letter From Founder Jess Jackson
Twenty-five
years seems like yesterday. I cherish
the memory of bottling our first Kendall-Jackson
Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay--the 1982
vintage--in a modest metal barn that served
as our Lakeport winery.
What
joy we had introducing the wine to visitors,
many of them from my San Francisco law
firm. Only later did we establish a more
formal tasting room in a converted shed
near the winery. It featured a big oak
plank laid over two upturned wine barrels.
As
I traveled the coastal regions of California
during the early 1980s searching for the
"perfect chardonnay vineyard,"
I found a few special places that produced
extraordinary grapes with distinctive
character and flavor. Tepusquet in Santa
Barbara County, La Reina in Monterey County,
and Les Pierres in Sonoma County were
three of those special vineyards that
became the backbone of Vintner*s Reserve
Chardonnay.
We*ve always worked hard to ensure that
our winery stays one step ahead of cultural
tastes and two steps ahead of our competition.
Kendall-Jackson has built its reputation
on consistency and quality, something
that has not been lost on those wine lovers
who have contributed to our success.
I*m
proud to say that Kendall-Jackson is America*s
best-selling "attainable luxury"
wine. We achieved that mantle by maintaining
a simple, single-minded vision--to make
world-class wines we needed world-class
vineyards. So over the years, my family
and I have acquired vineyards in premier,
maritime-influenced wine growing regions
along California*s cool coast.
In
2004, we evolved our Vintner*s Reserve
program to "Jackson Estates Grown,"
a tier that ensures total viticultural
and quality control over the vineyards
from which we source grapes. Our Grand
Reserve wines are now dual appellation
and moving toward single appellation designations.
As our Estate vineyards move beyond their
teenage years, you will see a natural
progression of fruit quality experienced
in our Highland Estates program. Needless
to say, you can expect another evolution
in the Vintner*s Reserve wines.
From
our Vintner*s Reserve Chardonnay to Grand
Reserve Merlot to Hawkeye Mountain Highland
Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, each grape
exhibits a flavor directly tied to its
terroir. These grapes are grown exclusively
on mountains, ridges, hillsides and benches
along the cool coastal regions of California.
From
the Santa Maria Bench and Los Alamos Hills
in Santa Barbara County, the hillsides
of Sonoma County*s Bennett Valley and
steep Hawkeye Mountain high above the
Alexander Valley, the ridges of Anderson
Valley in Mendocino County, Howell Mountain
above Napa Valley*s Calistoga, the gravelly
bench of the Arroyo Seco in Monterey County,
Annapolis Vineyard at the western edge
of Sonoma Coast, to the steep slopes of
Mount St. Helena in Sonoma County*s Knights
Valley--these are just some of the special
places where grapes are grown to our strict
standards of precision farming.
Our
commitment to the stewardship of these
lands has never been greater. Over the
past five years, my family and I have
instituted a number of sustainable farming
methods throughout our Estates vineyards.
Included are the use of soil erosion controls,
planting cover crops to attract beneficial
insects, elimination of certain herbicides
and insecticides, and creating large wildlife
corridors and riparian breaks along major
watersheds. The number of acres that we
purposely leave unplanted in grapes exceeds
the number of those that are planted.
We
are very proud of our environmental stewardship
in the vineyard and our pursuit of truth
in labeling. These commitments along with
our passion for excellence in the vineyards
and our ongoing pledge to making wines
of superior quality are what keep our
fires burning.
There
is still much to learn and there are still
more vineyards to walk. I am joined by
my wife, Barbara, and our family, in celebrating
Kendall-Jackson*s first 25 years of accomplishments.
Here*s to the next 25 years and beyond.
Signed,
Jess Jackson, Owner & Proprietor
Kendall-Jackson
Contact: George Rose - VP of Public Relations
(707) 525-6229
5007 Fulton Road
Fulton, California 95439
(707) 571-8100
http://www.kj.com/home.asp
