I will get to keep some great memories of Jimi:
-fearing for my life as we bombed up and down the steep slopes of Maysara Estate's vineyards in his decrepit old jeep without any doors
-discovering that Jimi had just about every recording ever made by Mark Lanegan
-shooting pool in a dingy bar in McMinnville against Michael Stevenson and some restaurant/bar owner from Washington DC whose gold chains kept getting in the way of his cue
-debating who made the better burger, Lumpy's or Alf's (although I'm not sure if I ever saw Jimi actually eat a burger)
-listening to Jimi go on and on about the contributions Poles had made to American history (Jimi, I promise I'll keep celebrating Pulaski Day)
-listening to Jimi dismiss overly dogmatic arguments about biodynamism and terroir by saying "I'm part of the terroir, baby"
-and finally, watching Jimi whip a mutual friend with a bunch of stinging nettles for having the audacity to drink a bottle of SGN he had been hiding in his sock drawer.
If you were lucky enough to have met Jimi, you know the world is definitely not a better place today. So while I sip some 2000 Brooks Janus Pinot Noir and listen to a scratchy copy of Lanegan's "Whiskey for the Holy Ghost," I want to close with this quote from the end of JM Scott's book, The Man Who Made Wine. It's the scene where the retiring vigneron Michel Rachelet is sitting at a table in the winery, thinking back over his years of making wine. As the candle dies down a young boy walks in the room.
"We who are on the way out salute you who are on the way in," he said softly. "There will always be good young wine coming in on the chai and good young fellows who love the vines. When you are a man you will sit here and drink the blood of those grapes. May the good God show you what has made me see."
Jimi is survived by his young son, Pascal. Friends and family are going to try and keep Jimi's legacy and winery going for him. If you feel like helping in that regard you may send a check/cheque to:
Pascal Brooks Memorial Fund
Washington Mutual Bank
3425 SW Cedar Hills Blvd
Beaverton, OR 97005
USA
Goodbye Jimi, I'm going to miss you.
