Sean Thackrey Takes On The Low Alcohol Brigade

WINE TALK
21

Dammit Katrina, if you don’t drink 14.5% alcohol wine Paul will keep posting…

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[personal attack removed by admin - user’s last warning]

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I surrender. Send me your Zins immediately. Some things are worth the sacrifice.

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Yup, David…it does get a bit tedious, doesn’t it.
Tom

25

Clearly Mr. Battagl…Arimal…ia does not understand sarcasm.

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omg- you are so original!!! and please explain the SARCASM in your post to me… sorry, i am still drunk off of the 15.6% cali cab i drank last night, so I’m a little slow. thanks.

27

Move on, folks . . . . nothing new to see here . . … (the jabs, that is)

Sucks that threads go in this direction so quickly.

This is and will always be a good topic to discuss, and yep, folks will end up on either side of the fence. And yep, some will not want to be convinced, and that’s okay as well.

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Roy, thanks for posting. I enjoyed the post. Its too bad that some on both sides of the debate feel the need to try to intimidate others rather than drinking what they like. I never understood limiting ones palate but if someone wants to limit, by alcohol, geography, varietal, grammar, or national origin, then go right ahead. Just keep enjoying!

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Not so, Larry…some of us really don’t give a rat’s a$$ about this discussion and don’t even see the fence there. [snort.gif]
Tom

31

I’m with Tom here. A wine works or it doesn’t. High alcohol Champagne would be vile. Barolo at 12.5% ABV I can’t even imagine - perhaps it exists, but I can’t think of how hard such a wine would be.

Did Sean say something controversial?

32

Again, if Sean or whoever else thinks the lower ripeness/lower alcohol wines are just a fad then why bring more attention to it by writing something about it? I don’t get that part. Seems insecure in a way to me. If you are confident in the wines you are making/drinking then great! Who cares what the guy down the street is doing. CA is a big place and plenty of room for all styles.

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+1

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If I knew much about Sean Thackrey’s very long history making wine in California, I don’t think I would characterize him as “insecure.” First vintage in 1981. Several of California’s best wines. I would say he’s more someone who has seen it all when it comes to California and trends swinging back and forth, plus he has always loved stirring the pot. He isn’t the one who has joined any kind of trade group to tout a style - is IPOB “insecure?”

35

Sean is a trade group of one!

36

Totally agree! Just wrote up a little something on my tumblr about this and my summation was this:

What it all comes down to – on both sides of the IPOB-debate – is making good wine that people want to enjoy. But how do you get your brand out there ahead of the others? The IPOB winemakers are using each other to propel their wines, while Thackrey is using his blunt label-writing, his non-conformist attitudes and his opportunity to have his story told in Food & Wine. They’re both marketing methods, right?!
It's Wine By Me! • And Speaking Of Sean Thackrey...

The funny thing is, I just tried Thackrey’s Pleiades for the first time on Monday and posted on Instagram and Tumblr about his efforts to “irritate the Wine Police,” so nice timing with all of this.

And for the record, as a card-carrying IPOB-fan – I really enjoyed his wine. The 14.5% abv took me by surprise. There was plenty of acid, tannins and fruit, but I tasted very little heat. [cheers.gif]

37

Can’t wait to go to his seminar! Does he have an acronym yet?

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IPOFY

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This is why I wish alcohol was not labeled on wine. Unbalanced champagne or cab blends or rieslings would all be still unbalanced, regardless of whether they are in fact 11% alcohol or 17%. Balanced doesnt know a number.

40

Buying a shirt.