Sean H. Thackrey's Pleiades XIX Old Vines
Eaglecrest opened after a two-day hiatus and it has been snowing steadily during its closure. It snowed through most of my runs today and every time I re-entered the lift line there was evidence of powder splash on my shellpants. Ooooh yeah! There were plenty of times that I could not see my skis, the snow was very high on my thighs, and balancing on my skis was difficult because I was not touching bottom. The stars seemed to align just right for folks in Juneau on this day and I think a lot of them called in sick to be a part of these perfect conditions.
Speaking of the stars, I have chosen a bottle of a constellation-named wine to accompany our pizza dinner, Pleiades XIX Old Vines by Sean H. Thackrey in Bolinas, California. The wine is made with leftover lots that he calls his “unruly batches,” and is therefore not labeled with a single vintage. Thackrey writes on Pleiades XIX this: “The object of Pleiades Old Vines is to be delicious, delight the jaded, irritate the Wine Police, and go well with anything red wine goes well with. This nineteenth edition, bottled in June of 2010, includes Sangiovese, Viognier, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Petite Sirah, to name but a few. Fragrant and voluptuous when first released, it will become far more subtle and complex with a year or two of bottle age, although such restraint may be just a bit too much to ask of most of us.” Well, I have managed to wait approximately 1.5 years since the wine’s bottling. That’s something, right? If you would like to learn a bit more about the wines of Sean Thackrey and his unique approach to wine-making, here is a link that includes a small write-up about him and some of his other wines:
http://www.wine-fine.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-alive.html
Frozen pizza may seem like a bit of a cop-out, but my kids love it and I feed them a gluten-free crust with some added enhancements. My husband tends to tire of the routine, but I have found that whenever I include chunks of blue cheese with some kind of cured ham such as bacon or prosciutto, he is more than appeased and the wine is sure to elevate the experience.
Mel
fish*wine*ski 
sethmlong
February 19, 2012
You’ve reminded me that I haven’t been through deep powder through trees and back in years. And it’s another winter with no trips to the mountains. I have consoled myself with Thackery and have a fondness for some of the bottlings. Rich and textured, quite philosophical and big boned, always. I’m anxious to see bottles with more age on them. Keep shredding snow and burning bottles!
fish*wine*ski
February 20, 2012
I actually have some of his Orion that I am saving. Not sure how long I should go with them. An ’06 and ’07 I believe. Maybe a decade and break them out together to compare. Too bad I don’t have a longer vertical set. He has some interesting ideas about wine that are fun to ponder.
Hope you make it out on some good snow before the season is done.