Kent Jarman, Winemaker

Raised in Louisiana by a family who valued good food and wine, Kent Jarman developed an early interest in viticulture. His grandfather headed a distribution company that offered wine education classes, which exposed him to high quality wines at a very young age. Fresh from a degree in enology and viticulture from U.C. Davis, Kent worked his first harvest as an intern in 2000 and by 2002 had joined Duckhorn Vineyards as assistant winemaker. Five years later, he left to become consulting winemaker at Kenefick Ranch Vineyards and several other small boutique wineries including 4088 on Atlas Peak. He is winemaker/partner with Coup de Foudre and also produces under his own label.

Kent was immediately drawn to the opportunity to make wine with Kenefick Ranch. “It’s very enticing to work with estate-owned vineyards,” he says. “It allows flexibility, to have total control the farming, and to be extremely committed to the highest quality.” He also loves the diversity of the property’s terroir. “Small vineyards can be very one-dimensional,” he explains. “Here we have a rich variety of soil profiles and microclimates. It enables us to create an overall complex product with many different characteristics from unique sites on the estate.”

In the cellar, Kent uses hand-crafted techniques to maximize the essence of the estate. “We try to let the wines and the property speak for themselves,” he says. “We aim to make a flawless product that is expressive of the soils and environment of Kenefick Ranch.”