Jess Jackson

I guess "Black Mountain Cabernet" just ain't good enough.

KJ's New Appellation

The local billionaire owner of Kendall-Jackson, La Crema, Matanzas Creek, Hartford, Murphy-Goode, Stonestreet, Arrowood, Edmeades, Freemark Abbey, and so on, is on the move again. Money is no object!

After success with his Bennett Valley AVA (he owns the only commercial winery in Bennett Vly--Matanzas Creek) he's been in the news wanting to rename a mountain overlooking Alexander Valley. It's called Black Mountain, but Jess thinks there are too many Black Mountains around and it should be renamed in honor of Cyrus Alexander, the first American settler in the area. So Jess wants Black Mountain to become Alexander Mountain.

Oh yeah, Jess has grapes on the side of Black Mtn and thinks his next AVA would sound better as Alexander Mtn rather than Black Mtn. I hadn't heard this last bit of info about him having grapes there until now. I guess the name change didn't slip through as easily as he hoped.

It's Happened Before

Lawyers getting their own AVA (American Viticultural Area) isn't new. Of course, they know the system and how to get legal-type paperwork done. Barry Sterling of Iron Horse got a piece of Russian River Valley separated off into Green Valley many years ago before Russian River Valley got to be synonymous with great Pinot Noir and sparkling wine. Maybe he should have left well enough alone? No. It's probably a ego thing as much as anything else, huh?


Note: AVA or American Viticultural Areas are the designations you see on many wine bottles such as Napa Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Valley, etc