By Jules Polonetsky
When American Eagle Outfitters launched its “Great Jeans, Great Genes” campaign this summer, it kicked off a fair amount of controversy. The ad, featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, playfully declared that “genes are passed down from parent to offspring … my jeans are blue.”
Some took offense at the pun as relating to eugenics; others mocked those who may have taken offense. Jay Schottenstein, the observant Jewish businessman who serves as executive chairman and CEO of American Eagle, emphasized that he would never have approved a campaign he found offensive. In the end, the campaign was a huge marketing success, driving record sales.
Schottenstein is no stranger to media attention, as both a public company CEO and as a leading Jewish philanthropist. From the Schottenstein ArtScroll Talmud to a vast number of Jewish causes, his businesses and charity often make news.
Often his business and Jewish identity intersect, such as in 2024, when he celebrated the 30-year anniversary of American Eagle as a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange by blowing a shofar rather than ringing the opening bell. American Eagle has also placed a mezuzah on the front door of its flagship location in Times Square.
But for wine lovers, the story takes an unexpected and inspiring turn high above Napa Valley, where Schottenstein’s family owns one of California’s most historic wineries: Mayacamas Vineyards.
Founded in 1889 on the rugged slopes of Mount Veeder, Mayacamas is among Napa’s oldest, continually operating wineries. Its original stone cellar still anchors the estate, surrounded by steep, volcanic terrain where vines cling to the mountainside at elevations between 1,800 and 2,400 feet.
The terroir — the environment in which the wine is produced — is famously demanding, rocky, dry and difficult to farm. This is precisely what gives Mayacamas wines their character. The mountain air keeps temperatures cooler, the soils lend minerality and the stress on the vines yields small, concentrated berries.
The result is a style far removed from the lush, fruit-bomb cabernets that came to define modern Napa. Mayacamas wines are taut, structured and age-worthy, “old school” in the best sense, admired for balance and longevity.
That commitment to restraint and tradition has made Mayacamas one of the valley’s most respected names. Collectors covet its cabernets and chardonnays, which regularly age gracefully for decades.
When the Schottenstein family purchased Mayacamas in 2013, many wondered whether the storied estate would change course. Instead, they poured resources into restoration and modernization while keeping the winery’s DNA intact.
Jay Schottenstein, whose family business empire includes DSW in addition to American Eagle and other ventures, brought the same focus on quality and long-term stewardship that has defined his retail success.
He also brought his Jewish identity. Today, Mayacamas produces roughly 700 cases of kosher wine annually — a small but carefully integrated portion of the estate’s overall production.
The rosé is currently made only in kosher form. The whites — particularly the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc — are produced in both kosher and non-kosher versions, while the cabernet sauvignon appears in both lines as well.
The kosher wines come from specific vineyard blocks on the estate and are handled exclusively by a rabbinic winemaking team from harvest through bottling. The estate notes that the “primary difference is that handling and making of the kosher wines is physically carried out by our rabbis,” ensuring full halachic compliance.
The winemaking philosophy, however, remains identical — same terroir, same techniques, same commitment to longevity and precision.
This arrangement introduces subtle variations, since the kosher wines may draw from slightly different parcels, and they age in alternate cooperage to maintain separation.
These differences mean the kosher and non-kosher bottlings aren’t entirely identical, but they share the same DNA and the same mountain pedigree.
With that craftsmanship comes price. The regular Mayacamas cabernet sauvignon (non-kosher) retails for about $185 per bottle.
The kosher cabernet, sourced from the same mountain vineyards and made in micro-quantities, typically sells for $215, a mark-up much less extreme than comparable top Bordeaux wines.
The kosher chardonnay hovers around $75, and the kosher grenache rosé about $45. Buy it directly from the winery.
In an age when luxury brands often chase trends, Mayacamas stands for patience, craft and conviction. Its kosher wines, though rare and expensive, make a statement that resonates deeply in the Jewish world: Excellence and observance are not mutually exclusive.
Jules Polonetsky is a wine and spirits education trust level 3 certified wine expert who writes for the Wine and Whiskey Globe when not occupied with his day job as CEO of a tech policy think tank. He is a former consumer affairs commissioner of the city of New York.
