GEYSERVILLE — Jess Jackson started his empire in Lake County with Kendall-Jackson wines.
Jackson died on Thursday after an arduous battle with cancer. He was 81 years old.
He was a founding member of Family Winemakers of California. He was introduced to the winegrape industry by area winegrape grower Hank Bartolucci on an airplane flight.
Jackson was raised in San Francisco and graduated from UC Berkeley”s Boalt Law School. In 1974, Jackson and his family bought an 80-acre pear and walnut orchard in Lakeport. The orchard was converted to a vineyard and Jackson began selling grapes to local wineries. In 1982, he produced his first bottle of wine under the Kendall-Jackson label. Jed Steele, owner of Steele Wines in Lake County, was Jackson”s first winemaker.
