Well Hello Free Rangers,
So, I was drinking one of the most inspired and inspiring wines ever to pass these weary lips, with Maggie Harrison, at some schmancy underground joint in midtown. Before tasting through several verticals of her lovely juice, she recalled Sean Thackrey opening a magnum of his 1986 Orion with her, quite possibly my favorite wine that has ever been made in this land. But oh, Maggie’s Antikythera Pinot Noir 2013. Much like Sean’s finest work, there is sincerely nothing like it. A singular encompassing mouthful of time and place, shot through with the wisdom that arises from tenuous struggle and cavernous doubt. And ultimately the relentless perseverance of weary hands, hearts, and minds, and a triumph of will birthed something fresh and new, alluding to centuries of ancient knowledge at its core. It is absolutely crushing how little of this wine exists. And sadly, we have none to sell you. But we do have a bit of 1986 Orion available, directly from Sean’s personal library.
Now, Sean Thackrey was one of the finest artists of his time, he just happened to work primarily in wine. He would often bring his own wine to events, in lieu of drinking other people’s, and was always happy to be the first to tell you how good he was at this, and how many other producers were just kind of painting by numbers. While a fairly zen kind of guy, Sean would’ve been the first to tell you how little he cared for how most of the industry viewed the process between bud break and bottle.
But there was honestly fairly little trepidation when I poured one of Maggie’s earliest solo Pinots for him at his storied barn, after we finished tasting a bunch of his own. Needless to say, he dug it, and I felt like I had just played a couple of early Dylan songs for the Beatles. Then my compatriot and I grabbed some In ’n’ Out burgers, and crushed them along with some of Sean’s Pinot and Petite Sirah. That was a pretty good day.
I have written so often an extensively about Thackrey’s wines that I never really know where to start, and/or how many of you have already read my thoughts on this guy and his otherworldly wines. My very first professional wine dinner was hosted with Sean at Brooklyn’s own St. Anselm. His wines have been a through line connecting many of my favorite winemakers and wine drinkers. His total production was so small that many have just never come across them, and those who have are connected by an inside joke whose visceral pleasures are quite serious. In the linked names and phrases above, you’ll find a great little Obsessives doc on Sean, Oz and James’ visit to the barn, and some of my tasting with the fella. These make up a pretty solid snapshot of one of the coolest human beings ever to walk gods green earth. A true American Original.
Sean absolutely pulsed joy at the notion that his wines would long outlive him, creating pleasure in the world long after his absence. And here we are without him, still blessed with the bottled art he left for us to enjoy. Regarding the wines, Cassiopeia is his more conventional Pinot Noir, which are balanced and delicious, but notably more elegant than than the inkier, wilder Andromeda Pinot Noir. Aquila is a medium bodied Sangiovese that only existed for 3 vintages which generally shows a similar weight and sensibility as Andromeda, except displaying a bit more tannin and earth tone than most of the Pinot(s), as is common of its Italian counterparts. The Taurus Mourvèdre, which have been all but unattainable for the last couple of decades are deep and abiding odes to the finest bottles of that noble varietal from the Rhone. The Sirius Petite Sirah was sourced from Marston Vineyard in its first few incarnations, and then from Eaglepoint Ranch until its final vintage, from both locations a deep, powerful wine, consistently the most tannic of the line, which live basically forever. The oldest are fully mature, and the 2008 is just now entering its peak drinking window, and clearly having at least another couple decades of life ahead, and/or to be paired now with a nice ribeye. Of course, Sean’s top wine, the Orion, began as a Napa Valley Syrah labled blend, and from 1992 unveiled as a California Native field blend, planted in 1905. It is a profoundly long evolving Amarone-esque expression of the best of California’s old vines. He also made a tiny amount of darkly elegant Cab Franc in 2011 and a monster Cabernet Sauvignon in the banner vintage of 2013, the latter of which will outlive us all. We’ve got some of those too.
I get that not everybody can spend $100 on a bottle of wine, but any Orion under $100 is an absolute steal, but also check out the Aquila Sangiovese 2002 and the Pleaides Old Vine blends that come down to around $50, the V and VI of which represent what we believe to be the last bottles on Earth.
I have tasted, and everything is still alive, some still with significant future ahead (should they remain sealed). All of the ‘80s wines are fully mature, and I would gladly put them in blind tastings of their finest French counterparts (which would cost at least twice the price). The 2010 Orion, is just now into its peak drinking window, and expect it to evolve gracefully for at least another two decades. We should all be so lucky. While I certainly have a bit more squirreled away in the cellar, I would treat these as the last you are likely to see from these vintages, at these prices, which are 10% off, 15% off 3-5 bottles, and 20% off 6+ bottles ONLINE ONLY!
Check out the full list here!
(!) Click Here for Sean Thackrey Library Sale (!)
And this is what Stephen Tanzer- the most consistent, non-alarmist wine reviewer of which I am aware- had to say about Sean’s 2010 Orion in may of 2014, and then in March of 2015. I don’t often differ to the words of another, but here ya go (though I believe his estimated drinking window to be fairly conservative on the far end):
Saturated ruby. Knockout nose offers sappy blackberry, tar, licorice and a suggestion of 4th of July sparklers. Hugely sweet and thick but with great youthful cut and energy to its extract-rich flavors of dark berries, black cherry, pine resin and licorice; as primary as a barrel sample yet exhilarating to taste today. Like a live wire in the mouth, this great vintage of Orion finishes with full, seamless tannins and outstanding sappy length. For all its power, it’s also extremely suave. I’d love to try another bottle in 20 years.
Drinking Window 2020 – 2038
96 points
– Stephen Tanzer, March 2015
Saturated deep ruby color to the rim. Deep, super-ripe aromas of blackberry, tar, licorice pastille, spices and espresso. Super concentrated and sweet, conveying an impression of solidity and powerful extract to the creamy yet bracing dark berry, black cherry, eucalyptus and spice flavors. There’s a roasted quality that calls to mind an Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf. Incredible extraction of color suggests tiny berries and long maceration. Finishes with outstanding mounting length, great sweetness and firm but fully ripe tannins. This amazingly dense, thick wine makes the 2012 seems floral, spicy and pinot-like by comparison. A great vintage for this wine, with the tannic support and sheer extract to ensure a long and slow evolution in bottle. I raised my score a point after retasting this wine 24 hours later.
96 points
– Stephen Tanzer, May 2014
Cheers,
Jack
Proprietor
Free Range Wine & Spirits
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