Robert Bell's
Wines of Canada
Since 1992
"We’re always looking for the next perfect wine or great vineyard. That prospect of making something really spectacular, discovering something new is what motivates me." Barbara Banke Chairman and Proprietor
In 2023 The Jackson Family of wines, from Santa Rosa California purchased its second winery on Vancouver Island in the Province of British Columbia Canada The first winery they purchased was Unsworth Vineyards in Mill Bay. The second winery purchased was Blue Grouse Estate Winery located in Duncan.
Jess Stonestreet Jackson JrFor the Jackson Family it all started in 1974 when Jess Stonestreet Jackson Jr and his family bought an aging Orchard in Lake Country Ca. and Planted Chardonnay. In 1982 they launched Kendall-Jackson wines. Jess and his two daughters. The family's 1974 purchase a pear and walnut orchard Lakeport, California was converted to a vineyard. The first release of Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay in 1982 closed the gap between the super premium and cheap wine market. Jenny and Laura begin selling hand by hand their wines across the USA As of 2010, Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay was one of the most popular wines on the market. His style as a vintner developed into a focus on single-vineyard, mountain grown wines. That year it became the first wine to ever win a Platinum Award from the American Wine Competition.
At the time Jess was married to Jane Kendal Jackson.
Jess now establishes " Flavor Domaine " philosophy, planting individual varieties suited to their terroir, to promote ideal attributes of each grape. Among the wineries in his Jackson Family Wines portfolio, as of 2009, are Kendall-Jackson, Murphy-Goode, Robert Pecota Winery, Byron Estates, Edmeades, Matanzas Creek, La Crema, Stonestreet, Arrowood, Lajota, Cardinale, Atalon, Lokoya, Carmel Road, Cambria, Vérité, Archipel, Chateau Potelle, and Freemark Abbey Winery. As of early 2009, it was ranked as the ninth largest winery holding company in the United States. Jackson's brands at the time of his death (2011)were producing 5 million cases of wine annually.
Jennifer (Jenny) Jackson Hartford is Jess Jackson’s oldest daughter. She is co-proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, and her husband, Don Hartford, is Vice Chairman of the company. More than 40 years ago, when Jenny and her sister Laura were teenagers, they began their participation in the family business by helping to plant the family’s first vineyard in Lake County, California, in 1974. Meanwhile, Jenny earned a degree in Public Administration and Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon, in Eugene, Oregon, in 1977.
Don Hartford is Vice Chairman of Jackson Family Wines. He, along with Barbara Banke, form the family’s two-member Board of Directors. Don grew up on a small strawberry farm in western Massachusetts and later attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. To cover the cost of tuition and expenses, Don worked as a "straw boss" on a cigar wrapper tobacco farm, a degreaser in a bicycle factory, and a lifeguard at Congamond Lakes in Massachusetts.
Laura Jackson Giron is Jess Jackson’s second-oldest daughter and a co-owner of Jackson Family Wines. With her sister Jenny, Laura helped plant some of the family’s first vineyards nearly 40 years ago in Lake County, and she remains involved with the business to this day.
Katherine (Katie) Jackson, oldest daughter of Barbara Banke ( 2nd Wife) and Jess Jackson. Katie cannot remember a time when the business and art of making wine weren’t part of her life. Katie is now focused on sustainability and government relations, representing the Jackson family’s belief that both environment and social sustainability are essential to a strong, long-lived business. She also plays an important role in telling her family story to the public. “I love sharing my family’s passion for wine.”
Julia Jackson second-generation vintner of Jackson Family Wines, Julia is the daughter of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke. Raised on the family's mountain vineyards in Sonoma County, she has a deep respect for nature and sees herself as a custodian of the land. "it's our responsibility to be caretakers of our natural resources for the next generation – my family does not take that for granted."
Christopher raised in Sonoma County, the son of Barbara Banke and Jess Jackson grew up surrounded by wine and naturally cultivated a deep respect for the challenges and unique rewards of high-elevation winegrowing. Today, he is immersed in all aspects of the business, with particular focus on Stonestreet Estate Winery and the enduring quest to craft wines of distinct character and complexity. He holds an undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University and a Juris Doctorate from University of California Berkeley School of Law.
Barbara BankeBarbara Banke is One of the industry’s top executives and innovators, Jackson Family Wines Chairman & Proprietor Barbara R. Banke has spent the last two decades leading the company she co-founded with her late husband, wine icon Jess Jackson.
