Hello Everyone!
We know it’s been such a long time since you’ve heard from the world of Sean Thackrey. We are extremely pleased and honored to have been asked by Sean’s family and closest team members—including his Assistant Winemaker Andreas Krieger—to help them reach out to his select wine list member friends to offer some gorgeous classic releases from the Thackrey Library.
My name is Sabrina Krauss, a senior wine consultant at Grove Street Wine Brokers—for over 30 years, the most trusted Direct-To-You wine brokers here in Northern California wine country. And please don’t confuse us with anyone from “Pleiades Wine Company” who may have contacted you. It’s a long and sad story, but these folks do not have any of Sean’s wines in inventory—and they do not represent Sean, his wines, or his family. Unfortunately, they took advantage of someone who can no longer speak for themselves and have taken the Pleiades name and are making their own wines.
Moving on... We all recently tasted a wide range of Orion and original Pleiades bottlings from the Library and together have chosen a handful of truly impressive, aged gems to offer to welcome you back! And as the sages often say, more will be revealed, but for now, let’s start here:
ORION California Native Red Wine Rossi Vineyard St. Helena
When renowned wine critic Stephen Tanzer did a complete retrospective of the Orion wines, he wrote: “Of all of the cult wines of California, Sean Thackrey’s singular Orion bottling is right at the top of my personal list.” Made with select fruit from the Very Old Vines of the Rossi Vineyard, one of the oldest vineyards in Napa Valley, its heritage vines were planted in 1905. This distinctive field blend includes at least 11 varietals each vintage and is aged in custom-made Sirugue and François Frères barrels which Sean appreciated for the way they allowed the fruit to truly harmonize without a “woody” influence. And like the great wines of Burgundy and Châteauneuf, Sean created wines for the future—respecting the wildness and intrigue inherent in these Century Vines to reveal rather than tame their individuality: “Rather than beat my wines up and make them polite when they’re young, I’d rather that they became civilized with age.” And now it’s time for you to enjoy the fruits of Sean’s labors of love:
• 2002: 96-100 points from Robert Parker: “Riveting... With great intensity, full body, multiple dimensions, and superb purity as well as length, this blockbuster is incredibly well-balanced/harmonious.” $145.
• 2004: 93+ points from Stephen Tanzer: “Sweet, layered and utterly mouthfilling...at once thick, energetic and extremely deep”. $125.
• 2005: 93+ points from Stephen Tanzer: “Densely packed, vibrant and savory; large-scaled but smooth, offering a compelling combination of dark fruit and sauvage animal qualities.” $125.
• 2006: 98 points from Robert Parker: “Its striking aromatics are followed by a full-bodied wine with a multi-dimensional personality, terrific texture, purity, silky tannins, and a blockbuster finish. Everything is in perfect balance. The wine is superbly pure, very expressive, and a real attention grabber, but at the same time it is classic in every sense.” $145.
• 2009: 97+ points from Jeb Dunnuck: “Absolutely unique and captivating...Seamless, impeccably balanced, and with no hard edges, powerful, yet ethereal...has incredible freshness, and awesomely polished tannin on the finish...This singular beauty is brilliant.” $145.
AND IF YOU PURCHASE ANY OF THESE ORION WINES, YOU ARE ALSO WELCOME TO PURCHASE SPECIAL 2015 MAGNUMS: When released in 2018, Sean said “Of course I'm not going to say that the 2015 Orion is the best Orion ever. After all, one of the glories of the Orion is the richness of complexity and nuance it acquires with aging, and of course that hasn't happened yet. But I will say that I have never tasted one in its youth that was more promising.” Well, we can tell you that he would be thrilled how this landmark vintage has developed! 98 points from Jeb Dunnuck: “This is magical stuff...Just a brilliant, brilliant wine that needs to be tasted to be believed.” MAGNUM $300. (maximum of 4 per order)
PLEIADES Old Vines
Sean’s homage to the Southern Rhône—and beyond—each release is a unique and enigmatic blend of Syrah, Barbera, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Sangiovese, Viognier, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and... well, we may never really know... These hand-crafted reds were wines Sean created to introduce any wine lover on any given night to what can be done with the right heart and soul—and soil and fruit—and magic... Here are two rare opportunities for you:
• Pleiades XVIII: Bottled in 2010. Sean said: “My wines are like a person. They talk, they change, they tell you something different every sip. They taste different from one day to the next, from one hour to the next. That kind of complexity is what makes wine interesting.” Only 8 cases remain. $50.
• Pleiades Vertical Collection: XXIV, XXV and XXVI: These are the final three vintages produced by Sean’s hands. Only 44 verticals remain. One bottle each of all three for $100.
WELCOME BACK, everyone! All of these gems are Ultra-Limited as you can imagine, so please reply soon. You can reply here via email, but it would be great if we had a chance to talk on the phone so that I can introduce myself to you. You can call or text me directly at 707-431-4262.
On behalf of Sean Thackrey, Wine · Maker and his Family, I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Cheers!
Sabrina