WTN: N.V. Sean Thackrey Pleiades XIII Old Vines

• N.V. Sean Thackrey Pleiades XIII Old Vines - USA, California (1/1/2008)
  Bottled in 2004. Hour of air and a leisurely dinner. Softer than XII, but made up of most of the usual suspects. I followed a strawberry note that I often find with Grenache and a slightly musty/TCA note that reminds me of Mouvedre. Later, especially on the finish, a Barbera cherry tone rings out. Of course, that is the joy of these wines: tasting the ebb and flow of the varieties as the bottle develops through the night. And that is just what makes it difficult to judge these wines beyond a visceral "me likey" But I do like and I hope ST keeps rolling out these palate twisting concoctions.
  
  I did, however, take off two points for lack of typicity (joking). (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[Jenise]

Of course, that is the joy of these wines: tasting the ebb and flow of the varieties as the bottle develops through the night.

Well put. I have six bottles of an original 16 left, and every bottle has been more than just a little interesting.

Anybody have an update on Sean Thackeray's endeavors since the big fire?

Was Thackrey hit by the warehouse fire also? I missed that. I bought a bottle of XII and of XIII thanks to some of your posts on the old site. I waited until they had some bottle age to try and discovered that I like them quite a bit. Too bad I didn't buy more, but I am on the hunt to find the current bottling.

[Jenise]

Was Thackrey hit by the warehouse fire also? I missed that. I bought a bottle of XII and of XIII thanks to some of your posts on the old site. I waited until they had some bottle age to try and discovered that I like them quite a bit. Too bad I didn't buy more, but I am on the hunt to find the current bottling.

Yeah, and that was like a week after his insurance lapsed which he'd not gotten around to renewing so it was a ginormous loss. Haven't bought the 14 yet myself, and I don't know what subsequent vintages, if any, will be coming down the pike. Geo T will know, if we're lucky and he sees this post.

I love this wine!! I'm not geo t. but here's his note from our site:

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 http://www.gangofpour.com/underground/2007/september/old_friends.html