Eight Years in the Dessert 2019

Eight Years in the Dessert 2019 - Big Bold Red Wine Flight for festive holiday party

Alec and Vivianna hosted a holiday party and we dropped in late following the wrap-up of our own holiday dinner gathering. All our kid's and their kids were gathered with several of their friends and families.

Alec assembled a wine flight of bold expressive reds - all in magnums for holiday festive cheers. I've written often in these pages about the fun of serving wine in large format bottles, and the benefit of collecting them for long term aging and cellaring. See Wine Bottle Sizes...Bigger is Better - Right Bottle Sizes...Bigger (or Smaller) is Better.

He also served a selection of craft beers and some special whiskys.

I've written often in these pages about our fun with the Venge labels and their predominant "V", which we serve in tribute to daughter-in-law Vivianna. The Scout's Honor red blend is a crowd pleaser, one of the labels we served for our festive Thanksgiving dinner. 

I opted to taste the Orin Swift "8 Years in the Desert" label. 

The history of Orin Swift Cellars dates back to 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, how it was made, and got hooked. A few more years of university led to graduation and eventually a job at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997 as a temporary harvest worker. 

Deciding that if he was going to work this hard, it would eventually have to be for himself, he founded Orin Swift Cellars in 1998; Orin is his father’s middle name and Swift is his mother’s maiden name. With two tons of zinfandel and not much else, he spent the next decade making wine for others as well as himself and grew the brand to what it is today.

Orin Swift has a broad portfolio of bold expressive wines - all with unique, distinctive, and in some cases weird or even creepy names or labels.  You be the judge ...

• Abstract
• Blank Stare
• China Doll
• Mannequin
• Machete
• Mercury Head
• Mute
• Palermo
• Papillon
• Slander
• Trigger Finger
• Veladora

Some of his labels take the artistic label to almost an extreme such as Orin Swift Machete, which features twelve different labels with photos of a Black woman sporting a machete in repose on an old Cadillac in very positions. 

Taking the labels and branding to an even further extreme, his new label, a premium blend of California Cabernet, Syrah and Merlot, Face Value, which I have yet to see or taste boasts "96 different labels, all of which depict a person with true value".

Orin Swift 8 Years in the Desert 2019

This is a Zinfandel Blend with some Syrah and Petit Syrah - three bold expressive varietals all together. What's not to like? Unless you defer to 'wimpy' wines. Lisa Perrotti-Brown of The Wine Advocate gave this 93 pts.

Garnet purple colored, medium full-bodied, not graceful or well behaved, full round concentrated, the ripe spicy brambly black and red fruits are overtaken by pepper and creosote with notes of cinnamon, clove, white pepper and graphite with earthy tree bark turning to chewy bold tannins on a long finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3792540

https://www.orinswift.com/index.cfm

 

Prisoner Wine Company "Cuttings" California Red Wine 2012

Prisoner Wine Company "Cuttings" California Red Wine 2012

New parents son Sean and Michelle brought our new recent arrival grand-daughter, Lavender, over for dinner and we celebrated with a vintage release premium bottling from The Prisoner Wine Company.  

The Prisoner brand was first created by Orin Swift back in 1998 by winemaker and founder David Phinney. Phinney's interest in wines dates back to 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, how it was made, and he got hooked. After graduation from university, he  eventually landed a job at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997 starting as a temporary harvest worker. 

Deciding that if he was going to work this hard, it would eventually have to be for himself, he founded Orin Swift Cellars in 1998, named after Orin, his father’s middle name, and Swift, his mother’s maiden name. With two tons of zinfandel and not much else, he spent the next decade making wine for others as well as himself. He made the first Prisoner wine in 2000 with a 385 case production and continuing growing production, his reputation and his brand to an inconic label and portfolio with a wide cult-like following. The widely popular Prisoner label and brand had grown to a wide selection of carefully crafted wines - blends from the best vineyards and appellations across the leading regions of California. 

Phinney sold the Zinfandel blend and a few other labels comprising The Prisoner Wine Company to Huneeus Vintners in 2010, owners of the premium Quintessa brand. Huneeus later sold it to Constellation Brands in 2016 who spun off Orin Swift to E. & J. Gallo Winery, although David stayed on and remained the brand's winemaker. When Constellation bought The Prisoner Wine Company in 2016, case production had increased to 165,000 and they paid $285 million for the brand.

Following his non-compete sabatical after selling The Prisoner Brand, Phinney released his follow on label, 'Eight Years in the Desert', for the period of time since he had produced the original Prisoner red blend. He built up his new brand with labels that compared with those of his earlier portfolio.

