Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2021

Region and Vineyards

Santa Barbara County, located along California's Central Coast, is celebrated for its unusually cool, east-west running valleys that channel Pacific breezes inland. This maritime influence extends the growing season, allowing Chardonnay grapes to develop with balanced ripeness, bright acidity, and layered complexity. The Santa Maria and Los Alamos Valleys, in particular, are known for their calciferous soils, which contribute distinct minerality to the wines.

For this Grand Reserve, Kendall-Jackson sources exclusively from its estate vineyards, all of which are Certified Sustainable. These vineyards are strategically planted on mountainsides, ridges, and benchlands, producing fruit of intensity and purity. The long hangtime of the grapes under cool coastal conditions ensures a Chardonnay that balances lush fruit expression with refreshing structure and terroir-driven nuance.

Winemaking

The 2021 Grand Reserve Chardonnay is made from 100% estate-grown Chardonnay. The winemaking philosophy emphasizes both terroir expression and careful craftsmanship. Each lot from different vineyard sites is fermented separately, enabling precise blending later in the process.

The wine was aged nine months in oak barrels: 86% French (29% new) and 14% American (1% new). This judicious use of oak contributes subtle notes of vanilla and spice without overshadowing the fruit. The wine was also aged sur lie, with lees stirred twice monthly, enhancing texture and creating a creamy mouthfeel that balances the mineral-driven brightness. The inclusion of Dijon and Rued clones adds delicate floral nuances to the final blend, further elevating complexity.

Tasting Notes

• Color: Brilliant pale gold with green-tinged highlights, vibrant and clear.
• Aroma: Lush tropical fruits such as pineapple and mango, layered with hints of citrus, florals, and a touch of vanilla and baking spice. A mineral edge reflects the calcareous soils.
• Palate: Generous yet refined, with ripe tropical fruit and stone fruit flavors interwoven with creamy lees texture. The palate is lifted by bright acidity and framed by subtle oak spice, finishing long, balanced, and mineral-driven.

Did you know?

Santa Barbara County's east-west valleys are unique in California; while most valleys run north-south, this orientation allows cool ocean air to funnel inland directly. This natural cooling effect makes the region one of the state's most prized for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, yielding wines of freshness, precision, and depth. Kendall-Jackson was among the first large producers to fully embrace these cool-climate sites for premium production, long before they gained widespread acclaim.

Wine Pairing Ideas

• Seared scallops with lemon butter: The wine's creamy texture and citrus lift harmonize with the richness of scallops.
• Roast chicken with herbs: The layered fruit and spice complement the savory, aromatic flavors of roast poultry.
• Lobster risotto: The wine's creamy lees character mirrors the risotto's texture while tropical notes highlight the lobster's sweetness.
• Triple cream brie: The lush fruit and oak spice pair seamlessly with the cheese's buttery richness.

History of Kendall-Jackson

The estate was founded by Jess Jackson, a visionary who believed that great wines should be both accessible and expressive of place. His first vintage—1982 Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay—was fermented off-dry due to an unintended halt in fermentation, but the result delighted consumers and critics alike. It quickly rose to prominence and set the standard for creamy, oak-influenced California Chardonnay.

Over the decades, Jackson transformed his company into a vertically integrated enterprise. Rather than relying on contracted fruit, he began acquiring vineyards in cool-climate, coastal appellations, giving the winemaking team full control over the grape-growing process. After his passing, his wife Barbara Banke, an accomplished attorney and businesswoman, assumed leadership and expanded Kendall-Jackson’s global reputation. Today, it is the cornerstone of the Jackson Family Wines portfolio, which includes dozens of estates across California and the world.

The winemaking is overseen by Randy Ullom, who has served as Winemaster since 1993, alongside a respected team including Susan Lueker, Mark Theis, and Fritz Meier. Their philosophy blends traditional artisan techniques with scientific precision, ensuring both consistency and vintage expression.

Region and Vineyards

Kendall-Jackson owns and farms over 5,000 hectares of estate vineyards, all of which are certified sustainable under both the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW) and Sustainability in Practice (SIP) programs. These vineyards are located in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Monterey, and Santa Barbara Counties—some of the most climatically diverse and viticulturally prized regions in California.

The vineyards range from coastal benches and foggy valleys to high-elevation ridges and volcanic hillsides, enabling a nuanced expression of each varietal. In Santa Maria Valley, the Camelot Highlands site produces richly textured Chardonnay from 40-year-old own-rooted vines grown in marine sedimentary soils. In Alexander Valley, Hawkeye Mountain sits between 900 and 2,400 feet in elevation, producing a muscular yet elegant Cabernet Sauvignon from shallow, iron-rich volcanic soils. Anderson Valley provides Pinot Noir with crystalline acidity and minerality, particularly from ridgeline vineyards like Outland Ridge.

The diversity of these sites allows Kendall-Jackson to tailor specific grape varieties to optimal terroirs, and to blend across vineyard blocks to achieve stylistic balance in their core ranges while highlighting single-site purity in their premium bottlings.

Wine Range of Kendall-Jackson

The Kendall-Jackson portfolio is structured in clearly defined tiers:

• Vintner’s Reserve: The flagship range and cornerstone of the brand. These wines - including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Rosé, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel - are blended from multiple coastal vineyards to showcase varietal character, freshness, and balance. The Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay alone has been the top-selling Chardonnay in America for over 25 years.
• Jackson Estate: These wines highlight individual vineyard sites or specific appellations, expressing the nuanced identity of terroir. They include bottlings such as Camelot Highlands Chardonnay, Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, and Outland Ridge Pinot Noir.
• Grand Reserve: These wines blend estate fruit from selected sites with greater oak integration and structural depth, offering more concentration and ageability than the Vintner’s Reserve series: Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Grand Reserve Chardonnay.
• Stature: The pinnacle of Kendall-Jackson’s portfolio, crafted from the estate’s best parcels with meticulous attention to detail. Wines like Stature Red Blend and Stature Chardonnay are aged in 50% new French oak, built for cellaring and prestige.

All Kendall-Jackson wines are made with small-lot vinification practices, including cold-soaking for reds, sur lie aging with bâtonnage for whites, and individual lot barrel fermentation. The estate conducts the world’s largest barrel fermentation program for Chardonnay, using French oak from its own stave mill in France and custom-coopered barrels in the U.S.

Did you know?

Kendall-Jackson was a pioneer in sustainable viticulture long before it became mainstream. The family’s commitment extends to bee habitats, water conservation, solar power, and biodiversity corridors across their estates. Their focus on soil health and regenerative farming is now influencing sustainability programs throughout California wine country.