October 29, 2024 – Winemakers gathered with friends and family of the Jackson’s on Saturday, October 25, at Storrs Winery to remember the man who brought bubbles to life in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Barry Jackson, who passed away in September, leaves behind a great legacy, a beautiful family and many stories.
Present in the crowd were Greg Stokes and Debra Elissagaray, both of whom worked at David Bruce Winery, knew and loved Barry. They now operate Ursa Cellars in El Dorado, where they make killer Barbera and Petite Sirah. Fellow David Bruce alum, Shakespearean actor turned vintner Tony Craig, still makes wines for his Sonnet Cellars brand, along with wines for Savannah-Chanelle and Silver Mountain. He stood out suavely from the largely Hawaiian shirt-wearing crowd in his black turtleneck and jacket. Marty Mathis cut a handsome figure in all black, including a hat, looking much like a preacher who stepped out of an old western, about which Laurie Love and I teased him somewhat mercilessly.
The reunions were beautiful to witness: Steven Mirassou (now of Steven Kent Winery and Lineage Wine Company in Livermore, who purchases Bates Ranch fruit and got married to his wife Beth at the top of the vineyard there) and his longtime former winemaker, Tom Stutz, had not seen each other in years. Stutz asked me to point out Mirassou in case he didn’t recognize him. Trust me, they found each other like magnets find iron filings. Stutz and Mirassou were part of the La Rochelle brand that made sparkling wines using the very equipment that Jackson ended up purchasing for the fledgling Equinox brand that he launched with his wife Jennifer.
Michael Martella, winemaker emeritus at Fogarty Winery, remembers Barry from their days at Fresno State, and has always marveled that they both ended up making wine in the Santa Cruz Mountains. When asked how retirement was treating him, he replied, “It’s one of the top 5 best decisions I’ve ever made! And the other 4 were pretty good, too.” Martella attended with longtime friend and restaurateur, Jesse Cool, who has been a culinary tour de force in Menlo Park for decades, first with Late for the Train and then with Flea Street Café.
Barry’s dear childhood friend and longtime Santa Cruz resident and winemaker Paul Wofford, came down from El Camino in the El Dorado hills where he makes wine at Wofford Acres. He previously made the wines for Loma Prieta Winery, working alongside another Santa Cruz winemaking legend, Michael Sones, when they were at Bargetto. Sones has been Jackson’s next-door neighbor, along with Jeff Emery of Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyard, in Swift Street Court. Other neighbors included John Ritchie of Bottle Jack, and Jerold O’Brien of Silver Mountain, who were also in attendance.
Longtime Santa Cruz Mountains vintner, and wine industry mover and shaker Randall Grahm joined the throng, as he, too, along with winemaker Nicole Walsh, had the great pleasure of working with Jackson to make some pretty spectacular sparkling wines. Everyone wanted to chat with Grahm, who shared that this year his biggest challenge at Popelouchum was turkeys: hundreds of them, attacking the fruit. So, if you have a good solution for him, pass it on.
Other attendees included viticulture consultant Prudy Foxx, Denis Hoey of Odonata and Carol Martin of Wrights Station, who once worked for Storrs in Santa Cruz.
Steve and Pamela Storrs hosted the gathering, which grew to well over 200 people, and featured a banquet table groaning with all manner of food brought by the attendees. There was also a beautiful performance of Hawaiian song and dance, including a blessing of the lei, which was given by one of the dancers to Barry’s widow Jennifer.
Sparkling winemaker Ashley Jackson, Barry’s daughter, says she hopes to carry on her father’s legacy, as well as perform her day job at Nostra Vita, a custom crush sparkling house in Lodi. She had ordered a lifesize cutout of her dad which she hoped would be present at the memorial service to greet everyone, but it didn’t arrive in time. Perhaps Barry was waiting to make a second appearance. She says he will probably greet people in the Equinox tasting room, which we are told will remain open on weekends through at least the end of the year.
Parker Presents will be in the Equinox tasting room with oysters on Sunday, November 10, so don’t miss this chance to enjoy some of Barry’s favorite food and toast his legacy.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
