Classic Cabernet fruits abound – blackberry and blackcurrant with hints of cassis, kirsch, bay and tobacco leaf, French oak-derived spice, graphite and a light sheen of herbs.
Helena, Coombsville, Oak Knoll, Pope Valley, Atlas Peak, Rutherford & Oakville each parcel contributing different characters to the final wine. Sourced from a number of sites in Napa – Calistoga, St. Orin Swift Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 (Petite Sirah 58%, Syrah 37%, Grenache 5%) If you like wines that are full-bodied and pure of fruit, this could be just the thing for you. These characters transpose neatly over to the palate which holds considerable fruit weight, richness and tannin swagger. Deeply etched with spice and notes of earth, leather, vanillin oak and dark chocolate. Deep red/purple in the glass with aromas of spiced plum, macerated blackberries and flashes of blueberry. (Chardonnay 99%, Sauvignon Blanc 1%)Ī boldly structured wine sourced from parcels of fruit across the state of California from Napa & Sonoma to the Mendocino north coastal region. No shortage of vanilla-fused, biscuity oak in the picture either with hints of spice, dried honey and clotted cream with a bright seam of acidity, plenty of texture though a bit of alcohol rears its head on the wines exit. It’s quite deeply coloured and the Californian richness is most evident in the malty-edged, peachy fruit that becomes immediately apparent as you take a sip. I like to think this wine finds the middle ground. California has in the past garnered a reputation for the latter. It comes in many guises from linear & crystalline to voluptuous. There is no doubt that Dave Pinney’s impressive wines will appeal to many Australian wine drinkers those that seek to widen their horizons and enjoy the wines of California and those that enjoy well composed, big-boned wines of weight and purity.Ĭhardonnay, arguably the most malleable of the grape varieties available to the vigneron. and in 2016, E.J Gallo wines purchased Orin Swift as part of their ‘premiumisation’ initiative. With their funky, eye-catching labels and plushly fruited opulence, Dave Phinney’s wines have again gained an almost cult-like following in the U.S.A. These are wines of considerable weight and fruit intensity, some featuring alcohol levels that might prompt the odd raised eyebrow, but one of the most impressive features of the wines is their tension and balance. If there is a leitmotif across the range , it is opulence. Many of the wines are blends, the melding of different grape varieties, across different sites, a concept that shouldn’t be unfamiliar to anyone acquainted with some of the famous wines from our own sunburnt land. The Orin Swift wines are beautifully packaged and are a celebration of Californian terroir, being sourced from some 100 vineyard sites across the state.
When it comes to successful wine brands, Orin Swift’s Dave Phinney seems to have the midas touch.Īfter falling in love with wine while studying in Italy in the mid ‘90s, he worked a harvest at Robert Mondavi before launching his own wine brand, a blend of California Zinfandel, Cabernet and Petite Sirah called The Prisoner, debuting the wine with 385 cases of the 2000 vintage.įast forward eight years and The Prisoner was a 85,000 case brand, had achieved much praise in the wine press and Phinney sold the brand to focus on his new wine, Orin Swift.
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