• Orin Swift, Eight Years in the desert vs The Prisoner Wine Company, The Prisoner.
• Orin Swift, Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon vs The Prisoner Wine Company, Derange Red Blend.
• Orin Swift, Slander Pinot Noir vs The Prisoner Wine Company, Eternally Silenced Pinot Noir.
• Orin Swift, Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon vs The Prisoner Wine Company, Cuttings Cabernet Sauvignon.

Orin Swift became almost as well-known for its artistic and mysterious labels featuring photography, pastiche, collage and street art, making them stand out and helping to tell the story of each wine. 

Frankly, many of the Orin Swift labels are weird and in some/many cases creepy; The Prisoner family of wines, Red Blend, White Blend and Chardonnay, Blank Stare, Blindfold, China Doll, Machete, The Mannequin and Palermo. This label Cuttings in one of the few labels that are not so, artistic but not unnerving. 

The Prisoner brand and flagship label, were originally inspired by the classic sketch Le Petit Prisonier by 19th century Spanish artist Francisco Goya, part of a series entitled, “The Disasters of War”, created to be a visual protest against the injustice and brutality of the Spanish War of Independence in 1808. 

Today, Prisoner Wine Company wines are crafted by a team lead by Director of Winemaking Chrissy Wittmann and a team who work with over 100 growers across northern California from The Prisoner Wine Company located on the legendary Highway 29 St. Helena Highway in Napa Valley.

The Cuttings label was/is a creative red blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with a dash of Syrah and Petite Sirah and a drop of Zinfandel, kind of a reverse blend of the original flagship and Prisoner. This 2012 release was crafted for the Syrah to add a rich mouth feel and silkiness to the complexity and depth of the Cabernet and the structure and intensity of the Petite Sirah, with some robust zest and character added by some Zinfandel in the blend. The Cabernet came from hilltop vineyards directly across from Pritchard Hill, as well as vineyards on Howell Mountain and Spring Mountain. With 20% new French and American oak, this was a complex sophisticated red blend.

The Cuttings' name and label were inspired by the age-old method of using cuttings from a vineyard to propagate new vines. This resulting wine is powerful and structured, with intense aromas of ripe dark fruit, black cherry and subtle spicy notes of cedar and anise. The palate is rich and dense, with flavors of sweet plum and red berries and complimented with a hint of dark cocoa powder. Polished tannins and integrated French oak adorn a long silky finish.

This wine was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator, 90 points by James Suckling and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Winemaker's Notes:. Inspired by the age-old method of using cuttings from idyllic sites for the propagation of new vines, this Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend showcases some of our favorite hillside vineyards. Cuttings combines the intensity and depth of Cabernet Sauvignon with the structure and richness of Petite Sirah and Syrah. A small amount of Zinfandel adds a nice layer of complexity, while encompassing a signature, vibrant spiciness. The wine has an intense and alluring aroma of ripe plum reduction layered with baking spices, hints of cocoa powder and cigar box. The palette is velvety and dense with flavors of black cherry, cola, and freshly roasted co ee beans. Soft tannins evolve into a plush and lengthy finish.

Dark garnet colored,, full bodied, intense concentrated ripe plum, black cherry and currant fruits with baking spices, mocha cocoa powder, expresso and cigar box with round tannins on a moderate finish. 

RM 90 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1879244

https://theprisonerwinecompany.com/

https://twitter.com/PrisonerWineCo 

Papillon and Legende at Indigo Springfield

Papillon and Legende at Indigo Springfield

Visiting valued client in Springfield (IL), the account team dined at Indigo Restaurant. Following our tasting of Clio last month, I took another big bold expressive wine, BYOB, Orin Swift Papillon Bordeaux Blend which we matched up against Barons de Rothschild Légende from the wine list to accompany our beef steak dinners.

Indigo with their whimsical fun Blue Dog gallery offers a nice atmosphere for a business dinner, a special occasion or intimate dinner date. As always, the Indigo staff were professional, proficient, accommodating and attentive. The steaks were done to perfection and this evening they served an imaginative gorgonzola laced roasted potatoes accompaniment. The sushi entree left something to be desired and should be avoided in favor of their traditional midwestern faire.

Papillion is a Bordeaux Proprietary Blend from Dave Phinney, of Orin Swift Cellars, producer of a range of imaginative and bold wines that showcase the range and diversity of the best of Napa Valley wines.  Orin Swift perhaps is best known for The Prisoner series of wines which he sold a few years ago. He now focuses on and produces his higher end selections including this bold but polished red blend. 

