Jack Cakebread

Jack Cakebread, who with his wife, Dolores, turned a 22-acre cattle ranch in Rutherford, Calif., into one of Napa Valley’s leading wineries, along the way helping to propel the once-obscure region to global viticultural stardom, died on April 26 2022 in Napa. He was 92. His death, in a hospital, was confirmed by his son Dennis, the chairman of Cakebread Cellars. Mr. Cakebread assumed something of the role that Robert Mondavi had once played, mentoring young winemakers and shepherding the community around Rutherford. John Emmett Cakebread was born on Jan. 11, 1930, in Oakland. Jack attended the University of California, Berkeley, but did not graduate. Jack and Dolores Cakebread gradually pulled back from day-to-day management in the 2000s, ceding control to their sons Bruce and Dennis.Dolores Cakebread died in 2020. Mr. Cakebread is survived by his sons, Dennis, four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.