Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/297564
60 W i n e s & V i n e s M AY 2 0 1 4 Noir, and the Willamette Valley is one of those places. The Willamette Valley is the next frontier for cool-climate winegrow- ing, so investing in Oregon is a natural fit for Jackson Family Wines, especially given our focus on luxury Pinot Noir. In the weeks ahead, we'll be sharing more details about our plans there, including some specific winery and brand details. W&V: Are there other areas you're look- ing at? Reimers: Our company is always looking to explore new opportunities. We're only interested in those precious few regions that have potential to grow world-class quality—whether it is an existing vine- yard or a site that has potential in 10 or 20 years. While Oregon Pinot Noir is exciting for us, we won't likely make a move into Washington, although it will be interesting to see how their industry con- tinues to develop on the higher end in terms of quality and price. We continue to invest heavily in hillside and mountain vineyards in Sonoma and Napa—most recently the Yverdon Vineyard and Win- ery in the Spring Mountain District. While we have exceptional Pinot Noir vineyards in the best cool-climate regions, including Anderson Valley, Sonoma Coast, Russian River, Carneros, Arroyo Seco and Santa Maria Valley. We also recognize that Santa Rita Hills is growing superlative Pinot Noir. This is a region we may explore further. W&V: Is the direction of the company changing under the leadership of Barbara Banke? Reimers: As our chairman, Barbara has an incredible passion for producing world- class wines and is taking the company to new, unprecedented heights. She is building on Jess' legacy with a keen focus on luxury wines from great vineyards. We have acquired more than 16 new properties and thousands of acres across California, inter- nationally and now in Oregon. She has tremendous gut instinct—not to mention an extensive background as a land-use attorney—that allows her to see the poten- tial of a vineyard or parcel of land to become a world-class site. Barbara is also focused on building relationships with key influencers and investing in education—both for the trade and our consumers across the globe. W&V: Jackson Family Wines' brands include high-end wines like Lokoya, Car- dinale and Verité, as well as more afford- able brands like Kendall-Jackson and La Crema. Where is the growth in the com- pany occurring and why? Reimers: We pride ourselves—and the trade and consumers truly value—that we have such great balance in the portfolio. The family's collection of wineries is a terrific mix of beloved "household names" like Kendall-Jackson in the pre- mium category, all the way up to incred- ibly rare, high-end wines like Lokoya; it is rare for a company to do both so well. With that said, we see growth across the collection but primarily with wines posi- tioned above $30. We're more interested in growing quality and profit versus vol- ume. Because we're a family-owned com- pany, we can make long-term decisions with that focus, and take the risks required to grow and maintain the high- est standards, whether on a $30 bottle or a $300 bottle of wine. A resident of the Santa Cruz Moun- tains, Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for more than 25 years. She has been writing about wine for publications for nearly 15 years and has been a Wines & Vines contributor since 2006. M A N A G E M E N T WINES & VINES PACKAGING CONFERENCE AUGUST 20, 2014 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM 500 FIRST STREET (formerly Copia) NAPA, CALIF. CONFERENCE SESSIONS ■ Effects of closures on wine quality and shelf life ■ Tracking, tracing and counterfeit wines ■ Learning to love bottling day—making decisions for bottling success ■ Closure tasting with the winemaker ■ And more Price: $195 for all sessions, closure tasting and meals Register online at winesandvines.com/events/wvpack For more information, email events@winesandvines.com or call (415) 453-9700, ext 102. Wines & Vines offers winery personnel an all-day conference about practical applications in wine packaging: what works and what does not, how it serves wine sales, anti-counterfeiting, and the technology and innovations that serve good packaging. Speakers will include winemakers, researchers, package design experts and manufacturers. For sponsorships and exhibit information, email jbrix@winesandvines.com. WVPACK WINES & VINES PACKAGING CONFERENCE &