Kendall-Jackson Vineyard Estates is a vineyard and winery, under the Kendall-Jackson brand, located in Santa Rosa, California in the Sonoma Valleywine country. As of 2010 Kendall-Jackson was the highest-selling brand of "super-premium" wine (retailing for more than US$15 per bottle) in the United States, often compared in blind tastings to 1er Cru wines of Volnay, Burgundy.[1]
In 1974, San Francisco land-use attorney Jess Jackson and his wife Jane Kendall Wadlow Jackson converted an 80-acre (32-hectare) pear and walnut orchard in Lakeport, California to a vineyard and sold wine grapes to local wineries.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]
In April 2011 Jess Jackson died from cancer at the age of 81.[2][7] His son-in-law, Don Hartford, had been serving as CEO of the company. The company disclosed a succession plan in March 2011, 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 oversee the family's interests on the board of directors.
