JessJackson

Billionaires have a lot of power but do they have the power to change the map? That's what wine tycoon Jess Jackson would like to happen. According to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Jackson's company, Jackson Family Enterprises has asked to rename a Sonoma Valley mountain as part of a marketing strategy. The company has petitioned the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change the name of Black Mountain to Alexander Mountain as part of an attempt to create a special grape-growing designation of the same name on Jackson's property. Jackson lives on 5,400 acres that he calls Alexander Mountain Estate. He does not own Black Mountain but lives near it. The mountain has had the same name for generations. Jackson wants the name change because Jackson Family Wine applied several years ago for a Alexander Mountain viticultural designation to highlight the wines coming from this specific area.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names will run any potential name change by several city councils in northern Sonoma County and Native American tribes with ties to the area. Some say that the Alexander Mountain name may be fitting because it reflects the proximity to Alexander Valley. The mountain seems to have originally been named for its color (its thick crop of chaparal makes it a little darker than other mountains nearby) but the name Black Mountain is pretty common, there are three others in Sonoma County along and 266 more Black Mountains across the U.S. A Black Mountain viticultural area would not be specific enough because of the commonality of the name. Jackson has already changed the name of the road onto his property from from Foote Road to Alexander Mountain Road. He may have a bit of a wait for his mountain, it can take years to get this kind of a request approved.

A few years ago in order to tempt the new wine consumers of the Millennial generation, winemaker Jess Jackson and his wife Barbara Banke launched White Rocket Wine Company, a hipper, cheaper companion to their existing wines. Now in a response to the recession, White Rocket has been closed down and the company has been consolidated back into Jackson Family Wines. The company made wine with cute and simple names like Dog House, French Maid, Tin Roof and Ray's Station and was based in Napa. The brands will continue to exist and will continue to be made by winemaker Melissa Bates and operations have been moved to the main Jackson company in Santa Rosa, California.

It's just the latest move by the wine company as a response to poor sales. Kendall-Jackson also has dropped its $100,000 annual sponsorship of the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts and earlier this year Jackson Family wines let go around 170 employees.

When it's bad for the biggies, it's also bad for the small wineries too. Northern California's wineries have had a rough time this year after years of huge growth. Wine tourism in Northern California is down and grape growers are concerned about being able to sell all of their grapes. An article in Wine Spectator reveals that even the larger wineries who might usually be able to capitalize on the lower prices caused by a grape glut are facing supply backups already. Last year the average going rate for a ton of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grapes was $3,420 but this year ads are already showing prices as low as $2,000. There is some hope that the end result of this may be that value-priced wines in the $10 range might be exceptional in the 2009 vintage.

One of California's most popular wineries is the latest to lay off workers. Jackson Family Wines, the purveyors of the popular Kendall-Jackson wines, has laid off workers in response to the recession. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that around 170 people in all areas of the winery operations lost their jobs last week Those cut included winemakers, marketing professionals, administrative assistants, accountants and hospitality staff. According to The Press Democrat's Outlook survey in mid 2008 Jackson Family Wines had 810 employees in Sonoma County making this a sizable reduction in staff. The company sold an estimated 5.6 million cases of wine last year made from 14,000 acres of vineyards in California, but predictions of continued reduction in high-end wine consumption are affecting the bottom line. While the most popular lines and mid-range wines, like the Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay spotted at the Obama household, are still holding up there is concern for the high-end wine brands will falter. The winery owner, Jess Jackson, is one of the richest men in the nation and has invested in a acquiring a variety of high-end brands in recent years.