Orin Swift Cellars 8 Years In The Desert is David Phinney's first Zinfandel blend after an 8 year hiatus. Our winemaking philosophy then was the same as it is today: find the best fruit from the best vineyards. 00Showing the influence of the breezy and fog-laced Oak Knoll District, offers rich, plush fruit, delicate acidity and a structure defined by well-ripened tannins. Hats off to the team here. Critical AcclaimAll Vintages. Persistent flavors of ripe raspberry, boysenberry, pomegranate, and vanilla linger harmoniously, for a smooth and luscious finish. Tasted: September 19, 2019, San Francisco, CA). 8 Years In The Desert is David's first Zinfandel blend following his 8 year hiatus. To make up for last week's absence, this week we had a competition on two different wines from the same original winemaker. Chuck Russo's father purchased Ho-Ho-Kus Pharmacy, which at the time had a soda fountain and a liquor license, in 1947. Caskers RewardsEarn up to 5% back on this more. Inspire employees with compelling live and on-demand video experiences. He's back, and he's better than ever. Find cocktails, recipes, pairing advice, insight and much more!
I finally hit rock bottom on a warm summer night in Paris. Welcome to our In Bond wine selection which shows wines available under bond only. Unlike other varietals Dave had to draw on an 8 Year memory of making Zinfandel and knowing that there would be a certain level of expectation of quality from both a wine and packaging elements. Still massive through to the finish with soft drying tannins, the unique varietal characteristics of the blend clearly reveal themselves over time. Eight years later, he was free, and Eight Years in the Desert was born. When they realized I was there to work hard they took me in, gave me a nickname, and showed me the ropes. It all begins in the vineyard. An evolution on the nose first with pepper, then a ripe fruit core of brambly berries and sweet fruit spice, finishing with more savoury spices. Round, ripe tannins close the palate mouth-coating in harmony with well-integrated acidity. Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device. Hear what the man, himself has to say about it…. More flavors add to the quality of the blend - a visceral minerality and fresh Herbs de Provence. There are going to be 8 vintages of this wine in total, each with a different label in the signature style of the brand. It is a killer effort and like the Abstract, probably best drunk in its first 5-6 years of life because of its charm.
But the man who does exist and who subsequently is the entire reason for this beverage pairing is winemaker and Orin Swift wines owner and creator David Phinney. California makes more wine than any other state in the United States. Varietal: Zinfandel. Offer available to new subscribers. Composed o Zinfandel with Syrah, Petite Sirah and Grenache, the 2018 Red Blend 8 Years in the Desert was aged for eight months in American oak barrels (37% new). The growth of Orin Swift can be traced back to Zinfandel. The story behind the name Orin Swift, well thats a little simpler, the name is derived from Phinneys mothers maiden name and Phinneys fathers middle name. All rights reserved. This label, now in its fifth vintage, celebrates his return from exile. Add a personal touch to your gift with up to three lines of engraving. 93 points Wine Advocate: Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Zinfandel Blend 8 Years in the Desert delivers notions of stewed plums, baked raspberries and fruitcake with hints of powdered cinnamon, clove oil, tree bark, hoisin and dusty soil.
Orin Swift Cellars was founded in 1998 by a 25-year-old David Swift Phinney. You can only make great wine from great grapes. Orin Swift 8 Years in the Desert is a bold California red wine blend made from Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Syrah. Dave Phinney, one of California's best known winemakers, signed an eight-year non-compete agreement after he sold his Prisoner wine project to beverage behomoth Constellation Brands.
We reserve the right to change product images and specifications at any time without notice. We taste all of the wines double blind and, over a ten-month period, we slowly begin to assemble the final blend just before the next harvest begins. Dave Phinney (Winemaker) - "Like so many, I stumbled into the wine business. What was left yielded my first commercial bottle of wine, the 1999 Orin Swift Cellars Zinfandel. Much like the wine, the labels are meant to be a complement to the spirit of the project and an example of the continued efforts of all those involved. "There's a soul to this business.. that soul isn't just from the people who make wine, it's from everyone who loves wines that make them feel something.
Top Tip: Decant an hour before serving. If winemaking is a series of challenges Zinfandel has them all in spades. Having an account with us will allow you to check out faster in the future, store multiple addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and gister. Orin Swift was founded in 1998, by renegade Dave Phinney, who left a budding career as lawyer to start his own wine label, named after his parents – combining his father's middle name, Orin and mother's maiden name, Swift. OK, a very short book. In my defense, trying to cook 8 filets in cast iron skillets, on a small grill, during a hurricane, is a lot harder than it sounds. The first vintage was shipped in individual wooden boxes with a personal note from Phinney. Wineries in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties are making wonderful Syrahs, and the Sierra Foothill appellations are proving to be an experimental hotbed, with Italian and Spanish varietals employed to great effect. These wines can only be fully appreciated if you drink them out of your finest as long as you have this you won't need to worry about the clean up! Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score.
