Kendall Jackson Chards and more!

 What a day today was. Had a few friends over for Easter Dinner and also a chance to share a toast to Jess Jackson the founder of Kendall Jackson.

We decided it would be fun to share a few of his different chardonnays as that is what really set him on the road to wine success. Unfortunately some of the chards cost more than the wines I normally post about, so please forgive me for straying.

 Of course we started with the wine that put him at the top of the wine world. The Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay. This wine normally retails around $14 to $18 and is a great chard at that price point.

What I like most about it is the fact you can pick up some pineapple flavors along with mango and a touch of honey and citrus. I can taste why it is one of the top selling chardonnays made. After downing a couple bottles
of this we moved on to his Grand Reserve.

The Grand Reserve is always a high scoring wine and is a much smoother and tasty chardonnay that sells for around $20. This wine has more tropical fruits and citrus flavors to it with the finish having a pronounced vanilla and cinnamon taste.

I still haven;t figured out how or where one of my mates found a bottle of the Highland Estates. I know this one sells for about $30 but the stores I haunt never seem to have it (oh well). This wine has a great finish with a nice mineral taste to it.

I broke out a bottle of Matanzas Creek Chard which I've kept around for a special occasion. I really like this wine as it has great tastes of pear, apples and currants with a great mineral finish. This wine retails around $26 but is well worth it. If I wasn't such a wine slob I would probably drink this one more often.

We finished the night with a nice buzz and a glass of Avant Chard. This is a new chard to the KJ lineup and well worth the $12 to $15 it costs. This chard has less oak to it and the fruit flavors are delectable. Very layered flavors of apple, pear and a zest of lemon with a nice mineral finish.

Jess Jackson, we thank you for great chardonnays. Cheers and may your glass always be full. RIP.

The Wine Slob

Wine Tasting With Friends

Jess Jackson 1930 - 2011

Jess Jackson the founder of Kendall-Jackson Wines passed away today (4/21/11) at the age of 81.

Mr. Jackson introduced many of us to our first taste of wine and most of us to the pleasures of California Chardonnays.



His winery’s initial success was quite by accident. While making the 1982 Chardonnay, the fermentation became stuck, which meant the yeast stopped converting sugar into alcohol, leaving the wine slightly sweet. Mr. Jackson brought in various winemakers to resolve the situation but to no avail. In a bold move Mr.Jackson decided to release the wine anyway, labeling it Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay. It was a hit with consumers. ($8 to$11) Many people simply know his wine by and ask for it simply as KJ Chard.

The Kendall-Jackson company also owned  Arrowood, Freemark Abbey, Murphy-Goode, Matanzas Creek, Byron, Robert Pecota and La Jota in California, and Château Lassègue in Bordeaux. It also created new brands such as Carmel Road, Verite, Anakota, Archipel and Ray’s Station.

So be you a wine snob or a wine slob, your life of drinking wine has surely been touched by this incredible man.

Jess Jackson, may your wine glass never be empty!



 The Wine Slob





Wine Tasting With Friends