Jim Clendenen — one of the most important vintners in Santa Barbara County history, an influential force on the international wine scene, and a legendary bon vivant known for crafting both world-class wines and long, epic lunches — died in his sleep over the weekend. He was 68 years old.
Inspired by trips to Burgundy in France, Clendenen cofounded Au Bon Climat in 1982 with Adam Tolmach, and became the sole owner seven years later. “In Bordeaux, you have to own a castle and possess a title to make wine — you have to come from empowered roots,” Clendenen told me for my book Vines & Vision: The Winemakers of Santa Barbara County in 2020. “But when you spend time in Burgundy, you realize that it doesn’t matter if you’re making a few barrels in a garage or are in one of the estates,” he said, proud to be the grandson of Pennsylvania coal miners. “If you work hard at what you do, you can become the king of the village, the most important winemaker in the world.”
Focused primarily on grapes grown in the Santa Maria Valley — particularly from Bien Nacido Vineyards, where he shared a winery facility with his friend Bob Lindquist for more than 30 years — Clendenen made leaner wines than California’s typical sunshine-powered style, picking at lower sugars, using less new oak, and emphasizing acid and structure over ripeness.