425:, was set ablaze by an arsonist on October 12, 2005, resulting in a loss of nearly 4,000 cases of Thackrey's wine. Initially estimating to lose as much as $ 2 million, Thackrey stated, "This has a major impact on my existence. I only have just barely enough left to drink myself into the grave". 500 cases (45 hl) of Thackrey's wine were later recovered, in an event that resulted in the loss of 6 million bottles owned by 43 collectors and 92 various Napa Valley wineries, many of whom lost their entire stock.
202:. Six years later, Thackrey, with Susan Thackrey and Cynthia Pritzker, opened the art gallery in San Francisco that became Thackrey & Robertson, by then in partnership with watercolorist Sally Robertson; the gallery remained operational until its closure in 1995. Thackrey's particular expertise was in early photography, exhibition of which the gallery was an internationally renowned pioneer in.
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Thackrey's website held what was titled "The
Thackrey Library", which included an extensive archive of early books and manuscripts relating to the subject of winemaking and the enjoyment of wine. Having collected ancient wine texts since 1996, the oldest document is a sixth-century papyrus receipt
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was once considered absolutely marginal. Fifty years ago, nobody would have dreamed to plant grapes there". Thackrey also believed in both artistic and scientific experimentation. "I am an enormous believer in experimental results. My own ideas about something don't interest me until I have tried
320:), potentially from various regions and vintages. The recipe varied every year, depending on the decisions of Thackrey and the fruit sourced. According to Thackrey, "It's like a chef's special. You trust the chef so you're prepared to order the dish of the day".
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First released in 1992, The
Pleiades (Sean Thackrey Pleiades California Red Table Wine) was an experimental nonvintage blend made from a host of different grape varieties (potentially both white and red, including
239:, and was prone to employ the unconventional technique of letting grapes 'rest' at least 24 hours outside, fermenting under the stars. Thackrey contended the idea can be traced to the texts of the Greek poet
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Thackrey's flagship wine is Orion (Sean
Thackrey Orion Rossi Vineyard St. Helena California Native Red Wine), produced from 1986 to 1990 using Syrah grapes from Arthur Schmidt's old vine vineyard near
147:. Prior to winemaking, he was a director of an art gallery. Thackrey has been described as having been an unconventional winemaker who did pioneering work in promoting California
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253:), and has been used by various wineries around the world. Thackrey said this method was commonplace in wine literature until the middle of the 19th century.
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on July 9, 1942. His father, Eugene, worked as a journalist and playwright; his mother, Winfrid "Kay" Knudtson, was employed as a script supervisor in
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After several years in
Berkeley and San Francisco, Thackrey moved back to Bolinas in 1977. Following initial winemaking experiments with
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Thackrey was in a domestic partnership with Susan
Thackrey until his death from cancer in Walnut Creek on May 30, 2022.
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Despite
Thackrey's fringe profile, he consistently received high scores from major critics such as
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Other wines include the Taurus Cline
Vineyard Mourvèdre, Sirius Eaglepoint Ranch Mendocino County
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Occasionally voicing opinions contrary to conventional belief, Thackrey did not consider
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895:"Barfly Podcast: Season Four: Sean Thackrey, in his own words: Part 1 on Apple Podcasts"
680:"Medieval man – Sean Thackrey uses tips from ancient texts to craft unforgettable wines"
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doesn't exist, there are just a lot of other things going on". Thackrey has described
338:. In total, his winery's output was approximately 4,000 cases (360 hl) annually.
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to be the most important element in creating fine wine, having said, "I'm not saying
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University of
California, Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
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Thackrey's media appearances included a segment in the 2007 California season of
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620:"Sean Thackrey, Marin's eccentric, iconoclastic winemaking legend, dies at 79"
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Thackrey sourced fruit from grape growers in Napa Valley, Marin County and
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American Rhone: How
Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink
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589:"Sean Thackrey, Creator of Eccentric California Wines, Dies at 79"
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of France as "viticultural racism". Having termed himself an
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135:(July 9, 1942 – May 30, 2022) was an American
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blend named Aquila, which had an initial production of 190
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In One Day, Fire Lays Waste To a Piece of
Bottled History
469:(4th ed.). London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 506.
