Kemme Wines and Jackson Family Wines: A Focus on California

Kemme Wines and Jackson Family Wines: A Focus on California.

At Restaurant Roux, a carefully selected group of sommeliers, buyers, and wine professionals gathered for an in-depth Californian tasting curated by Kemme Wines. Hosted by founder Maxim Kemme, the evening focused on a tightly defined selection from Jackson Family Wines, presented by European Brand Ambassador Michele Fazari.

Rather than offering a generic overview of California, the tasting told a coherent story built around elevation, coastal influence, and long-term vineyard thinking. From cool-climate Chardonnay to mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, the lineup demonstrated how California’s most serious wines today increasingly prioritize freshness, structure, and site expression over overt ripeness or sheer scale.

Kemme Wines – Curation, Context, and the On-Trade

Founded by Maxim Kemme, Kemme Wines has developed a reputation in the Dutch market for a highly selective, philosophy-driven portfolio. The focus lies on producers with a strong sense of identity and wines that reward both immediate enjoyment and long-term cellaring. Rather than chasing trends, Kemme Wines works closely with sommeliers and restaurateurs to position wines within a broader narrative—whether as benchmarks, educational tools, or prestige references.

The Jackson Family Wines portfolio aligns seamlessly with this approach. Across its estates, vineyard ownership, elevation, and stylistic restraint form a common thread, allowing Kemme Wines to present California as a nuanced and diverse fine-wine region rather than a single stylistic category.

Jackson Family Wines – Vineyard Ownership as a Long-Term Vision

Founded in 1982 by Jess Jackson, Jackson Family Wines has always operated with a long-term perspective rooted firmly in the vineyard. At a time when much of California’s wine industry focused on volume and brand-building, Jackson prioritized land ownership—often in marginal, coastal, or high-altitude sites that were considered risky or unfashionable.

Today, the company remains family-owned and encompasses more than 40 estates worldwide. Each winery operates with a high degree of autonomy under its own winemaker, yet all share a unified philosophy: respect for site, disciplined use of French oak, and a focus on balance and ageing potential. California remains the emotional and philosophical heart of the family’s vision, and the wines tasted at Restaurant Roux offered a compelling snapshot of that legacy.

The Wines Tasted

Below you will find an overview containing a selection of the portfolio of Kemme and Jackson Family Wines. These are the wines tasted, featuring background, tasting notes, and our ratings.

Hartford Court

Winemaker: Jeff Stewart

Founded in 1994, Hartford has become one of Sonoma County’s reference points for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The estate works closely with top sites in the Russian River Valley, Green Valley, and Sonoma Coast, where fog, ocean influence, and well-drained soils shape wines of precision and freshness. Under Jeff Stewart, the focus remains firmly on-site expression, with native fermentations, moderate oak, and careful élevage.

Hartford Court Russian River Chardonnay 2022

Bright and precise, with aromas of lemon zest, ripe pear, white peach, and subtle vanilla. The palate combines Californian generosity with tension: ripe orchard fruit, gentle creaminess from lees ageing, and a saline edge that keeps the wine energetic and gastronomic. The finish is clean, balanced, and persistent.

Rating: 91/100 DWA score

Brewer-Clifton

Winemaker: Greg Brewer

Brewer-Clifton was founded in 1996 by Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton and is widely regarded as one of the pioneering estates of Santa Rita Hills. Greg Brewer—named Winemaker of the Year in 2020—has long championed minimal intervention, early harvesting, and a radical focus on vineyard expression. The 3D Vineyard, located in an extremely cool, wind-exposed part of the appellation, epitomizes this philosophy.

Brewer-Clifton 3D Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2022

Focused and intense, with aromas of lime, green apple, crushed oyster shell, and subtle reduction. The palate is taut and mineral, driven by acidity and texture rather than weight. Long, saline, and uncompromising, clearly shaped by wind, fog, and limestone soils.

Rating: 93/100 DWA score

Anakota

Winemaker: Pierre Seillan

Founded in 2001, Anakota is located in Knights Valley, a rugged and relatively remote appellation northeast of Alexander Valley. The estate focuses exclusively on mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from high-elevation, volcanic sites. Under the direction of Pierre Seillan, Anakota emphasises structural precision, freshness, and long ageing curves rather than immediate opulence.

• Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
• Anakota Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Helena Montana Vineyard 2013

Mature and layered, showing blackcurrant, cedar, graphite, dried herbs, and subtle tobacco. The palate is structured yet refined, with resolved tannins and a long, savoury finish. A clear demonstration of how mountain Cabernet can age with grace and complexity.

Rating: 96/100 DWA score

Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Youthful and vibrant, with dark cherry, cassis, violets, and crushed rock. Firm tannins frame the fruit, while freshness and precision keep the wine balanced and energetic. Still tightly wound, with significant ageing potential.

Rating: 94/100 DWA score

Cardinale

Winemaker: Chris Carpenter

Founded in 1982, Cardinale produces a single Cabernet Sauvignon–based wine per vintage, blending fruit from Napa Valley’s most important mountain appellations. Rather than highlighting one site, the wine is conceived as a composite expression of Napa’s elevated terroirs. Chris Carpenter, often described as a mountain specialist, prioritizes structure, freshness, and longevity.

Cardinale 2014

Elegant and composed, with aromas of red and black fruit, cedar, graphite, and subtle spice. The palate is layered and poised, showing fine-grained tannins, freshness from elevation, and a long, harmonious finish. Power is present, but always secondary to balance.

Rating: 96/100 DWA score

Vérité

Winemaker: Pierre Seillan

Vérité is one of California’s most ambitious fine-wine projects, created by Jess Jackson in collaboration with Pierre Seillan. Drawing inspiration from Bordeaux while remaining firmly rooted in Sonoma, Vérité vinifies individual parcels separately before blending. Le Désir is Cabernet Franc–driven and reflects Seillan’s long-standing fascination with the variety.

Vérité Le Désir 2014

Highly aromatic, with red berries, violets, graphite, and subtle herbal nuances. The palate is refined and layered, combining freshness with depth and a silky, finely textured structure. Already expressive, yet clearly capable of long-term evolution. A Pomerol-like elegance characterizes this wonderful wine.

Rating: 97/100 DWA score

Lokoya

Winemaker: Chris Carpenter

Founded in 1995, Lokoya is dedicated exclusively to single-mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Howell Mountain, with its volcanic soils and high elevation, produces some of the most structured and age-worthy wines in the portfolio. Lokoya focuses on extremely low yields, long élevage, and precision, positioning the wines among California’s most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignons.

Lokoya Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Dense and compact, with aromas of blackcurrant, graphite, volcanic rock, and dark chocolate. The palate is powerful yet precise, supported by firm tannins and a surprisingly fresh core. Still embryonic, with decades of potential ahead.

Rating: 98/100 DWA score

Integration into Restaurant Wine Programmes

Taken as a whole, this lineup offers restaurants a rare degree of flexibility and narrative depth. The wines span a wide stylistic and price spectrum while remaining unified by freshness, structure, and site expression—qualities increasingly valued in fine dining.

The Chardonnays from Hartford Court and Brewer-Clifton provide contrasting yet complementary options: one approachable and versatile, the other precise and terroir-driven, ideal for pairing menus. Anakota allows sommeliers to demonstrate both youthful intensity and mature complexity within a single producer, while Cardinale and Vérité offer refined, age-worthy alternatives to more overtly opulent Californian reds. Lokoya Howell Mountain, finally, serves as a true icon wine—best suited to collector-focused lists and luxury dining environments.

For sommeliers, these wines are not only prestige additions but practical tools: they communicate place, evolution, and philosophy, and integrate naturally into modern, gastronomy-driven wine programmes.

Conclusion – California, Reframed

This tasting offered a compelling counterpoint to outdated perceptions of Californian wine. Across whites and reds alike, altitude, freshness, and structural clarity emerged as defining qualities. Through Kemme Wines’ thoughtful curation and Jackson Family Wines’ vineyard-driven vision, California revealed itself not as a single style, but as a collection of expressive terroirs with genuine gastronomic relevance.

Rather than overwhelming the table, these wines invite engagement—both from sommeliers and guests—making them highly relevant to contemporary fine dining and serious wine lists alike.

This article is written by our own Niels Aarts. All mentioned wines are available (by allocation in some cases) through Kemme Wines. We would like to thank Maxim Kemme, Michele Fazari (of Jackson Family Wines) and Restaurant Roux for their invitation, presentation and hospitality.