We’ve been fans of Sean Thackrey's wines for some years now, and I finally convinced Kim that it was time to see how a couple of bottles of Pleiades with some age on them in our cellar were faring. For those who may not know, the non-vintage Pleiades bottlings are pretty much a catch-all blend of anything that doesn’t make the cut for Thackrey’s vintage dated wines such as Orion, Sirius and Aquilla, as well as a changing cast of lots that Sean includes from whomever and wherever he happens to acquire them; past bottlings have included Syrah, Barbera, Petite Sirah, Carignan, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Merlot, Mourvedre and Viognier, among others. Each numbered version has a personality all its own, and as the following two demonstrate, most, if not all, benefit from some years in the bottle.
Sean Thackrey Pleiades IX California Old Vines Red Table Wine, 14.2% alc.: Showing a little rusty tinge to its dark color and a hint of the barnyard shading both flavors and aromas that straddle both primary and tertiary characteristics, offering elements of leather, mushroom, forest floor, dark plum, blackberry, black cherry and mulberry; Kim observes that it “has that sea air thing going on” on the nose, and as it opens, notes “a lot of intense raspberries coming out.” Very Rhône-ish, and there’s still some structure here, with moderate tannins, decent acidity and good length. I like this one where it is right now, especially with a nice t-bone steak.
Sean Thackrey Pleiades X California Old Vines Red Table Wine, 13.9% alc.: Just a hint of bricking to the dark color, showing slightly dark plum and dark berry aromatics, more primary than otherwise; delivers a mix of dark currant, plum and berry on the palate, along with undertones of earth and tar. Somewhat claret-like and a little Rhône-ish as well; with air, an impression of old wood emerges, and this becomes a little reminiscent of an old Ridge Geyserville or Lytton Springs. Still some structure here, and a little fuller than the IX, but this is a wine to open tonight for immediate gratification. Pair it with a variety of grilled red meats or even a hearty stew. This has certainly gone through some changes since we last tasted it in 2003 .
Do I have a favorite between these two? Nope! I like the IX for its tertiary character and the X for its slightly fuller and more primary personality, but both wines are right there, right now. Many thanks to an old friend for these lovely gifts.
Kim refers to Pleiades as “my wine,” but she’s very generous in sharing them with me. Still, I was a little surprised to find this one still down in the cellar in early August; I thought that they would have been long gone by now. To be honest, I never liked XIII that much, and I liked XIV even less; I don’t think I ever posted any notes on them for that reason, but this next one gives ample evidence that perhaps we were a bit hasty in consuming both bottlings too early.
Sean Thackrey Pleiades XIV California Old Vines Red Table Wine, 14.2% alc.: Dark color, fading at the rim, with subtle oak (not new) and obvious mint and eucalyptus over a fairly wide spectrum of more red than black fruit in both flavor and aroma; moderate tannins, good acids and nice length. The “subtle oak” morphs quickly into subtle old wood (and obviously, I find a distinction between the two), adding a distinguishing characteristic to this very pleasurable, medium-full to full-bodied wine that offers rich fruit with savory undertones. I may not have liked it that much when it was first released (Kim loved it, as always), but I really do now; however, these have always been a little notorious for showing bottle variation. It certainly has the structure to age and evolve for at least a year or two more, so I’ll have to rat around in the Cellar from Heck and see if there aren’t a few more bottles squirreled away somewhere.
-from Old Friends & New Faces
Reporting from Day-twah,
geo t.