A Man and His Mountain

The Everyman Who Created Kendall-Jackson and Became America's Greatest Wine Entrepreneur

By: Edward Humes

Narrated by: Mel Foster

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist tells the story of the self-made billionaire who built the Kendall-Jackson empire from nothing into the biggest-selling brand of premium wines in the U.S.

Jess Stonestreet Jackson was one of a small band of pioneering entrepreneurs who put California's wine country on the map. His life story is a compelling slice of history, daring, innovation, feuds, intrigue, talent, mystique, contrarianism, and luck, offering a unique window on the elegant, adventurous, and cut-throat worlds of Jackson's two passions: wine and horseracing. Time after time his decisions would be ignored, derided, then finally envied and imitated, as whole industries watched him become a billionaire and tried to keep up. He reinvented himself at mid-life, and became founder and CEO of Kendall-Jackson. The empire he constructed endures and thrives even after his death in 2011. In A Man and His Mountain, Edward Humes brings us the no-holds-barred tale of the brilliant, infuriating, successful man who seemed to win more than his share by staying far ahead of the pack.

©2013 Edward Humes (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Required listening for any wine maker

Wonderful, inspirational story. Thank you, Jess Jackson, for motivating us to go beyond our comfort zones and work hard to develop better wines and better service. As a small farmer winery, we will implement what we learned here to better serve our customers.

Very well done

Interesting story, delivered very well. Great piece of history and worth the listen, I recommend you read it.

Vanity published?

I'd like to know what happened to his first wife. This man appears to have been ruthless. Also, the reader mispronounced "St. Helena" it was grating. We finished the book anyway. Donald Trump would be jealous of his "big hands" - that was mentioned often enough!

Yikes! Not what I was expecting!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A different writer and a different narrator for starters.

Has A Man and His Mountain turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The gentleman is quite likely a good narrator, just not for this book. My judgement is that Mr. Foster's voice and reading style would be better suited for children's books. I'm finding it difficult to continue listening.

What character would you cut from A Man and His Mountain?

I wouldn't cut any character from A Man and His Mountain.

Any additional comments?

I'd just like to say that I am a member of the KJ wine club. I enjoy the welcoming facility, the staff and the wine. Further, I very much enjoy books about wine history, particularly those related to the Napa/Sonoma area. Having recently listened to The Judgement of Paris, Gallo Be Thy Name, The Billionaire's Vinegar and The House of Mondavi, I was anxious to hear about Mr. Jackson's contribution(s) to the area. Unfortunately, for me, the audio book came across as more of a eulogistic oratory, with only one goal in mind, namely, to make sure that the audience knows what a superhero Mr. Jackson was. My feeling after 4 chapters is disappointment. I'm not sure that I can continue listening to what I feel is likely an oversensationalized depiction of Mr. Jackson's contributions to the development of California's best known counties. Finally, I feel that the KJ staff at Santa Rosa provides a much more believable account of Mr. Jackson than A Man and His Mountain.