Around The World In A Single Stroke
Jim Clendenen and Drue

JIM CLENDENEN QUOTE ON ENSO 2008

Master Vintner

Au Bon Climat Winery

"To be a part of this project is extraordinary. Drue’s Enso is emblematic to a lot of people from myself to Charlie Trotter to Bill Walsh to all those this project has touched.

I’d like to thank those who helped me make the wine. Jim Adelman in particular. It was one of the great barrels of wine we had in the cellar from one of the best vintages in 30 years of winemaking.

I have done a lot of work with Drue where she has created original paintings for my labels --- Santa Barbara Mission, Roy Yamaguchi, original silk wine labels, Black by Black for Tom Black, all of the auctions...wow Drue we’ve been collaborating for over 10 years.

I personally own a great deal of art, but Enso 2007 captures the essence of winemaking. The delicacy of her stroke is the vines budding out in January February sometimes early March -- here they are beginning to grow...I see the harvest of the grapes with the strong parts of her stroke, the grapes beginning to push with the energy of the stroke, the cycles of the vine, and seasonally how things change and where they go. The shape of Drue’s Enso also reminds me of so many things. Barrels are that shape. Fermenting tanks are that shape. The bottom of a wine glass is that shape. It is not a closed circle. It is unfinished for all the right reasons, because there is still a chance.

Like Drue with her single stroke, I only get one shot. If you are a beer maker and things don’t work out in January, you can go back to work in February. There is still some hops. There is a lot of water available. But we’ve got one shot a year to do this, like the indelible ink, and the singular thrust of this remarkable around the world journey.

I’d like to end by thanking you for attending this evening and leave by congratulating Drue. "

Jim Clendenen