Sean Thackrey is one of the more interesting people making wine in California. Once an art dealer in San Francisco, he moved to Bolinas, planted some vines, and started sourcing fruit from friends. His collection of ancient texts-- some almost 1,000 years old-- helps to inform his winemaking philosophies. He'll make wine as they did centuries ago. At times, he will leave the harvested grapes out under the stars to ferment, then name these wines after the constellations that oversee their transformation.
This Orion is from vines that were 90 years old at the '96 harvest, from the Rossi vineyard in St. Helena. The grapes were planted just before WWI & Prohibition, and survived both.
This Orion is from vines that were 90 years old at the '96 harvest, from the Rossi vineyard in St. Helena. The grapes were planted just before WWI & Prohibition, and survived both.
This was quite a beautiful wine-- stunning really-- and Thackrey has certainly succeeded in revealing the individuality of this particular vineyard, which--at the time-- he believed to be mostly syrah. Since then, Carol Meridith at UC Davis has DNA-identified the vines as mostly petite sirah.*
One thing that always strikes me about Thackrey's wines are the complex aromatics. The nose is always changing and dancing, as images dance through a fog or mist as you pass by them, so do aromas emerge and retreat to and from these wines. Sometimes you'll smell purple flowers, then meat, then your grandma's house. It's such interesting wine to drink, and soul stirring.
One thing that always strikes me about Thackrey's wines are the complex aromatics. The nose is always changing and dancing, as images dance through a fog or mist as you pass by them, so do aromas emerge and retreat to and from these wines. Sometimes you'll smell purple flowers, then meat, then your grandma's house. It's such interesting wine to drink, and soul stirring.
*Thanks to Allan Bree for pointing out the research that led to the Rossi vine identification as petite sirah. An earlier version of this post left the possible vineyard genetics in question. -April 23rd 2014
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