Jess Jackson Still Puts Quality First

So far, though, he doesn't seem to have gotten the hang of retirement.

Jackson, who briefly stepped down from the top spot at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Ltd. four years ago, is back as chief executive at age 74, putting his considerable energy into an overhaul of the company's mainstay Vintner's Reserve brand.

"I just love farming. I love wine," Jackson said.

Jackson's famous chardonnay started out 22 years ago as a bit of an accident. A "stuck" fermentation meant that less of the grape sugar was converted to alcohol, making the wine a little sweeter and scoring an immediate hit with sweet-toothed Americans.

Production of that first vintage, released in 1983, was 18,000 cases.

What happened next was no accident as Jackson built a winemaking business that shipped at least 4 million cases last year and controls 12,000 acres of vineyards.

"He has been a major force in the industry," said Robert Smiley, a management professor at UC Davis who follows the wine industry.

At $10 to $15 a bottle, Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve is known for delivering consistent quality in a moderate price range, says Smiley. Open a bottle of Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve and "you always know what you're going to get."

With consistency has come a firm commitment to price point. Jackson has been known to get tough with retailers who try to drop the price too low.

So, it isn't surprising that Jackson's response to the current market pressures of less-expensive imports and Bronco Wine Co.'s ubiquitous Charles Shaw -- "Two Buck Chuck" -- is to try to pump up the quality of what's in the bottle rather than lower prices.

"Quality is what I'm about," Jackson said. "I want to be proud of my product."

The Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve chardonnay has become slightly less sweet -- it's still pleasantly fruity -- and 65% of the grapes used in the Vintner's Reserve chardonnay are estate-grown, which means grown and controlled by Kendall-Jackson rather than being bought in bulk on the spot market.

Kendall-Jackson also is aging all of the chardonnay in French oak barrels, which gives wine its "toasty" taste. French oak is the most expensive way to go, but Kendall-Jackson has the advantage of owning a stave mill in a forest in France. The company also has its own nursery and grows its own rootstock.