Description
Thackrey & Company—now the Pleiades Wine Co.—was founded in 1981 by the late, great wine genius of Bolinas—Sean Thackrey. A true renaissance man, Sean owned an internationally important art gallery in San Francisco, and by the late 1970s he moved back to off the map Bolinas to study the ancient methods of wine making. He employed his multilingual skills and embarked on translating old wine instructional texts from Latin, Greek, French and Italian, some of which can be found on his website.
Armed with the knowledge of how the Ancient Greeks made wine, Sean developed an unconventional philosophy of wine making. One might even say he was one of the original “natural” winemakers. As the ancients did before him, he left his hand harvested grapes outside to “rest under the stars” for 24–48 hours to begin the fermentation process before doing anything inside the winery. Working exclusively with sustainably farmed grapes from low yielding crops in Marin, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma Counties. The Pleiades Wine Co. wines are truly handmade, and exemplify Sean’s two defining markers; “a wine must be delicious, and it must be interesting.”
The Pleiades XXXI Old Vines Red is a unique blend of Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Carignan, Pinot Noir, Viognier, and Petite Sirah. It has an inviting, fruited perfume and a round, robust palate with flavors of black cherry, blue plum and cassis. The fruitiness is balanced with ample acidity and smooth tannins, it finishes clean with subtle notes of sweet oak and lingering spice. A terrific value, this delectable and versatile red can be paired with a variety of different dishes.
