Sean Thackrey Pleiades XXVI Old Vines

Description

Sean Thackrey Pleiades XXVI is the latest blend, the 26th, released by Sean Thackrey. In 1979 Sean Thackrey turned his hand from selling antique books to winemaking. He is definitely not your usual winemaker. Living on the edge of the world down in Marin county he makes these handcrafted wines in his outdoor winery beneath the eucalyptus trees. Thackrey sources his grapes from growers in the Napa Valley, Marin County and Mendocino. Sean Thackrey Pleiades is an experimental non-vintage blend first released in 1992. It is an ever-changing  blend made from a multitude of grapes varieties which can include Syrah, Barbera, Zinfandel, Carignan, Sangioves, Pinot Noir, Mourvedre, Grenache and even some white Viognier or Marsanne. The recipe changes every year depending on various decisions and grape availablility. Thackrey has describes the Pleaides blend as his “chef”s special”. It doesn’t bear a vintage (Roman numerals depict the identity of the particular version). Thackrey has said, “It’s like a chef’s special. You trust the chef so you’re prepared to order the dish of the day”.

According to the back label “The object of Pleiades Old Vines is to be delicious, delight the jaded, irritate the Wine Police, and go well with anything red wine goes well with. This edition is dominated by Pinot Noir along with Sangiovese, Viognier, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Petite Sirah to name but a few. Fragrant and voluptuous when first released, it will become far more subtle and complex with a year or two of bottle age, although such restraint might be too much to ask of most of us.”

Bottled in November 2016.