In a rare in-depth interview granted to Decanter, we meet the dauntless Jayson Woodbridge. The founder of Hundred Acre is a controversial figure in the Napa Valley, yet the wine community can’t ignore the fact that his wines are celebrated by pundits the world over
Arriving in Napa Valley with no winemaking experience in 1999, Jayson Woodbridge quickly showed his aptitude for learning from luminary winemakers – most notably St Helena-based Philippe Melka.
Woodbridge’s ability to make fine wine and understand the importance of terroir – and the substantial fortune that he brought to the valley – enabled him to purchase vineyard land in good locations. He managed it very well and produced consistently high-quality grapes to make his Hundred Acre wines.
Woodbridge chose a slightly obscure name that no one understood at first. Writers have claimed, mistakenly, that ‘Hundred Acre’ is a reference to AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. ‘Not so,’ says Woodbridge; it’s a Zen-like reminder of his youthful days as a long-distance runner speeding through the woods near his childhood home. ‘My own private forest of childhood memories.’
Woodbridge has astutely caught the attention of the media and consumers in a way that has placed Hundred Acre among the best-known wines in California. Though he built his empire on high-priced cult wines, he also created under-$20 wine brands Layer Cake, Cherry Pie and If You See Kay (all sold to Vintage Wine Estates in 2018). In the last five years, he established two entirely new wineries: Fortunate Son and Summer Dreams (see p59).
Along the way, his strong-willed personality has encountered and created some controversy, ranging from lawsuits over land use and permitrelated issues to personal disputes. His vineyard manager of 25 years, Jim Barbour, put it this way: ‘People can say what they want. He’s always been a great person to me, a really good friend, and lets me do what I do best.’
With a tall, grizzly bear-like stature, salt-andpepper hair, and a penetrating gaze, the mercurial Woodbridge is devilishly witty and disarmingly charming. He loves to grin and bear his teeth for debate. The creator of a world like Hundred Acre has to be a forceful character, and Woodbridge has left a mark based on not only the quality of his wine but the power of his personality.
JOURNEY TO NAPA VALLEY
Woodbridge was born in October 1963 in Toronto, Canada. His family was middle class; his mother Patricia worked in nursing, and his father John held a career in radio and television. He has one brother, Cameron, also a winemaker.
Wine found Woodbridge as an investment banker. While entertaining, he consumed ‘the world’s great wines’. As a young man, he began to sense a connection to wine that was not shared by his clients or colleagues. ‘I felt I was in a crowded room with people wa
