Kendall-Jackson and their labels make 5 Million cases of wine..Head Winemaker Randy Ullom reveals how he survives the year and what wines to watch for.
Canada loves KJ.
It’s the Battle of the Sommeliers. Three of Vancouver’s best Somms match Chilean wines with Chef Ned Bells food. The winner gets to go to Chile.
The winner of The Judgement of BC Red Competition CC Jentsch – On the Golden Mile Bench.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
THE SHOW
Kendall-Jackson/Winemaker Randy Ullom
“I look at all of the vineyards we own, and all of the individual lots of wines that we make, and the thousands of barrels we have sitting in our cellar and sometimes I think, you gotta be kidding me! After I’ve sufficiently recovered from my daily panic attack, I take off my coat, dig in my heels and take it one barrel at a time. It’s a rewarding job that I love.”
Randy Ullom
Hired by Jess Jackson in 1992 as Winemaker for some of our smaller and international vineyards, Randy was handed his most prestigious assignment in 1997 – Winemaster for Kendall-Jackson Winery.
A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Randy became interested in wine during a three-year stay in Chile, while on sabbatical from college in the early 1970s. His stay inspired a cross-country trek through Chile’s vast wine-growing regions. On his return to the United States, he entered Ohio State University to study crop production with a specialty in Viticulture and Enology and received his degree in 1975.
After six years as a vineyard manager and Winemaker in Ohio and upstate New York, Randy moved to California to become associate Winemaker at De Loach Vineyards in Sonoma County. He was promoted to Winemaker and Vice President in 1991. The wines produced during his tenure were consistent gold medal winners at wine competitions.
Dude looks like a Sherriff from Dodge City..Oversees the growing and creating of 5 Million cases of wine from 35 labels. (check their website below)
His job includes working with wines grown in Sonoma, Chile, Bordeaux, Australia and Italy.
This is a fun interview..with lots of information on their wines. We love these wines..and why not? They take such great care in their craft!!
Battle of the Sommeliers
It’s a great line up in the Vancouver studios of Roundhouse Radio.
Chef Ned Bell from Yew at the Four Seasons.
Three of the best Sommeliers in Vancouver all compete to pair Ned’s food with Chile’s Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Carmenere.
Ned Bell Four Seasons
This is a fabulous round table discussion about the very subject that most wine fans wants to know about..
Pairing food and wine to make a sensational blend.
Our Sommeliers are:
First Course – Lisa Haley – Boulevard/Sutton Place Hotel / Chardonnay
Second Course – Steven Lane – Yew at Four Seasons – Pinot Noir
Third Course – Sean Nelson – Vij’s Vancouver – Carmenere
Everyone who attended was considered a judge.
Looking for three elements – creativity, flavour harmony and complexity.
The Winner was – Sean Nelson, who wins a trip to Chile. Congrats!!
If you’re looking for food and wine pairing tips..this is your segment.
CC Jentsch – Syrah wins The Judgment of BC
Chris-Jentsch CC Jentsch
The spelling of Judgement aside..it truly was a momentous event.
Steven Spurrier..from London’s Decanter magazine and the man who set in motion The Judgment of Paris in 1976.
Steven Spurrier
“The shot heard round the World”
That event became the basis of the film Bottle Shock.Now comes BC’s turn.
12 Chardonnays and 12 Syrah were tasted head-to-head and judged by some of the very best experts available.
6 of those Chards and Syrah were from BC.
The highest ranking BC wine – white or red – was the 2013 Syrah from CC Jentsch Cellars on the Golden Mile south Okanagan.
It beat out syrah from Barossa, France, Santa Barbara, Hunter Valley, Walla Walla.
CC Jentsch
“For me wine is the three ‘P’s’: the place, the people and the product. British Columbia ticks all these boxes with exuberance, elegance and conviction.” noted Steven Spurrier.
Steven-Spurrier-Amber-Jones.
“It was a courageous tasting. The point was about discovery and learning, not about winning or losing. It’s about pushing ourselves in our wine regions” noted DJ Kearney, curator of the event. “The global benchmark wines were of a very high caliber. It was important to be challenged by high quality international wines, and we were. And we will do it again. We must do it again.”
I tracked down co-owner Chris Jentsch (yench) and his winemaker Amber Jones and we had great fun reliving the event, the results and what it all means for them, the BC wine industry and for us..the consumer.
This just in – the Syrah 13 won a Decanter Gold as well as the North American Regional trophy winner for the Best Red.
Keep a close eye on these guys..pssst..they have a wine club..
[powerpress
STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON
Half a Glass – Best wines under $20 – 2015
Walking the neighborhood – Gastown/Railtown/Chinatown