Limited-Edition Labels Celebrate the Jackson Family’s Legendary Racehorse, Good Magic, with Additional Co-Branded Releases Set to Launch Annually Through 2024
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (March 21, 2022) – Kendall-Jackson, producer of America’s favorite Chardonnay, today announced the release of two co-branded, limited-edition wines to honor a partnership in which Kendall-Jackson is the Preferred Wine of the Kentucky Derby. Blending the Jackson family’s legacy for award-winning winemaking and Thoroughbred horse racing, the commemorative Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the first of several releases planned to launch annually, leading up to the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby in 2024.
“Our family’s legacy in winemaking runs deep, and while many wine enthusiasts across the nation recognize Kendall-Jackson as the makers of America’s favorite Chardonnay, our family’s endeavors in the horse racing world are lesser known,” said Barbara Banke, Chairman & Proprietor, Jackson Family Wines. “Jess’ [Jackson] passion for horse racing was ignited as a young boy when he watched Seabiscuit win the 1938 Bay Meadows Handicap from atop his uncle’s shoulders. Many years later, our success in the wine business afforded us the opportunity to indulge in his passion, which is now mine, for Thoroughbred racing.”
The Jackson family opened Stonestreet Farm, a Thoroughbred horse breeding and training operation, in 2005 on premium farmland in the famous Bluegrass region of Lexington, Ky. Since then, Stonestreet has become the leading North American commercial Thoroughbred breeder of yearlings 10 times. This year’s limited-edition Kentucky Derby x Kendall-Jackson wines will prominently feature the Kentucky Derby icon along with an artist’s rendering of Stonestreet’s homebred champion Good Magic, who ran in the 2018 Kentucky Derby and finished second behind Justify, who went on to win the Triple Crown.
“It feels like a natural connection to bring our two great passions together on the global stage at the Kentucky Derby. Although Good Magic is now retired, we wanted to highlight his remarkable accomplishments,” Banke said.
Available for purchase online and in select retailers nationwide, the commemorative Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines highlight the best of California’s coastal winegrowing regions.
Kentucky Derby x Kendall-Jackson 2020 Mendocino County Chardonnay
The 2020 Mendocino County Chardonnay ($17 SRP) is beautifully balanced with notes of warm vanilla and aromas of bright tropical fruit and citrus. Made with grapes sourced from multiple appellations within Mendocino County, the wine represents the complexity of the coastal growing region and is sur lie aged with monthly stirring to embody Kendall-Jackson’s signature velvety texture and signature flavor.
Kentucky Derby x Kendall-Jackson 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($28 SRP) boasts enticing aromas of ripe blackberry, black cherry, cocoa and cassis. Round, rich, seamless tannins provide a robust backbone and supple mid-palate, while notes of cedar, vanilla, toast and a hint of mocha linger on the finish. The Cabernet Sauvignon lots were blended with Merlot to ensure a soft, round palate and Cabernet Franc for an enhanced mouthfeel.
Kendall-Jackson wines will be poured at all Churchill Downs Racetrack events and highlighted in a variety of events as one of the Preferred Wines of the Kentucky Derby through the 150th Run for the Roses in 2024. Each year, consumers can expect to see new commemorative bottles as part of this multi-year partnership with Kentucky Derby.
In addition to this year’s special release wines, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens in Sonoma County will host a Kentucky Derby watch party on Saturday, May 7, the official West Coast Kentucky Derby celebration. The event will showcase everything to love about the Derby, including fashion contests, an on-site milliner, and Derby-inspired Southern cuisine paired with award-winning Kendall-Jackson wines. Tickets to the watch party can be purchased at www.kj.com/events/kentucky-derby-party.
For more information and to purchase the commemorative wines, please visit www.kj.com.
About Kendall-Jackson
Kendall-Jackson is one of America’s most beloved family-owned and operated wineries. The winery’s flagship wine, the Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, has been America’s favorite Chardonnay since 1992. Founded by entrepreneur and visionary Jess Jackson in 1982, and now led by his wife Barbara Banke and the Jackson family, Kendall-Jackson is based in Sonoma County and offers a range of acclaimed wines grown on the family’s estate vineyards along the coastal ridges of California. Kendall-Jackson is the benchmark for sustainable wine endeavors, setting the precedent for advancement in solar, water, and vineyard practices. Wine Enthusiast Magazine recently named Kendall-Jackson the 2017 American Winery of the Year, one of the wine industry’s most distinguished accolades. Recognized as a leader in the industry for more than three decades, Kendall-Jackson has built a reputation centered around consistent, high-quality wines that are available nationwide in national grocery stores, boutique wine retailers, and restaurants. Learn more online at www.kj.com, and follow Kendall-Jackson on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
About Kentucky Derby
The $3 million Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May at historic Churchill Downs in
Louisville, Kentucky. Inaugurated in 1875, the legendary 1 ¼-mile race for 3-year-olds is the oldest continuously held major sporting event in the United States and the first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown series. Known as “The Run for the Roses,” “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” and “America’s Race,” the Kentucky Derby is the most attended horse race in the nation.
