Jim Clendenen, Santa Barbara Winemaking Pioneer, Dies at 68
With exuberant charisma and relentless traveling, he promoted his label, Au Bon Climat, and the region as a wine hub.
Jim Clendenen in 2009 at his winery, Au Bon Climat. He had a striking leonine mane of hair well after long hair had gone out of fashion and a goatee long before goatees came back in style. His wines were similarly distinctive but never trendy.Credit.Monica Almeida/The New York Times
May 19, 2021Updated 2:57 p.m. ET
Jim Clendenen, a larger than life, globe-trotting winemaker who through the force of his flamboyant personality and the understated beauty of his wines helped put the Santa Barbara region on the map, died on Saturday at his home in Buellton, Calif. He was 68.