CUNNING CRAFTSMANSHIP TURNS ERROR INTO SUCCESS FOR KENDALL-JACKSON.Byline: Frank J. Prial Frank J. Prial, who graduated from Georgetown University in 1951, was the wine columnist for the New York Times for 25 years. His writing was intended to illuminate rather than obfuscate with that “peculiar subgenre of the English language” that he calls The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times A roostertail of dust billowing bil·low n. 1. A large wave or swell of water. 2. A great swell, surge, or undulating mass, as of smoke or sound. v. bil·lowed, bil·low·ing, bil·lows v.intr. 1. out behind it, the gold Lexus climbed into the rugged Mayacamas Mountains The Mayacmas Mountains (often called the Mayacamas Mountains) are located in northwestern California in the United States. The mountains, one of the California Coast Ranges, are found south of the Mendocino Range, west of Clear Lake, and east of Ukiah, and extend south into . ``Don't be nervous,'' said Jess Jackson, pulling deftly through another hairpin turn A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend, hairpin corner, etc.), named for its resemblance to a hairpin/bobby pin, is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn almost 180º to continue on the road. . ``I know this country.'' He should; it's the Gauer Ranch, some 75 miles north of San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , one of the last great land holdings in Sonoma County, more than 5,000 acres of mountains, meadows and, yes, vineyards. And Jess Jackson owns it all. ``I often read about the Gallos,'' he said as he drove along, ignoring a 3,000-foot drop just inches from the car. ``Everyone talks about how much land they own up here. Well, we own a lot more than they do.'' What Jackson owns is nothing less than the fastest-growing and arguably most successful wine-making business to appear in California in 20 years. From a few acres of grapes in the early 1970s, he now controls more than a dozen wineries - including his flagship, Kendall-Jackson - stretching from all the choice growing regions of California to Europe and South America South America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop. 299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . Though still dwarfed by the E & J Gallo Co. - the industry giant - Jackson's empire is now among the top 10 wine businesses in the country, with sales of about $200 million in 1996 from Kendall-Jackson alone, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Jon Fredrikson, an industry economist. The smaller wineries produced an additional $30 million, Jackson said. In the process, he has managed to change the way fine wine is made and marketed in the United States, leaving many in the business to marvel at his highly lean, efficient and integrated operation, which includes a barrel-making business and a distribution company. At the same time, the pugnacious pug·na·cious adj. Combative in nature; belligerent. See Synonyms at belligerent. [From Latin pugn Jackson, an experienced lawyer, has become the object of envy as well as admiration, and has generated a bumper crop of speculation and controversy. Jackson's story combines the good fortune of a novice who has stumbled onto something new with the calculating eye of a master marketer, who has found his magic niche. An early mistake in the fermentation process of his Vintner's Reserve chardonnay created a surprise hit whose slight sweetness has inspired others to offer similar products. The competition also followed in his footsteps when Jackson carved out a new middle market for fine wines after carefully analyzing the existing price structure. He has been largely alone, however, in bringing a lawyer's hardball style to the traditionally genteel wine business. Jackson took advantage of an industry downturn in the late '80s to snap up unprofitable vineyards and hire away well-regarded wine makers. And he has been involved in several high-profile legal battles, even taking on Gallo. Now, as his business is poised for still more growth, the 66-year-old Jackson is clearly a major force to be reckoned with, even though, as he proudly says, he is still not part of ``the old boy system.'' ``Jess came into the business as a real estate lawyer, and he still thinks like a lawyer,'' said one winery owner who has known Jackson for 20 years. ``That's why wine people can't figure him out; they're not lawyers.'' His first vintages were called Chateau du Lac. By 1982, the name had been changed to Kendall-Jackson - Kendall is the surname of Jackson's first wife - and a winery was under construction. While making his 1982 chardonnay, Jackson ran into a problem. At a crucial point, the fermentation stopped before all the sugar in the grapes was converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. . Efforts to restart the process failed and the wine was bottled with the unfermented Adj. 1. unfermented - not soured or preserved; "sweet milk" fresh, sweet unsoured - not having turned bad sugar - just a touch - still in it. Vintner's Reserve was an instant success, and it has stayed that way. The reason, experts say, is that the new product legitimized the sweet taste of jug wine, attracting an army of drinkers willing to pay a few dollars more for the status of a better label. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Sonoma vitner Jess Jackson grossed $230 million in 1996. The New York Times |
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