State rejects renaming of Black Mountain

The late wine mogul Jess Jackson's bid to change the name of a prominent mountain next to his Alexander Valley estate has been rejected by a state board.

The California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names on Wednesday unanimously recommended against his company's application to change the long-standing name of Black Mountain to Alexander Mountain.

The committee gave a number of reasons for turning down the request, including citizen opposition and the appearance of an ulterior motive.

"There seemed to be a commercial implication in that the application has been made to create an Alexander Mountain wine appellation," committee chairwoman Barbara Wanish stated in an email.

The state committee does not have the final say. Their action was a recommendation to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, the final arbiter in the matter.

But about 90 percent of the time a state board's recommendation is followed, said Jennifer Runyon, a senior researcher for the U.S. board.

"Its unusual for the federal board to go against the state," she said Wednesday. On the other hand, she said the state opinion is one of many that are considered.

Runyon added that the geographic board "is "very reluctant to change long-standing names. There have to be really compelling reasons to change a name."

The request to rename the 3,128-foot peak "Alexander Mountain" was made several years ago by Jackson Family Wines, owned by Jackson.

He died in April at the age of 81, from cancer.

Jackson's representatives said they wanted to honor the legacy of pioneer settler Cyrus Alexander, and also distinguish it from three other "Black" Mountains in Sonoma County.

Pete Downs, vice-president for Jackson Family Wines, said Wednesday that Jackson "was a real history buff. He understood Cyrus Alexander's contribution to the county and the area, so it was important to him."

"He was interested in having that peak named after somebody who had a major impact in the county," Downs said.

But the application was criticized by opponents who saw it as part of the billionaire wine magnate's effort to bolster his wines' prestige and establish a new appellation known as "Alexander Mountain."

Jackson lived on a 5,400-acre estate below Black Mountain and his company grows ultra-premium grapes there, some of which are bottled under the name Alexander Mountain.

The long ridge-like Black Mountain lies next to its taller neighbor Geyser Peak and has been named Black Mountain since the late 1800s.

The origin of its name is unclear, but is believed derived either from its dark appearance, or from a family called Black that ranched in the vicinity.

Property owners whose land encompasses the peak of the mountain were adamantly opposed to the name change.

"Aeronautical charts and topographical maps and history books and umpteen other materials include that name. If you change it, all those printed references become useless," said Gary Wilson, a Healdsburg accountant. His family has owned 1,500 acres on Black Mountain and Geyser Peak since the 1920s.

Cities within sight of Black Mountain also weighed in on the controversy. The Healdsburg and Windsor city councils opposed the name change. The Cloverdale City Council supported it and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors took a neutral stance.

Downs said in a Los Angeles Times article in May that it was unfortunate the renaming of the mountain didn't come in Jackson's lifetime. "Maybe it will be part of his legacy," he said.

But the state Advisory Committee on Geographic Names noted in its recommendation to retain the name Black Mountain that there is ample historical and current usage of the name.

"The name (Alexander Mountain) does not meet the criteria for a commemorative name. There is no direct association of the feature with the pioneer Cyrus Alexander," Wanish wrote in summarizing this week's decision.