It is released in May and would often sell out of wine shops within a week’s time. Orin Swift’s Mercury Head is a wine that has developed a very strong following since its inaugural release. Its texture outlasts the fruit on the finish. This wine lingers with sage, other dried herbs and a light drying character. The dense by highly chalky textured tannins present almost a creamy feel across the palate. The Zinfandel dominates the flavor profile showcasing a ‘zin spice’ with flavors of bramble, plum, cherry, blackberry and raspberry. It offers a captivating union of violets, licorice, raspberry, plum and cherry plus a note of old cedar box. This wine is deep ruby in color the sweetness of its fruit aromatics are clearly expressed as their is nothing shy about this bouquet. And Phinney came up with the saran wrap label (adhered as a second label over the primary label). The 2022 Orin Swift Cellars Eight Years in the Desert is a red blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah aged for 7 months in French oak barrels of which 30% were new. So when he could start producing Zinfandel again, he cleverly named his bottling, Eight Years in the Desert. In 2008 after the sale of The Prisoner brand, Phinney signed a non compete agreement lasting 8 years where he could not make Zinfandel. Every one of his wines are accompanied by intriguing and engaging stories. He has been involved in a dizzying number of wine and other related projects and various labels throughout his career. He is a visionary and a prolific creator who thinks outside the box or inside the box in spaces that most people are not able to utilize. Phinney is known for his clever, catchy and creative labels. While a number of their wines are from Napa Valley, Orin Swift Cellars also sources grapes from over 100 vineyards throughout California. When owned by Orin Swift, this label was typically a five varietal blend including Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Charbono and Petite Syrah. The grapes for this wine are sourced from high quality vineyards throughout Napa Valley. The label is an etching of a prisoner drawn by the famous artist Goya Dave’s parents first gave him a print of this image as a Christmas present. Production now under Gallo ownership has grown significantly. As of our latest update to this review, founder Dave Phinney continues to strongly be involved in a consulting role.īefore Dave sold this label 75,000 cases were being produced annually (up from merely 385 cases during their first vintage!). And in mid 2016, Orin Swift (the brand, remaining inventory and the tasting room in St. In April 2016 the Prisoner label was again sold, this time to Constellation Brands who opened a new dedicated hospitality center to The Prisoner wine and related brands in November 2013 along with an artisan community on site called The Makery. The “Prisoner” label was their flagship wine in 2010 Dave sold just the Prisoner label to Huneeus Vintners, the same company that also owns Quintessa Winery in Rutherford. When combining excellent wines with creative labeling, a wine brand is bound to grow fast for many years Orin Swift was Phinney’s primary focus. He started this winery when he was working for other wineries and as a result started small and worked part time. He paid tribute to his parents with the name of this winery Orin is his father’s middle name and Swift is his mother’s maiden name. Dave has a long history of winemaking at premium wineries in Napa Valley including Robert Mondavi Winery and Whitehall Lane. Orin Swift Cellars was founded by winemaker Dave Phinney in 1998 when he was only 24 years old.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |