Jess Jackson's Fierce Spirit Sustained Him
He thrived on competiton and confrontation in wine and life
Posted: Apr 21, 2011 4:41pm ET
Jess Jackson thrived on competition, and often confrontation.
It didn't matter whether it
was the legal profession, where he was a high-powered trial lawyer, or wine,
where he became an industry titan with a global empire, or horse racing, where
his thoroughbreds challenged the best. He was one of the three most influential
vintners of his times, right there with Ernest Gallo and Robert Mondavi.
I met Jackson in 1986, as an
attorney, shortly after he had started K-J with the famous stuck fermentation,
"sweet" Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay. At the time he represented
Joseph Gallo, Ernest and Julio's younger brother, in their lawsuit. Joseph had
started the Joseph Gallo cheese company; his brothers claimed a trademark
infringement. Both sides claimed the right to the Gallo name and trademark, and
Joseph, with Jackson's counsel, raised the ante, seeking a one-third interest
in the Gallo winery, then worth about $1 billion.
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