In addition to their flagship Kendall-Jackson winery, Banke and Jackson shaped nearly two dozen premium wineries across Sonoma, Napa, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Mendocino counties. Today, the Jackson Family portfolio is a global collection of world-class vineyards and wineries, including acclaimed properties in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, France, Italy, Chile, Australia, and South Africa. Banke takes a hands-on role developing and promoting Jackson Family wine estates, as well as in new vineyard acquisitions and a broad range of other strategic initiatives.
A well-known philanthropist, Banke is a passionate advocate for children’s and educational charities around the country. Most recently she was the Chair of the Sonoma County Wine Auction raising a record breaking $5.2 million for the local community. She and Jackson committed nearly $4 million to the Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building at UC Davis, designed to train the next generation of winemakers in sustainability practices. In addition, Banke and her family contributed $500,000 to help launch the Family Justice Center Sonoma County, assisting victims of domestic violence. She is also a global ambassador for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
When she is not sourcing new vineyard sites, Banke is active in Stonestreet Farm, the family’s Lexington, Kentucky-based equestrian racing stables. Stonestreet Farms has produced Horses of the Year Curlin and Rachel Alexandra, as well as Eclipse Award winner Good Magic and Cartier Award winner My Miss Aurelia.
Banke is a graduate of UCLA and Hastings Law School. A former land use and constitutional law attorney, she spent more than a decade arguing cases before the United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. She raised three children with Jess (Katherine, Julia and Christopher Jackson), who are each involved in Jackson Family Wines.
StoneStreet Estate Vineyard
Stonestreet Estate Vineyards is the story of a family’s vision to defy the limits of California winegrowing. Jess Stonestreet Jackson and Barbara Banke established the estate in 1995, and their son Christopher Jackson and his wife Ariel continue the legacy — and the middle name “Stonestreet” has now been passed from father to son for three generations. Stonestreet is one of the most expansive and multi-faceted mountain vineyards in the world and produces a distinctive collection of single vineyard wines — powerful Cabernet Sauvignon, soulful Chardonnay and electric Sauvignon Blanc.
The Jackson family acts as stewards of the land, caring for this 5,500 acre mountain estate that towers high above the Alexander Valley in the Mayacamas Mountain Range. Ranging 400ft to 2,400ft in elevation, the estate showcases a dramatic array of mesoclimates on peaks, valleys and ledges. The geological diversity of the mountain, which contains more soil types than all of France, confers a strong mineral characteristic in the fruit, while the challenges of farming at elevation produce smaller, more concentrated berry clusters.
Knowing that it would take more than one generation to understand the complexity of the estate, Jess Jackson notably stated, “Stonestreet has the destiny to be one of the greatest vineyard sites of all time.” As the second generation, Christopher and Ariel are building upon that legacy, pushing it forward with an ever-deepening understanding of this awe-inspiring estate.
Some of the Wineries Owned by The Jackson Family
Cardinale was born in 1982, with a mission to produce a singular Cabernet Sauvignon from the highest-quality vineyards in Napa Valley.
Freemark Abby One of the most venerated Napa Valley wineries, Freemark Abbey has a history that dates back to 1886 when a widow by the name of Josephine Tychson, became the first female vintner in California.
Anakota From deep in the heart of Knights Valley, Anakota personifies the rustic elegance and spirit of Sonoma County.
Arrowood is 100% Sonoma. Since its founding, the winery has produced age-worthy wines from sustainably and organically farmed vineyards west of the Mayacamas Ridge. The winery is located in the historic Sonoma Valley, a small sub-appellation particularly well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Hartford Family Winery Russian River, the winery specializes in limited-production, handmade Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Old Vine Zinfandel from some of Northern California’s greatest vineyards.
La Crema Sonoma County founded in 1979
Matanzas Creek Winery the winery specializes in limited-production, handmade Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Old Vine Zinfandel from some of Northern California’s greatest vineyards.
Cambria Estate Winery is known for site-specific Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Katherine’s and Julia’s Vineyards.
Canada - Unsworth Vineyards - Blue Grouse Estate Winery
Italy - Tenuta di Arceno -
South Africa - Capensis
Australia - Giant Steps - Hickinbotham - Yangarra
Chile - Alcance
France - Château Lassègue
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