History of Kendall-Jackson Winery Podcast
Discover the History of Kendall-Jackson Winery
In this podcast transcription with winemaster Randy Ullom, you will discover the History of Kendall-Jackson Winery and its unique produces a classic style of California Chardonnay
In addition to the Kendall-Jackson history, you will learn how Randy Ullom, a self-described “rock hound” (geologist) turned into a Master Winemaker.
In this Time Stamped Randy Ullom Interview Transcription, This is What You Will Learn …
00.18 Randy Ullom, Winemaster at Kendall Jackson, reveals the SECRETS behind the fantastic 2018 harvest.
Though there was the SCARE of cool weather during harvest, the sun is shining and everything looks GREAT.
00:53. Even winemakers need to have their steak – Randy talks about why Keen’s Steak House is his favorite restaurant in NYC and what Kendall Jackson wines they carry.
02:02 Randy Ullom’s title is “WINE MASTER.”
It’s all part of the history of Kendall-Jackson winery ….
Are you CURIOUS what the life of a “wine master” is like?
Randy reveals all in his own words.
Yet the short of it is that he has a different role every day of the year.
For example, he’ll explain that in summer, he’s tasting grapes as he walks through the vineyard blocks.
Then he’ll explain that in fall, he’ll be tasting wine with the rest of the team, and also keep his eye on the bottling schedule.
In late winter until early spring, he’ll explain that he’ll be traveling around the world for brand dinners and performing training for distributors.
Randy Ullom’s Childhood Dreams
04:00 Are you curious what Randy Ullman, Winemaster, wanted to be as a child?
He’ll tell you that he wanted to be a “ROCK HOUND.”
OKAY, the translation of this is that he had always been interested in rocks and geology.
He wanted to pursue a degree in mining and engineering. T
hough three solid universities beckoned, he loved to SKI so he chose UTAH for the deep powder.
But OH NO!
Randy’s dad thought he was spending too much time on his university “minor” of skiing rather than proper academic studies.
“I’m not paying for those grades,” Randy recalls his father saying.
So it was decided that Randy would go to Chile to take a break from his studies, ski, and see what was important to him.
Randy Ullom: How One Month Turned into Three Years
05:00 In Chile, Randy found himself in the midst of a passionate wine culture.
He learned winemaking, wine tasting, and the aspects of distribution.
When he came back to the USA, he realized he wanted to make his living in wine, so switched his university studies to enology and viticulture.
06:44 Returning to the USA, Randy talks about the wine culture of the 1970s.
You’ll hear him explain that people were just starting to call varietals by their names. (In the past, jug wines had names like Hearty Burgundy instead of Pinot Noir).
Randy Ullom On The History of Kendall-Jackson Winery
In this segment of the podcst, Randy talks about Jess Jackson, the founder of Kendall Jackson and Jackson Family Wines.
Randy calls Jess Jackson a visionary. He says that Jess realized that there was a new future for wine.
Jess Jackson sought out different “flavors” in the various appellations of California.
Mr. Jackson also realized that you could blend together a fabulous wine from the different region and that barrel fermentation and maturation gave the wine more complexity.
“Jess Jackson created a wine that was flavorful, looked good, SMELLED GOOD, and had a long lingering finish. The rest is history.”
Jess Jackson and Randy Ullom in Santa Barbara
08:40 Randy – in a kind way – laughs about the way that Jess Jackson hooked him in to being his right hand man
–working on a new brand in Santa Barbara;
— dealing with the winery in Mendocino;
— and then seeking out new terroir for the planned new winery in Chile.
Randy reveals that since Jess Jackson knew Randy loved Chile, he would take on the offer.
Exciting New Projects at Kendall-Jackson Winery
13:57 Randy continues to talk about the new projects Jess Jackson asked him to contribute to, including wineries in Argentina and McClaren Vale, Australia.
14:17 Curious about the most exciting regions in Chile?
Here Randy will tell you directly.
The most exciting regions are in Conception in the South and La Serena in the north.
The southern part would be more like west Sonoma, the north is more like Santa Maria in Santa Barbara.
“We are in the process of planting more vineyards in Conception. We looked all over for the nicest place for Cabernet Sauvignon and found it in Alto de Maipo just south of Santiago.
Can this rival California’s Howell Mountain???
Randy Ullom Discusses the Kendall Jackson Cooperage
16 06 – Did you know that Kendall Jackson has their own cooperage?
Yes! Randy explains how it happened in this section.
He also explains that being able to control the oak used to mature their wines is very important to Kendall Jackson.
Randy also describes the process of sourcing trees, and what it takes to split and age them, a process that takes over three years.
16:22 Randy expands on the topic of why barrel maturation is important, and discusses how different toasts of barrels attribute different spice aromas and flavors to the finished wine.