Jess Jackson purchases an 80-acre pear and walnut orchard and replants it with Chardonnay grapevines in Lake County, just north of Napa Valley.

Jess sold the first case ever of Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station. That same year, the inaugural vintage of Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay won the first-ever Platinum Award for an American Chardonnay at The American Wine Competition. Kendall-Jackson was officially on the map.

Stemming from the success of Vintner's Reserve, Jess debuts a new collection of wines under the Kendall-Jackson label. The Grand Reserve collection is a winemaker’s blend of mountain, ridge, hillside and benchland grapes, grown along California’s cool coastal appellations.

Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay becomes #1 selling Chardonnay in America, and remains so to this day.

The Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens was built by Ken De Baun in 1990. He originally built this facility to be used as the tasting room and as a special events site for his winery, Chateau de Baun. Kendall-Jackson purchased the building in 1996 to be an educational destination for all things food and wine.

Each year, the editors of Wine Enthusiast honor the individuals and companies that have made outstanding achievements in the wine and beverage world including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Among his major achievements, Jess Jackson was one of the first and largest winemakers to introduce America to varietal-specific wine, not only increasing the public’s understanding and appreciation of wine, but also making it affordable.

Wine & Spirits Magazine selects Kendall-Jackson as one of its Top 100 Wineries of Year, marking the tenth time K-J wins the award.

The Drinks Business announces Kendall-Jackson as the The Green Company of the Year. The award was given based on our implementation of environmentally sensitive practices in all aspects of our operations and for our overall impact on energy savings, waste reduction and conservation.

Jackson Estate is a terroir focused, limited bottling collection that demonstrate the depth and complexity possible from coastal California appellations influenced by the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The prestigious Green Medal Award was developed to recognize California vineyards and wineries excelling in sustainability in four categories. The Leader award is given to the vineyard or winery that best demonstrates excellence in balancing the three E’s of sustainability: environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable. The three other categories include the Environment Award, Community Award, and Business Award. The Leader category is the exemplary achievement in all of the three categories.