An unabashedly big wine house that has gained an international reputation for bold Napa wines, Orin Swift was founded back in 1995 when on a lark, David Swift Phinney took a friend up on an offer and went to Florence, Italy to spend a semester “studying”. During that time, he was introduced to wine, and he later landed a job at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997 as a temporary harvest worker. In 1998 he founded Orin Swift Cellars; Orin is his father’s middle name and Swift is his mother’s maiden name. Starting with two tons of Zinfandel and not much else, David spent the next decade making wine for others as well as himself and grew the company into a multinational brand. The winery also has a great tasting room in downtown Napa where you can try his brilliant range of wines.
David’s labels are highly evocative and show his brilliant marketing ability. But what inside the bottle is what impresses across the board. The new wines were really outstanding across the board. The 2019 Orin Swift ‘Eight Years in the Desert’ Red Wine (OB, 92) is a Zinfandel based blend that shows a beautiful texture, lovely mouthfeel and compelling complexity.A stunning effort which has consistently been on my Top 100 over the past several years, the 2019 Orin Swift ‘Abstract’ Red Wine (OB, 94) is dense and chewy with gobs of finesse. This is a stunning wine for the price. Learn more about these impressive wines at http://www.orinswift.com. Here are some of the gorgeous release wines by Orin Swift.
2019 Orin Swift ‘Abstract’ Red Wine- The 2019 Orin Swift ‘Abstract’ Red Wine is a proprietary blend of Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah. The wine matured for only eight moths in French and American oak (32% new). Rich red and dark fruits greet you on the nose with chocolate and espresso bean tones that all meld in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with plenty of richness and bright acidity. Layers of blueberry compote, mocha, tar and anise come together on the palate with red cherry cordial and a very gratifying finish. The dense mouthfeel adds to the enjoyment. Gorgeous now, this has another ten years to go. Drink 2021-2031- 94
2018 Orin Swift ‘Palermo’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2018 ‘Palermo’ was aged for 12 months in 39% new French oak before bottling and includes some prized sites in the Napa Valley including the Stagecoach Vineyard. Rich creme de cassis, coffee grounds and chocolate cake tones all come together on the nose. The palate shows good acidity with dense creosote, cassis, blackberry cordial and graphite tones. This is really good even at the three year mark and will provide drinking enjoyment over the next decade or more. Drink 2021-2033- 92
2018 Orin Swift ‘Papillon’ Red Wine- The 2018 ‘Papillon’ is a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Aged for 15 months in 52% new French oak, this takes on black currants and spice box tones alongside anise, and shades of Black Forest Cake on the nose. The palate is silky smooth with plenty of stuffing and a massive core of dark fruits alongside tar, pencil lead and Turkish coffee. Gorgeous now, this has another fifteen plus years ahead of it. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2019 Orin Swift ‘8 Years In The Desert’ Red Wine- The 2019 ‘8 Years In The Desert’ is a gorgeous blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah that was aged for 8 months in French oak (63% new) prior to bottling. The palate is juicy and jam-packed full of red fruits, with good acidity and a soft mouthfeel. Great to savor now, enjoy this beautiful wine with some top class BBQ. Drink 2021-2028- 92