They were winegrowers before their were winemakers. Farmers from the beginning, Jess Stonestreet Jackson, Jr. and his family buys an aging orchard in Lake County and plants chardonnay grapes (1974). Company founded Changing the landscape of American wines, Kendall-Jackson debuts with the release of the vintage 1982 Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay. Jess Jackson and his two daughters, Jenny and Laura, begin to hand-sell the wines across the country with great success.
The Jackson Family continues to be the leading producer of Chardonnay. Flavor Domaine inspired by the rich traditions of France, Jess establishes a “Flavor Domaine” philosophy, planting individual varieties suited to their terroir, to promote ideal attributes of each grape. Estates Jackson Family Wines owns among others the following Wine Estates in California: Kendall Jackson, Murphy Goode, Nielson, La Crema, Atalon, Freemark Abbey and Gran Moraine.