It’s been a while since Kendall-Jackson dazzled me with a wine competition performance. What’s surprising about that is the fact that K-J, as it is known, was once the King of competitions.
Back in its heydey, when all of Jess Jackson’s winery properties more or less flew under one flag and every wine was given a chance to shine on the competition circuit, K-J was capable of some fairly incredible stuff. Like the time four Hartford Court wines advanced to the “Sweepstakes” round of the Monterey Wine Competition and all had a great shot at Best of Show.
Jackson later split his wineries into separate divisions and the pricier limited-production wines such as Hartford Court literally dropped off my radar. I haven’t tasted a Hartford Court wine in years, and can’t even remember the last time I saw one on a wine list.
So it seemed to me the K-J presence in general, and in wine competitions in particular, had gone into eclipse. Until last weekend, when the mother ship, the Kendall-Jackson brand, struck the mother lode with 19 medals at the 2008 San Diego International Wine Competition. Any way you spin it, that’s impressive.
But I can’t say I’m totally surprised. A few years back Jackson ordered cuts in the production levels of the Kendall-Jackson wines, and directed that they be made entirely from estate-grown grapes. That was decisive on a couple of levels. First and foremost, Jackson owns thousands of acres of top-notch Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah vineyards, including many superb mountain sites, in Napa and Sonoma; and some excellent Pinot and Chardonnay vineyards in the Central Coast.
And the estate-only edict gave winemaker Randy Ullom complete control of his grapes from vine to bottle. This is not insignificant, and has paid off in the competition results.
I mean, when I need almost all of my fingers and toes to tally any winery’s medals, I figure they have to be doing something right!
Speaking of doing something right, there can be little doubt that Mumm Napa Valley is hitting on all cylinders. This producer of elegant California bubbly snapped up eight medals in San Diego, one for each wine it submitted, including two Golds. Mumm gets an A for quality and an A for consistency.
And if you’re looking for stellar performances on a tight budget, check out the Lindemans and Mouton Cadet medal-winners at $9 or less!
Kendall-Jackson
Silver 2004 Meritage, Vintner’s Reserve California $14.00
Silver 2005 Cabernet Franc, Grand Reserve, Jackson Estates Grown Alexander Valley $35.00
Bronze 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vintner’s Reserve, Jackson Estates Grown California $19.00
Bronze 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Grand Reserve, Jackson Estates Grown Sonoma County $26.00
Silver 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Highland Estates, Hawkeye Mountain Alexander Valley $55.00
Bronze 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Highland Estates, Trace Ridge Knights Valley $70.00
Bronze 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Highland Estates, Napa Mountain Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley $70.00
Silver 2005 Merlot, Vintner’s Reserve, Jackson Estates Grown California $19.00
Bronze 2005 Merlot, Grand Reserve, Jackson Estates Grown Sonoma County $26.00
Bronze 2005 Merlot, Highland Estates, Taylor Peak Bennett Valley $40.00
Silver 2006 Pinot Noir, Highland Estates, Seco Highlands Arroyo Seco $35.00
Bronze 2006 Syrah, Vintner’s Reserve, Jackson Estates Grown California $12.00
Bronze 2005 Syrah, Highland Estates, Alisos Hills Santa Barbara County $35.00
Bronze 2006 Zinfandel, Vintner’s Reserve California $12.00
Silver 2006 Chardonnay, Vintner’s Reserve, Jackson Estates Grown California $12.00
Gold 2006 Chardonnay, Grand Reserve, Jackson Estates Grown Monterey County/Santa Barbara County $21.00
Silver 2006 Chardonnay, Highland Estates, Camelot Highlands Santa Maria Valley $25.00
Silver 2006 Chardonnay, Highland Estates, Seco Highlands Arroyo Seco $30.00
Bronze 2006 Chardonnay, Highland Estates, Piner Hills Russian River Valley $30.00
Lindemans
Gold, Sweeps 2007 Shiraz, Bin 50 South Eastern Australia $8.00
Mouton Cadet
Silver 2005 Bordeaux Rouge, Baron Philippe de Rothschild Bordeaux $8.99
Silver 2006 Bordeaux Blanc, Baron Philippe de Rothschild Bordeaux $8.99
Mumm Napa Valley
Silver 2003 Blanc de Blancs Napa Valley $26.00
Silver NV Blanc de Noirs Napa Valley $19.00
Gold NV Brut Prestige Napa Valley $19.00
Silver NV Brut, Reserve Napa Valley $26.00
Silver 2000 DVX Napa Valley $55.00
Gold 2001 Grand Annee Napa Valley $30.00
Silver NV Demi-Sec Napa Valley $30.00
Bronze NV Cuvée, M Napa Valley $19.00
PHOTO: Jess Jackson
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