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

Jess Jackson's story is one of a restless burning entrepreneur. It seems the man threw himself 1000% into any idea he had - law, making wine, buying and training racehorses.This is the story of his many business decisions involved in pursuing his many passions, his victorious triumphs and agonies of his defeats.I gave it 4 stars vs 5 because after awhile his contrarian patterns become pretty predictable. But, it's a pretty enjoyable book and very interesting insights into the behind-the-scenes business issues involved in the various aspects of the wine industry.

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.

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.

There is an interesting story here; Edward Humes just doesn't seem to be up to the task of telling it. His biography of Jess Jackson crosses far over the line into hagiography, as Jackson's mastery of persuasion and marketing apparently rendered Humes unable to tell a balanced story of this remarkable life. (In short: in every good trait, Jackson is the best; in every dispute, win or lose, Jackson is right; in every endeavor, Jackson did the right thing and came out on top.) The book suffers from that lack of balance as it feels much more like a family favor than an honest portrait of what was surely a complex man. But beyond that, Humes seemed to struggle to turn this epic life story into a full-length book, returning to the same stories over and over as though he was terrified that the reader was only half paying attention and might not recall some pertinent information from 20 pages earlier. This trait is exacerbated by the lack of structure to the book that leaves the reader pointlessly moving back and forward through time for much of the first half of the book. It's as though Kendall-Jackson's meteoric rise didn't give the author enough to say so he drags out the story as best he can. It's an interesting tale and a quick read, but not a particularly good one.

Very well written, and for this genre it is reasonably honest and unblinking about it's subject. Given that Jess Jackson was obviously a great bay area pioneer in wine, law & real estate, and by most accounts a man with a tough exterior, an authorized biography with the necessary access to the family regarding a recently deceased family member could easily slip into a worshipful whitewash.Thankfully this book does not do that.Being in the wine industry I sure wish someone would write a book with the kind of thoroughness that Robert Caro does on Lyndon Johnson et al, because all these books seem a little light on substance to me.That being said, I thought it was way more interesting than the recent "Barefoot Way" book was, but I think we probably did not get to see enough of Jackson's real genius, namely the art (and science) of his deals. I loved that part about how he nailed the Cambria Vineyard.It's worth the 3 hour or so read for sure, and I hopefully await the definitive history of the California Wine Industry with Jess Jackson and others, in the vein of Caro's the "Power Broker", now THAT was a real biography.

Jess Jackson a lawyer at the twilight of his career purchases a small pear & walnut orchid just next to California's wine valley. He decides to grow grapes as a potential retirement job when one cold evening he is confronted with a broken watering system resulting in a cold night time scuba dive to unclog a filter and save his crop. He reflects on this difficulty and ponders: "why the trouble for other wineries and not his own". This moment is the beginning of a transformation of the American wine industry from cheap swill to world class vintages.I like the pace of this book. It reads very well while taking you into the strong character of a man with vision and drive. Jess Jackson a man in his middle 50's develops a unique blended Chardonnay that takes the country by storm in the early 80's. A big risk and a huge success which drove him into a steep growth curve by buying up and capturing the California Wine Industry before anyone else.Jess Jackson turns his life & family upside down on his 54 birthday by leaving his wife because of her reluctance to risk everything on his dream. He goes head first - changing the course of the American wine industry. Jackson a smart lawyer & gambler had total confidence in his vision by betting everything to deliver the Kendal-Jackson wine brand.Jess the horse track gambler visits the Kentucky Oak's (the Kentucky Derby for the 3 year old fillies) held yearly at Churchill Downs (1 day prior to the Derby), and is impressed by the massive led of a thoroughbred named: Rachel Alexandra. He spends millions to buy her, and then races her weeks later in the Preakness & wins! Again, a newcomer taking a big risk by racing a Filly among colts - a filly hasn't won since Seabiscuit took it in 1938.The book is short (300 plus pages) and to the point. I would of liked a little more detail about the in's/outs of grape growing and winery operation, but that does not diminish this fabulous book. I recommend it, and believe those interested in business, fresh starts, risk taking, and pure guts should read this book. Edward Humes a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist shows his writing talent by describing the complex man Jess Jackson's climb to the top and his contribution to "Made in America".

En 30 ans le vin a vu un bouleversement total aux Etats Unis. Le heros de ce livre a eu un des roles principaux. L' auteur ecrit uniquement du point de vueamericain, c'est sa force, mais aussi une faiblesse. Curieusement, ce bon livre eclaire l' histoire de la Californie et de son vin. mais aussi pose des questions sur le present en Europe et le futur en Asie. Tres enrichissant.Un livre essentiel