A Man and His Mountain: The Everyman Who Created Kendall-Jackson and Became America's Greatest Wine Entrepreneur

by Edward Humes

The story of self-made billionaire Jess Jackson, who put Chardonnay on America’s tables as he built the Kendall–Jackson wine empire from a few mountainous acres of grapes, and raced the Horse of the Year three years in a row, is a remarkable tale of romance, risk, and reinvention—perhaps the greatest second act in the history of American business.

Jess Stonestreet Jackson was one of a small band of pioneering entrepreneurs who put California’s Wine Country on the map. His life story is a compelling slice of history, daring, innovation, feuds, intrigue, talent, mystique, and luck. Admirers and detractors alike have called him the Steve Jobs of wine—a brilliant, infuriating, contrarian gambler who seemed to win more than his share by anticipating consumers’ desires with uncanny skill. Time after time his decisions would be ignored and derided, then envied and imitated as competitors struggled to catch up.

He founded Kendall–Jackson with a single, tiny vineyard and a belief that there could be more to California Wine Country than jugs of bottom-shelf screw-top. Today, Kendall–Jackson and its 14,000 acres of coastal and mountain vineyards produce a host of award-winning wines, including the most popular Chardonnay in the world, which was born out of a catastrophe that nearly broke Jackson. The empire Jackson built endures and thrives as a family-run leader of the American wine industry.

Jess Jackson entered the horseracing game just as dramatically. He brought con men to justice, exposed industry-wide corruption in court and Congress, then exacted the best revenge of all: race after race, he defied conventional wisdom with one high-stakes winner after another, capped by the epic season of Rachel Alexandra, the first filly to win the Preakness in nearly a century, cementing Jackson’s reputation as America’s king of wine and horses.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Wine, Business

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Edward Humes is a Southern California author, journalist and writing teacher whose most recent nonfiction book is “The Forever Witness.” His next book, “Total Garbage: How to Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World,” will be published in time for Earth Day 2024. He shares his home office with a pair of rescued racing greyhounds, Valiant and Dottie.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it’s possible, I like Kendall Jackson Chardonnay even more after reading this story of its creator Jess Jackson. There were times I had enough of the logistics of wine making and wanted more of the story of Jess and his family. Jess was a man who did everything all in and that made him even more endearing.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not much of a wine drinker, but I was interested in this book because I've traveled to California wine country many times.

This biography of Jess Jackson, founder of Kendall-Jackson wines, is the typical rags-to-riches buisinessman story. Jackson overcomes great odds to build his empire, not just because of his stamina and willpower, but because he had the "guts" to think outside the box and challenge the unspoken rules.

The author tries very hard to show a balance between Jackson the ruthless businessman and Jackson the friend to everyone. For instance, the author chalks up many episodes of Jackson arguing and demanding to get his way as a case of Jackson just being an overly sensitive person who got his feelings hurt and didn't want to show it. Maybe. But I wasn't buying it.

I did not know that Jackson also raced horses and bought a horse farm in Kentucky. His introduction to Southern society was particularly interesting to me since Kentucky is also my home. It was Jackson's attitude and behavior during this part of the book that convinced me that he was just an arrogant asshole and not someone that everyone can relate to. See, Southern culture is truly its own culture. We resent anyone coming in and trying to change something, whether it's the right thing to do or not. That's happened before and didn't go so well for us (think Civil War). While Jackson may have been taken advantage of, he admitted that he was warned it might happen. It was his hubris that made him think he was "too big to fail".

The book is detailed and well written. The biographer did a great job of weeding out Jackson's penchant for tall tales to find the kernels of truth. Even though the author failed to make Jackson a truly sympathetic character, I don't think that fault lies with his writing. I think Jackson was just a man that shouldn't be a role model.

My only real complaint about this book is that there are quite a few odd parenthetical facts thrown in that were completely unrelated to the story. For instance, the author mentions a 20/20 show on wine at one point then in parenthesis goes on to talk about the decline of TV and media culture by the rise in reality television. These unrelated tangents kept distracting me from the story.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through First Reads.

