If you can’t fly out to this year’s Kentucky Derby to experience all the excitement from the Churchill Downs grandstands, celebrating the event in Sonoma County might be next best thing. Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens will be hosting what the winery calls the West Coast’s largest Kentucky Derby party on Saturday, May 4.
As part of the upcoming festivities, Kendall-Jackson will be turning its 4-acre culinary gardens, great lawn and alfresco patio into an ideal location to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Run for The Roses, according the the winery.
This is the fourth consecutive year that the winery will be hosting the event. This year’s party will include fashion contests, large-screen viewing of Kentucky Derby races, entertainment by Radio Gatsby and Wonder Bread 5, and derby-inspired Southern cuisine paired with award-winning Kendall-Jackson wines.
Kendall-Jackson Executive Chef Tracey Shepos Cenami will oversee the culinary offerings, which will include dishes from a variety of local restaurants such as Barbacoa Street Tacos with Mango Pico de Gallo from John Ash in Santa Rosa; Pork Sliders with Apple Slaw from Kin Smoke in Healdsburg; and Sweet and Tangy Grilled Maitake Mushroom Sourdough Toast with Whipped Lemon Crème Fraîche from Goldfinch in Sebastopol.
The Kentucky Derby hat contest will feature several local celebrities as judges, including lifestyle influencer Erika Altes; SF Giants reporter, producer, and TV personality Amy Gutierrez (a.k.a. Amy G) and ABC News Bay Area morning reporter Kumasi Aaron.
The Santa Rosa winery has a unique and special connection to the Kentucky Derby and horse racing in general. Kendall-Jackson is the preferred wine of the Kentucky Derby and, as such, the winery will serve two limited-edition wines: the 150th Kentucky Derby Commemorative Label Mendocino County 2022 Chardonnay and Sonoma County 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon vintages. Retired American Thoroughbred racehorse Rachel Alexandra of the winery’s Stonestreet Stables is pictured on the commemorative label.
The Jackson family’s avid interest in the sport stretches back generations. Kendall-Jackson founder Jess Jackson’s enthusiasm for horse racing began as a young boy when, from atop his uncle’s shoulders, he watched legendary horse Seabiscuit win the 1938 Bay Meadows Handicap.
In 2005, The Jackson family opened Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing operation Stonestreet Stables, located on farmland in the Bluegrass hills of Lexington, Kentucky. Named the leading North American commercial breeder of Thoroughbred yearlings 10 times, Stonestreet has bred and raised a number of champions including Gamine, Good Magic, Lady Aurelia, Malathaat and My Miss Aurelia, as well as raced the Hall of Fame inductees Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. Jackson Family Wines chairman and proprietor Barbara Banke currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Breeder’s Cup.
Each year, attendance of the Kentucky Derby event at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens has grown and the winery expects this year’s event to draw between 1,500 to 2,000 guests. Around 25 Kendall-Jackson staff members from the wineries hospitality, tasting room, marketing, communications, culinary and sales departments are involved in organizing the event each year.
Tickets for the event start at $175 and include complimentary food, a welcome drink and three complimentary drink tickets for full access to the festivities from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. kj.com/kyderby