“This is exciting!” says George Rose, vice president of public relations at Kendall-Jackson. “It’s going up on our lobby ‘wall of fame.’ We like to receive accolades such as the NorthBay biz Best Chardonnay award. It’s a great testimony to our product.”
Kendall-Jackson produced its first Chardonnay in 1982. The following year, it won the first platinum award—ever—in the American Wine Competition. And the Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve (its most popular) has been the best-selling Chardonnay in the United States for the past 17 years.
One of the reasons it’s so well received is consistency. According to Rose, the wine has evolved over time, but its basic flavor profile remains largely the same. Winemaster Randy Ullom describes it as having tropical and stone fruit flavors, layered with lightly buttered toast and a long finish.
“It’s a bit drier [than the original offering],” says Rose. “And the ingredients have evolved. In 2004, it became the first Jackson Estates-grown Chardonnay [meaning 100 percent of the fruit comes from vineyards the company owns or controls].”
Aside from the Vintner’s Reserve, Kendall-Jackson offers a Grand Reserve Chardonnay and three Highland Estates choices (the highest tier made). Those, along with the other varietals it offers, make up almost 4 million cases of wine produced annually (5.5 million if you count the other wineries owned by Jackson Family Wines). “But we’re still ‘boutique’ compared to Mondavi or Beringer,” says Rose.
Last year, Kendall-Jackson celebrated its 25-year anniversary. “We’ve had a great run,” Rose says. “We’re looking forward to the next 25. We’re also still family-owned, and we plan on staying that way.”
So what does the future hold for Kendall-Jackson? “We’ve made our name with Chardonnay,” says Rose. “But Mr. Jackson has a personal goal that we’ll be as famous for our reds someday.