[Delta Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Not Business, It's Personal. Author Ed Humes takes a tale about one man's daring success accumulating an empire of vineyards, and makes it a riveting story about a shrewd San Francisco lawyer who sacrifices his marriage and family time cultivating better California wines in an era of Gallo screw tops. When the first batch of Kendall-Jackson stalls in fermentation; Jackson's solution is to blend all the best from other Chardonnay vendors and add the too sweet, sacrilege among connoisseurs. The result (I should be embarrassed to say) is one of my most dependable whites, Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay. He sold his first case to the Oyster Bar in Grand Central, probably where I first stumbled across it, not at a White House dinner hosted by the Reagan's when Kendall-Jackson first became a hit as "Nancy's wine."
Humes opens and closes the book with a horse racing drama that (despite my interest) didn't grab me, and he has a tendency to loop back to repeat stitches. The work is not quite up to the magic or depth found in The New Yorker profiles, but well worth a read, especially if you're a fan of California wines, or need another example of how to turn lemons into lemonade.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was led to read this book following a delightful VIP tour of several Jackson Family wineries in Sonoma County in May. He was a larger-than-life personality, had an unbelievable work ethic. I learned a lot about grapes and wine making AND thoroughbred horse racing! Ready to go back and learn more (and I'm gonna buy a bottle of K-J Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay)

[Wendy Treat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging...well.written...I just had to try a bottle of the Vintner's Reserve after reading this...yum!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

After visiting and becoming a member of Stonestreet winery this summer (2025) it was recommended that I settle in and read this book. Mind blown, I had no idea the history and impact of Jess Jackson on the wine industry. This is truly a gem if you have any interest in the California wine industry. The longevity of the Kendal Jackson Vintage Reserve is no accident. A small portion of this book is dedicated to Jackson’s adventure into thoroughbred racing, which exemplifies his brilliant mind. I laughed, felt stressed and weirdly excited over his life choices, and cried in the end. Rest in peace farmer.

[cynthia robles · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Inspiring Read

A friend recommended this book because he knew I liked history and wine. Another friend had recalled a chance encounter with Jess Jackson in 2006 at a remote fishing lodge in Alaska, together those coincidental facts led me to order this book. It was a great read and being a lawyer in SB County with friends and family in various parts “of the business” made this more interesting. This is an inspiring read of a complicated and hard driving man with whom you might disagree but would walk away still admiring him. I regret our paths never crossed.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone interested in Wine, specifically in California, should find this intriguing. It outlines Jess Jackson's intro to the wine world and follows as he dives in 110%. I found myself looking up additional info on things highlighted in this book. Such a tight web of interactions across the Vineyards and between winemakers in California. I hope to try some more of the Jackson Family wines in the near future, as I learned I have already enjoyed many without even knowing. I suppose you need to really care about the history of California wines to enjoy this book.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with a glass of KJ Chard

Fascinating biography about Jess Jackson and the story of KJ wine! I loved learning the history, not only of his wines, but also his history of his thoroughbreds. While I am familiar with both, the in-depth story broadened my understanding immensely and left me wanting to know more about the wines. The author does a great job of giving the reader a real sense of the man, his brilliance and his personality.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the life and career of the creator of Kendall-Jackson wines. A classic entrepreneur, who was both a visionary and an obnoxious asshole. I do think some pictures or illustrations would have improved the book.

[MAYO · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried. I gave it a good go...but nothing about this book captured me. The chapters were long and dull. I often found myself falling into a comfortable snooze a few pages into every time I tried reading.

[Monica Bittencourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

É um vinho sobre vinho mas muito mais sobre um homem que construiu um império do nada.

[John Skelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story and history. The prose sometimes is a little too conversational and has too many callbacks or references. Other than that, great book.

[Nsquared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The first book I read about the California wine region was The Heartbreak Grape, and I found this to be a good companion to it. Though a portion of the book is related to Jackson's horseracing endeavors, the heart of the book is his passion for the wines and the land that produced them. The prose is easily accessible, the writing straightforward and enthusiastic, making it an easy read. I was engaged all the way through.
I don't know enough about Jackson and his empire to give a call on how accurately they are presented. The author acknowledges Jackson for trusting him with the story, so I am assuming a fair number of raw edges have been filed down. Given the success story of Kendall-Jackson in the face of so many obstacles, I am sure a fair amount of ruthlessness has been glossed over in favour of the (acknowledged) hard work that went into his success. Nevertheless, it is an inspiring read. I ended up wanting to try a bottle of Jackson's chardonnay (which shows up the book's value as an advertisement, as, normally, I,m not fond of chardonnay).
My only niggle is that the part of the book dealing with horseracing, being only 10% of the page count, seems like another book tacked on near the end.
My thanks to the Goodreads Firstreads programs for providing me with the opportunity to read this book.

[Noelle Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. the written words of Mr. Edward Humes kept me engaged in this book from start to finish, with flowing detail about a man with a simple dream of owning a vineyard and a runaway success story. Though at times this book seemed geared towards fiction, the flow of the novel never changed. In my opinion this book is a great addition to the bookshelf of any wine connoisseur.


*Won On GoodReads First Reads*

[Joanna Jiang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written prose evoking the Sonoma countryside. A Man and his Mountain was almost tl;dr, but Humes keeps the reader engaged with moving details about Jackson. The book felt honest, an ode to a simple man's dream and the beauty of runaway success. I'm no wine connoisseur, but now I feel even more strongly about the quiet ambition of owning a vineyard.

It's a sophisticated country tale, written in a style more geared toward fiction, but informative nonetheless.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh holy hell I enjoyed this. And if the idea was to get me desiring a KJ VR, done. But mostly I just want a $1K taste of Veritas. Jess Jackson is my kind of entrepreneur. I loved the story. Loved the flip flopping between past and "present." Thought Humes did a spectacular job. I'm in the wine industry and never thought much of KJ's brand. But now I truly admire all the sweat that went into it. And knowing they bought Siduri doesn't hurt.

[Courtney Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed the story of the dynamic and self-made Jess Jackson, founder of Kendall-Jackson winery. His story is inspiring to say the least. Though some passages were too detailed for my taste, overall I learned a lot about terroir, wine, and work ethic listening to this book. It's 16 hours of audio, so I'd advise picking this up only if the subjects really interest you!

[Shana M. Essig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but a little too long for my taste. I learned a lot about the wine business and am actually going to have a bottle of his vintage Chardonnay with dinner tonight! This is a book where you want to tell others about little tidbits from reading it. I did not like the font of the text, it bothered my eyes. Overall, very good book!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I do enjoy drinking this wine so it was neat to learn about it. My big fall backs with this book where, the font....WAY to hard to read for long periods of time, the way the author switched between calling Jess Jackson: Jess, Jack, Jackson. Other then it was a great read!

[Tamiya Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE WINE....I loved wine before but now that I've read this book I love it even more!!!!! I learned so much about the business of wine and how to grow grapes....the flow of the book kept me engaged and i didn't get bored, like I thought I would. A nice book to read....I recommend it.

[WW Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

I was hooked with Humes Eco Barons and certainly not disappointed with this one. Jess Jackson is was a real man with faults like is all but truly amazing. Inspired by how he made a life out of his passions.

[Casey Gwinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jess Jackson was an amazing dreamer and visionary. A Man and His Mountain shares his passion, vision, and accomplishments. But it also shares his struggles and his decision to be man that honored women and girls in his life.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

More about Jess Jackson, than anyone would care to know. An interesting insight on a wine mogul, who had no interest or knowledge about wine making, but had the ability to monopolize on a need, and had the legal know how and financial ability to do so.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a very fascinating read about a very interesting man. I like wine and came upon this book by chance. Since my sister lives in Oregon, I mostly have been drinking wines from that area but am now curious to try Kendall-Jackson.

[Donna Wetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story,well told. I learned much about wines and growing grapes. Jess Jackson was an interesting man willing to sacrifice everything to reach his goals.I applaud the man. He was an inspiration.

[Dan Hayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book. It's never too late to start something new.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started off fabulously and I was very enthralled. Towards the later chapters it became a bit slow but still very informative.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable, engaging and interesting.