Kendall Jackson Winery

Santa Rosa-based Kendall-Jackson Winery lost its appeal of a trademark-infringement judgment last year in favor of E&J Gallo Winery over that company's "Turning Leaf" line of wines. Closely held Kendall-Jackson, one of the largest U.S. wineries, had claimed that Gallo had unfairly copied the stylized leaf design that it used on its popular Vintner's Reserve wines.

When Jess Jackson coaxed his family into helping crush a load of grapes some 25 harvests ago, he had no clue he was about to create one of the nation's largest wine empires. "I was attracted by the lifestyle. I wanted to get away from law and become a farmer," said Jackson, a former property rights attorney from San Francisco. Since that modest first vintage of 16,000 cases in rural Lakeport, about 90 miles north of San Francisco, his winery has carved out a niche as the Starbucks of wine.

Jess Jackson made his mark as a lawyer, carving out an accomplished career as a land-use attorney. He got into winemaking and became a huge success, building an empire on Kendall-Jackson chardonnay. 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.

Former Hewlett-Packard chief Lew Platt is ending his short second career at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates as founder Jess Jackson has decided to take the company off the market. Platt, 60, was hired in January 2000 as chief executive to restructure the Santa Rosa, Calif.-based firm, one of the largest wineries in the country, and get it ready for a public offering or sale to a large international company that could further its global expansion plans.

Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Ltd. launched an Australian wine brand to take advantage of an increase in demand for the nation's wine in the U.S., the Australia Financial Review reported. The Sonoma Valley winemaker has pre-sold 75,000 cases of its new Yangarra Park red and white wines, the newspaper said. Kendall-Jackson doesn't plan to acquire any Australian wine businesses after withdrawing its own assets from sale two months ago, the report said. The Santa Rosa, Calif.

Premium wine maker Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates said Wednesday it is banning the use of several potent pesticides in its worldwide farming operations, including the 11,000 acres it farms in California. The Santa Rosa-based winery told a Sonoma County grape growers group that it will no longer use methyl bromide, the world's most popular fumigant, to treat new plantings for nematodes and oak root fungus. It also has banned Omite, which is used to control pests, and two popular herbicides.

Two of California's largest vintners, Kendall-Jackson and Beringer Wine Estates, are discussing a merger that could lead to the creation of the country's largest premium-wine company, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Jess Jackson, 70, the founder of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, announced his resignation Monday, turning the Santa Rosa, Calif.-based company's top spot over to his wife, Barbara Banke, who helped him found the company winery nearly 20 years ago. Banke will assume the role of chairwoman and continue her role as president of Kendall-Jackson's Cambria Winery. The Jackson family will continue to own the company, which posted $346 million in sales last year.