We understand that some people are explorers at heart, and the classics just won't cut it. Cannot be combined with any other offers. The story goes that when winemaker extraordinaire, David Phinney, sold the incredibly popular 'Prisoner' brand of wines to a huge beverage conglomerate, they had him sign an eight year non-compete specifying that he would not produce another, similar Zinfandel blend. In the nose, ripe blackberries are blanketed in vanilla; on the palate, briary herbal notes and a touch of cracked pepper are added. As a result, alcohols are rarely seen below 15%—some of ours much higher. Taking what he learned, he then applied it and produced "The Prisoner". I had sent my resume to fifty wineries in the Valley and only one replied: Robert Mondavi. 7% natural alcohol and is a blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache aged 10 months in 40% new French oak. Just corny, enough, right? As it's being poured, the aromatics hit squarely on the nose with a perception of sweetness: pure brambly raspberry juice and blueberry preserves with a hint of white pepper and High Sierra forest floor. Default Title - $49. Additional charges may apply for larger bottles, custom colors, or color gradients. A robust wine that has spent about half its time in oak barrels.
Orin Swift Cellars, led by winemaker Dave Phinney, is a brand known as much for its creative and evocative expression of art on the front of the bottle as it is the bold, yet finessed styling within the bottle. Pair it with slow-grilled baby back ribs. About Orin Swift: Our relationship with Zinfandel goes back 20 years. Then went back to sleep. Yet, the perceived sweetness on the nose is just that, perceived, and doesn't carry through to the palate. Does not apply to items on sale, solid cases, corporate orders, or orders containing an item priced at more than $10, 000. I decided right then to stop trying. This beauty will cruise for another emaker Richard Case has been making terrific wines in almost every vintage now; he continues to fashion rich, full-flavored, gorgeously textured wines, eschewing the ridiculous trend towards making mid-weight, lean, so-called food friendly wines. It ripens unevenly, it is prone to rot, and it often has very high alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes roaring out of the glass with notions of baked black cherries, raspberry preserves, blueberry tart and potpourri plus hints of garrigue, tobacco leaf and cinnamon stick. The author of The Prisoner, one of Napa's most iconic bottlings, he's the man with the "Midas touch, " in the words of Robert Parker, who's raved over Dave's "unparalleled blending talents. Grape: Primitivo (Zinfandel, Crljenak Kastelanski) Blend. Back in Arizona I had been studying Political Science and History with a post-graduate plan to attend law school… but, after my time in Italy, the die was cast. But I quickly realized that if I was going to work this hard, eventually it would have to be for myself.
The main difference is that Phinney is also beloved by the critics—we've lost count of the number of wines he's landed on the Wine Spectator Top 100 over the last dozen years. Previous vintage 92 Points Robert Parker: "A collaboration between Napa's Joel Gott and Dave Phinney, the semi-opaque Cotes Catalanes Grenache is a smoking blend of 100% Grenache that comes from the singular, black schist soils located around the village of Maury, in the Agly Valley in the Roussillon. Let it never be said, however, that Shiraz and Syrah are the same thing: the region in which the grape is grown determines much about the flavor of the wine it... Zinfandel is widely thought of as "America's grape, " but in fact the variety is of Croatian origin, and is genetically extremely similar to Italian Primitivo, which thrives in the warmest parts of southern Italy. Go: 626 N. Maple Ave., Ho-Ho-Kus; 201-444-2033; From the first wines made under this label in 2007, this is the variety that has been the raison d'etre of this brand and owner/winemaker, Dave Phinney. If we do our jobs, the wine should only get better. Logos require a compatible file format. Than you do from your successes. A few weeks later I was hired. As we meander through the coming years and subsequent vintages, the wine, as well as the labels, will continue to evolve. Russo began working with his father in 1973, and started managing the store himself in the late '70s, while his father opened another wine store in 1988.
Notes: Body: Dryness: Dry. Circumstances led me to basically throw all my red wines together, most of which was Zinfandel, and I made a wine called The Prisoner. I bought two tons of Zinfandel and took the first step of what I hope will be a lifelong journey in turning grape juice into alcohol.