Orin Swift
From Winemaker Dave Phinney...
Like so many, I stumbled into the wine business on a lark. I traveled to Florence, Italy to study abroad for a semester. While I was there I was exposed to, and fell in love with, wine. Back in Arizona I had been studying Political Science and History with a post-graduate plan to addend law school… but, after my time in Italy, the die was cast. I returned to the States, graduated from university, and four days later moved to the Napa Valley.
I had sent my resume to fifty wineries in the Valley and only one replied: Robert Mondavi. I showed up to my temporary harvest position interview wearing a suit and tie. They literally laughed at me, gave me a very basic math exam and asked if I could pass a drug test. A few weeks later I was hired.
I spent the harvest of 1997 working the night shift—the only Anglo on an all Latino crew. When they realized I was there to work hard, they took me in, gave me a nickname and showed me the ropes. I loved it! But I quickly realized that if I was going to work this hard, eventually it would have to be for myself. The very next year I started Orin Swift. Orin is my father’s middle name and Swift is my mother’s maiden name.
The first vintage in 1998 was less than spectacular. It was a tough harvest, and I bought fruit from the wrong part of a great vineyard. I learned firsthand that, “experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” The truth is, when it comes to winemaking, there are no silver bullets, no secrets. We as winemakers are only as good as our fruit source.
Our winemaking philosophy then was the same as it is today: find the best fruit from the best vineyards. Farm it right, harvest it right, bring it into the winery, and don’t screw it up.
Like so many, I stumbled into the wine business on a lark. I traveled to Florence, Italy to study abroad for a semester. While I was there I was exposed to, and fell in love with, wine. Back in Arizona I had been studying Political Science and History with a post-graduate plan to addend law school… but, after my time in Italy, the die was cast. I returned to the States, graduated from university, and four days later moved to the Napa Valley.
I had sent my resume to fifty wineries in the Valley and only one replied: Robert Mondavi. I showed up to my temporary harvest position interview wearing a suit and tie. They literally laughed at me, gave me a very basic math exam and asked if I could pass a drug test. A few weeks later I was hired.
I spent the harvest of 1997 working the night shift—the only Anglo on an all Latino crew. When they realized I was there to work hard, they took me in, gave me a nickname and showed me the ropes. I loved it! But I quickly realized that if I was going to work this hard, eventually it would have to be for myself. The very next year I started Orin Swift. Orin is my father’s middle name and Swift is my mother’s maiden name.
The first vintage in 1998 was less than spectacular. It was a tough harvest, and I bought fruit from the wrong part of a great vineyard. I learned firsthand that, “experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” The truth is, when it comes to winemaking, there are no silver bullets, no secrets. We as winemakers are only as good as our fruit source.
Our winemaking philosophy then was the same as it is today: find the best fruit from the best vineyards. Farm it right, harvest it right, bring it into the winery, and don’t screw it up.
Immediate popping aromatics of juicy red and dark fruits raspberries, cranberries, dark plums and pluots—and a hint of deep earthiness are present in the glass. On the palate, the wine is big and massive yet incredibly smooth with similar fruits and a touch of sweet cream. With a luscious and velvety mouthfeel, the wine finishes with lingering ripe black plum and fades softly and slowly.
Abstract Red
Tight at first, then generous on the nose, the wine bursts with classic aromas of white peach, pear and freshly cut grass as well as stone, butterscotch, and clove. shards of minerality, white fig and lemon zest dominate the palate, with beams of acidity following through the extensive finish.
Blank Stare Sauvignon Blanc
A brooding hue and viscous consistency, powerful aromas of crème de cassis, boysenberry, and ripe cherries are complemented by a soft minerality and hints of dark chocolate. The entry is smooth with dark plums and a charred meatiness that floods to create a velvety texture that lingers.
Machete Red Blend
Bursting aromatics of honeydew, honeysuckle and ripe peach are complemented by a hint of jasmine, pineapple and cream. With lots of weight and viscosity, the full-bodied palate brims with ripe stone fruit, wet stone and a touch of sweet Meyer lemon. The fleshy, golden mid-palate evolves into a pointed, textured finish that closes with lots of minerality.
Mannequin White
The wine opens with a nose brimming of ripe boysenberry and cassis, complemented by hints of cigar box, fir and graphite. Full-bodied on entry, the luscious palate is full of ripe cherry and a touch of blackberry with elegant traces of sage. It closes with a satiating finish that is long and textured, supported by ample red berries and soft, dusty tannins.
Mercury Head Cabernet
Deep and luring aromas of raspberry and ripe cherry are intermingled with accents of star anise, five spice and freshly steeped black tea. The entry is smooth with a combination of cassis and blackberry with a satiating suppleness. Ultra round and soft, the wine finishes with reverberating length.
Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon
An intense ink with a garnet rim, the wine opens with powerful aromatics of cassis, ripe boysenberry, and chaparral with hints of graphite, sage, fire-roasted meats and fresh brioche. The entry floods the palate with ripe dark fruit flavors of blackberry and black cherries as well as fresh minerality and a touch of kir and crème de menthe. With traces of tannin, the wine finishes with a lingering sweet licorice and a smooth acidity.
Papillon Cabernet