Thackrey & Co. Pleiades XXXII Old Vines Red

Producer: Thackrey & Co. 
Region: California 
Blend: Red Blend 
Year: Non-Vintage 

Retail Price: $28.00 
Our Price: $11.99* 

Sean Thackrey was one of California's most influential, eccentric and game-chaning winemakers.  He utilized unique winemaking techniques, often drawing from historic, sometimes ancient, winemaking practices from all over the world.  Self-taught, and fully reliant on his intuition and senses, Sean was the antithesis of corporate wine-making.  He was the image of an iconoclast and didn't hold the notion of terroir in any great esteem.  He wasn't afraid to blend across, vineyards, varieties or vintages.  He was beloved by wine critics, calling him "one of California's most iconic and mystical winemakers".  His wines are characterized by powerful, intense flavors and rugged tannins.  All of Thackrey's wines were named after constellations.  His Pleiades red is his most well-known and widely available wine.  The Pleiades was always crafted based on the grapes available to him and never bottled as a vintage wine with a set formula.  It was a blend of grapes and vintages chosen simply becuase Thackrey how they tasted.  It was the wine that found the widest audience and built a cult following.  After Thackrey's passing, his protege Dustin Durfee took the reins and continued the same non-comformist winemaking, but now they are shutting down operations on the Pleiades series.  The XXXII will be the final bottling in the series, marking the end of the Pleiades line as it was known.  The Thackrey & Co. Pleiades XXXII Old Vines Red has aromas of blackberry and savory spices.  It's complex with flavors of ripe black cherry and plum that are balanced by gentle earthy notes and hints of clove, star anise, and black pepper.  With a commanding presence and seamlessly integrated tannins, it offers structure without sharpness.  Enjoy!

Winemaker Notes: 

"The object of Pleiades is to be delicious, delight the jaded, irritate the wine police, and go well with anything red wine goes well with. Each component is crafted and aged in small quantities by traditional Thackrey artisanal practices. We produce premium single-sourced varietal wines, then age them individually before blending into the final composition. Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Carignane, Pinot Noir, Viognier, and Petite Sirah all play a role in this performance. 

Deep garnet with a concentrated core, suggesting the intensity that follows.  Mulled blackberry aromas dominate, layered with whispers of savory spices that invite deeper contemplation. There's an intriguing complexity that unfolds slowly with each inhalation. Black cherry and burgundy plum, so ripe it brings one to the point of reverie. The fruit is balanced by subtle earthy undertones and those continuing savory spice elements, perhaps clove, star anise, and a hint of black pepper. A wine of substantial presence with well-integrated tannins that provide framework without harshness. This is a wine that doesn’t asked to be liked, it asks to be understood." 

Alcohol: 14.5% 

*Price and availability in store may vary. Discounts do not apply to wines like this one currently on sale.