Sean Thackrey Sirius 2014

One of the most interesting, rebellious & unconventional winemakers in California, Sean Thackrey crafts his wines in a redwood barn in Bolinas, a small town with no street signs on the coast 30 miles North from San Francisco.

He came into winemaking over 30 years ago with no experience, after a successful career as an art dealer. Sean is entirely self taught deriving all of his knowledge & research from his collection of historic & ancient texts of wine making practices from all over the world.

Sourcing fruit from old vineyards, he applies an old Greek philosophy that allows grapes to sit & rest for at least 24 hours when they are harvested. After the crush, he pours the juice into open top vats to ferment beneath the stars & eucalyptus trees. The word “terroir” makes him cringe saying, “it’s not that it does not matter, there are just so many other things going on.”

92+ Points - Stephen Tanzer (2010 Vintage):
"(15.1% alcohol): Deep, bright ruby. Lovely expressive aromas of black raspberry, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate. Concentrated, dense and sweet, with excellent inner-mouth energy and lift to the flavors of dark berries, dark chocolate and flint. Perhaps most impressive today on the very long, ripely tannic back end. Long on personality for the variety. Showed eucalyptus and licorice pastille notes after 72 hours in the recorked bottle without losing its verve." - Stephen Tanzer (May 2014)

92 Points & Cellar Selection - Wine Enthusiast Magazine (2010 Vintage):
"Leather-boot black in color, this fine Petite Sirah is distinctive in herbal, almost eucalyptus aromas and intensely huge blackberry fruit. Earthy and soft with curtains of tannin, the wine is a complex version of the variety, rich. Age it until 2017–2021 and see if the eucalyptus mellows or intensifies." - Virginie Boone (5/1/2014)