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in 1964, and for a while worked as a book editor for the
792:"Tiny California Winery Awash in Praise but not Profit"
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Andromeda was Thackrey's first commercial Pinot noir
218:, Thackrey became a bonded winemaker in 1981, as the
878:
Heimoff, Steve, steveheimoff.com (January 7, 2010).
767:. New York, NY: Faber and Faber. pp. 634–635.
1003:Older wines at the heart of Vallejo warehouse fire
705:"FOCUS: Sally Robertson – A 30 Year Retrospective"
334:and the Aquila Eaglepoint Ranch Mendocino County
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371:as a "gerrymandered marketing gimmick", and the
1035:"Onetime Sausalito figure guilty in wine arson"
657:. University of California Press. p. 123.
261:Thackrey produced his first vintage in 1981, a
228:led Thackrey to take extension courses at the
1022:As Trial Opens, Wine Collectors Seek Solace
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383:, he has also stated he is agnostic about
880:A thoughtful visit to the far Marin coast
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123:Winfrid Kay (Knudtson)Thackrey (mother)
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511:Robinson, Jancis (December 31, 2002).
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194:After leaving Reed, Thackrey moved to
167:. Starting in 1959, Thackrey studied
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798:. Associated Press. December 13, 1988
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564:Gray, W. Blake (October 21, 2004).
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971:Wine lovers lose precious millions
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1043:. web.archive.org. Archived from
955:Sean Thackrey: Pleasure Architect
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494:"Tiny Wineries With a Big Impact"
407:Sean Thackrey: Pleasure Architect
402:Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure
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222:winery. Some early problems with
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513:"California's artisan vignerons"
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524:Nalley, Richard (April 2000).
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18:American winemaker (1942–2022)
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587:Risen, Clay (June 9, 2022).
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943:Fun facts from wine history
526:"Syrah: The Next Big Grape"
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392:them and had them work."
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843:"Coming in from the cold"
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743:October 8, 2011, at the
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861:San Francisco Chronicle
765:The Wines of California
763:Brook, Stephen (1999).
684:San Francisco Chronicle
624:San Francisco Chronicle
571:San Francisco Chronicle
465:Stevenson, Tom (2005).
413:Vallejo warehouse fire
282:Yountville, California
1047:on September 12, 2015
1020:(November 15, 2009).
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515:. jancisrobinson.com.
159:Thackrey was born in
139:based in the town of
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185:University of Vienna
1105:American winemakers
1095:Reed College alumni
423:Vallejo, California
133:Sean Haley Thackrey
1018:The New York Times
983:The New York Times
899:Podcasts.apple.com
827:Who needs terroir?
736:(April 27, 2009).
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267:Cabernet Sauvignon
220:Thackrey & Co.
212:Cabernet Sauvignon
183:. He went to the
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70:Walnut Creek
64:(2022-05-30)
62:May 30, 2022
43:July 9, 1942
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1090:2022 deaths
1085:1942 births
419:Mare Island
249:(circa 700
216:Napa Valley
200:Sierra Club
169:art history
161:Los Angeles
47:Los Angeles
1079:Categories
449:References
336:Sangiovese
306:Pinot noir
286:St. Helena
155:Early life
96:Occupation
51:California
39:1942-07-09
314:Mourvèdre
310:Zinfandel
273:(17
237:Mendocino
189:sophomore
165:Hollywood
137:winemaker
100:Winemaker
78:Education
741:Archived
437:See also
389:Carneros
377:agnostic
342:Exposure
325:varietal
318:Grenache
298:Carignan
1051:June 4,
904:June 2,
802:June 2,
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629:June 1,
598:June 9,
381:terroir
361:terroir
356:terroir
294:Barbera
196:Bolinas
141:Bolinas
114:Parents
106:Partner
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379:about
263:Merlot
241:Hesiod
206:Career
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421:near
302:Syrah
271:cases
257:Wines
187:as a
149:Syrah
109:Susan
1053:2022
906:2022
804:2022
769:ISBN
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600:2022
471:ISBN
373:AOCs
367:and
365:AVAs
316:and
251:B.C.
59:Died
33:Born
277:).
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