Thank you Blake for giving us some intimate glimpses into the Mind Behind. I’m sure you’re hurting and will be for awhile, but as you said, the man left it all on the court and lived life like we all should be, each and where day.
Cheers.
A really great tribute to Jim, Blake. Thanks for sharing those stories about Jim. Since you’re not a LosAlamos guy, they’re undoubtedly true!!
He leaves a big hole behind in this world, not just the wine world, either.
You ever play him 1-on-1??
Tom
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You’re not gonna want to defend Blake posted up in the paint. He’s about 6’6" with pointy elbows! ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
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Thanks Tom. See my post #53 herein re 1 on 1.
I just received another email response to my comments posted above that merits inclusion here. It comes from a really good guy, Toby Rowland-Jones, a Carmel-based sommelier with fine dining and event management experience who also as been a writer for various publications and among other attributes is the founder and past-President of the Big Sur Food and Wine Festival.
I met Toby in the 1990s at the Central Coast Wine Classic {CCWC} which was founded by another dear friend of Ji and me who passed 2 years ago, Archie McLaren. Toby masterfully coordinated the sommelier staff for that event highlighted by a black tie dinner at Heart Castle.
"Ahhhh how beautiful and eloquently put as always my friend!
I first met Jim at the CCWC and we, like you, became instant friends. I think it was the mutual audacity we shared, but he was always the kindest man when it came to my lack of deep wine knowledge! His kindness and exquisite boundless energy were always an amazing thing to witness. As you say, he was always the first to jump in and support any decent cause, and often with Frank Ostini, they’d whip up amazing events and manifest magic simply because they said they would.
Jim’s appearances at the Big Sur Food and Wine Festival were always truly amazing, and not because he needed to for business, but out of respect and friendship, he would come up, and electrify our attendees, but in addition, would be so very generous with donations for our auctions.
Jim had his unusual style, and he was his own man in so many regards, eschewing convention and being “proper.”
I know that Archie must still be shaking his head at Jim’s very early departure from this mortal coil, and saying: You’re here way before your time old bean! But seeing how Seth is here also, let’s make the very best of it.
I am sure I shall see you at the memorial for whenever it is set dear Blake.
Sending kind and loving thoughts for your very deep and profound loss."
Toby
Blake, thought you might enjoy this piece from Karen MacNeil - In Memory of Jim Clendenen
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Link won’t open. Says it’s not a secure site. I tried taking the ‘.’ out of mailchimp and that didn’t work either.
I googled and found the link via her Twitter feed. It’s the same link, but from Twitter, it opens. Weird.
https://twitter.com/karenmacneilco?lang=en
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Same results- I PM`d Matt to see if there’s another option.
Although this was posted above, it perfectly captures Jim and his wit and knowledge as well as some good history so for those who have not listened to it and are interested in knowing a bit more about the mind behind, it`s worth the listen.
Some of the wines this evening at an informal East Bay wine dinner gathering with a few friends. Thanks to Ed Kurtzman and Al Osterheld for bringing the ABC wines - all really good. The 1995 “Le Bouge” Chardonnay was my WOTN and the 2002 Mt. Carmel Vineyard Pinot was not far behind.
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Sorry for the link trouble. It was free content, so I’ll just post it here.
"To a young journalist, Jim Clendenen was a terrifying figure. I met him in 1983 on assignment for Playboy Magazine which had commissioned me to do a piece about Santa Barbara wine country. Clendenen took that as a sign we could drink until 3 in the morning while he ranted and I scribbled. By 11 pm, I was exhausted. The man was a whirling dervish of energy. His intellect was always on fire. He was quick to tell you you were full of BS, and skewer you with a challenge you didn’t see coming. At some point he’d push too far and he’d know it. Then he could be gentle.
We journalists were always moths to Jim’s flame. He was legendary for giving good quotes. F the Spectator. F Parker. F Napa. F the whole goddam government. You could sense him winding up for a big night.
Jim was a phenomenal cook. The plastic-covered long picnic table inside his warehouse-like winery was always half set for ten, wine glasses everywhere, bottles of Burgundy sitting around like cats observing the scene. You never knew who might show up. But there Jim would be –holding a sauté pan and holding forth with authority, his large fists grabbing handfuls of mushrooms one minute and sailing a frisbee over the wine barrels to his dog the next.
As Jim got older, he seemed to me less restless and less relentless; more content to curl up inside the fact that he had made it. He wasn’t rich. But his Au Bon Climat pinot noirs and chardonnays were loved around the world, including in Burgundy. I like to think he let himself feel proud about that. Not bad for a big kid from Akron Ohio.
Jim Clendenen died May 15, 2021. I will never drink another Santa Barbara pinot noir without thinking about him."
- Karen MacNeil
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