From the L.A. Times:

Jess Jackson, who founded Kendall-Jackson Winery in 1982, died last week at the age of 81, leaving an almost incalculable legacy on the California wine industry. He transformed it at least twice, first in establishing a style of wine that would come to be as much an irresistible flavor profile as a cultural icon; he would go on to become one of the state's most passionate and articulate advocates for the preeminence of place in the production of great California wine. In the process, he became one of the industry's most envied property owners, and by far one of its richest men.

Jackson would go on to establish a fail-safe formula for his wines: premium wines without a premium address, vintage wines that betrayed no vintage variation, a brand as consistent as Lipton's tea.

For more, see: Jess Jackson led winery by example