In Memory of a Larger-Than-Life Winemaker, Jim Clendenen
On Monday night, browsing through my Instagram feed, I was shocked to read about the sudden passing of Jim Clendenen.
Jim was a true master of his craft, an inspirational, pioneering winemaker whose influence will live long beyond his tragic passing. Beyond these professional attributes, he was also a flat-out nice guy. While his wines typically showed restraint, precision, and finesse, his personality was somewhat bigger and more exuberant. I have seen many outpourings of heartfelt sorrow for Jim's untimely death and several anecdotal stores highlighting just what a colorful guy he was. So, I figured I'd share a quick story about the first time I met Jim back in 2009.
At the time I was working for Randall Graham at Bonny Doon Vineyard and was asked to accompany Randall to represent the wines at the inaugural Big Sur Food & Wine Festival. This new event promised to showcase the best food and wine of the Central Coast, and the lineup of participating wineries was incredible. My wife joined me for the event, and we stayed right at the heart of the action at the Big Sur Lodge. The main event was a grand tasting in the dining room at the lodge, and the place was absolutely packed with a who's who of winemakers from the region. I was set up behind the table with a lineup of Bonny Doon's latest and greatest esoteric wines. Across the way was the inimitable Gary Pisoni, and just one table to my right stood Jim with a stellar lineup of Au Bon Climat wines.
We chatted, tasted each other's wines, he and Randall reminisced about days of old, and the room continued to fill up with eager festival goers. The noise level (and size of pours) steadily increased as the afternoon went on. Now, for those of you uninitiated, this festival was far from the stuffy, wine-industry standard tasting of diligent note taking, spit buckets, and early departures. People came here to drink, eat, and have fun. A few hours in, the atmosphere was really heating up. Randall, seemingly becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the situation, soon vanished, leaving my wife (who's not in the wine business) to get behind the table and help me pour.
Before I knew it, a full, raging party had broken out. Jim was pulling corks on all kinds of bottles, and the music cranked. I'll never forget the image that is seared in my mind from that evening: Gary Pisoni, Riedel Duck Decanter in hand, waterfalling Pisoni Estate Pinot directly into the open mouth of rather well-heeled, 50-something lady as she knelt on the floor in front of him, the excess wine running down her chest and soaking her presumably very expensive dress. It was one of those things you just have to see to believe.
Over the decade since, I've bumped into Jim several more times, and while none have been quite so raucous, he always seemed to embody both the artisanal, dedicated, highly seriously side of wine, while never losing sight of the fun and uplifting experiences that can come from sharing great food and wine. I will truly miss his wines and his presence going forward but may his bright and joyous soul remain with us in spirit. I'll raise a glass tonight and I hope those of you lucky enough to know him or his wines will do the same.
Cheers, RIP Jim Clendenen.