David Swift Phinney began his wine journey back in 1995 when he traveled to Florence, Italy and discovered and got hooked on wine. After university graduation in 1997 he worked as as temporary harvest worker at Robert Mondavi Winery.  Setting out on his own, in 1998 he founded Orin Swift Cellars named for his father’s middle name Orin and his mother’s maiden name Swift. He spent his early years making wines for others and developing a line of Zinfandel based wines under his own label from fruit sourced from others. 

I've written about how Phinny is one of the more fascinating studies in wine branding. In his Orin Swift line, he shows why he is known for and recognized by his imaginative, creative, if not mysterious, even weird branding with his artistic naming and labeling of his wines. His line-up reads more like a series of mystery novels than a flight of fine wines - Abstract, China Doll, Mannequin, Machete, Mercury Head, Mute, Palermo, Papillon, Slander, Trigger Finger, and Veladora.

Mercury Head is his premium label Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and simply features a US mint original Mercury Head dime affixed to the bottle in place of a label. I've written in these pages about Machete with its series of labels with a dozen different photos of a mysterious woman brandishing a machete in various poses, many featuring a vintage Cadillac Eldorado.

Papillon features on the label (pictured) an image of third generation grape grower Vince Tofanelli's hands taken by the producer's friend and world famous photographer Greg Gorman. 

Papillon is a classic Bordeaux blend, Papillon features all the Bordeaux varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, the heavy weight weighs in at 15.1% alcohol. The grapes are sourced from Napa Valleys sub-appellations Oakville, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain, from top vineyards such as Stagecoach and Morisoli.

Robert Parker gave the 2013 release 95 points and this 2014 wine 94 points and noted "forest floor, graphite, blackcurrant, blackberry fruit and spring flowers with a full-bodied, unctuously textured, deep, rich pure wine".

This was dark garnet colored, full bodied, complex, bold, powerful, concentrated, almost jammy with rich black fruits tones - blackberry, black raspberry, hint of black cherry, with a layer of anise, dusty cedar, hints of graphite, mocha and loamy earth with firm textured tannins on a long lingering finish. This probably needs a couple years to settle and will be interesting to watch it age over the next decade.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2292084

http://www.orinswift.com/Papillon


Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) St. Émilion Légende 2013

Légende is a second label from the legendary Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) producer. Of course they're best known for their classic 'first growth' Chateau Lafite Rothschild. But they also produce a wide range of more than a dozen labels for the wider general marketplace consumer - most from across the Bordeaux region.

The Legende family of wines includes more everyday selections from Bordeaux, one blend from the Bordeaux region, two from the left bank Medoc and Pauillac appellations, and this right bank offering from the St. Émilion appellation.

This 2013 may not be a fair representation of the label since it was one of the most difficult weather condition vintages in three decades. A wet spring, two hail storms in July and August that damaged the grape vines, followed by intermittent rains leading up to the harvest made the weather condition among the worst since the frost of 1991.

The challenging conditions of the 2013 season required meticulous work in the vineyards and very strict selection in the winery to produce this release which they considered an over-achievement under the circumstances rendering what they referred to as supple, with a gentle, crisp structure.

This was dark ruby colored, light-medium bodied, somewhat austere with delicate subdued black currant and raspberry fruits with a layer of pain grillé (toast), with hints of floral, tangy spice, smoke, tobacco leaf and leather.  In the style of the 'right bank', this is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2613407

http://www.lafite.com/en/the-collection/legende/the-wines/legende-saint-emilion/

 http://www.indigocuisine.com/

Dave Phinney Winemaker - Marketing Maven or Madman

Dave Phinney Winemaker - Marketing Maven or Madman

I've written several times in this blog about imaginative and unusual marketing and branding concepts of various wine producers such as Dave Phinney of Orin Swift and the Marilyn Merlot Series from Nova Wines.  So, imagine my surprise when I traced this latest label discovery back to him. In my continuing study of wine labeling and branding, I found perhaps the most unusual wine label yet, Fittings Grenache. I didn't think it could get more bizarre until upon researching the label I discovered it was the work of Dave Phinney. I can't imagine what he was thinking when selecting the artwork for this label. It features a collection of plumbing connecting pipes, and not necessarily new bright and shiny ones. Its nice to see folks who have a sense of humor. You decide.

In fairness to Mr Phinney, it is not apparent that he claims attribution to the wine or the brand. The IGP Cotes Catalanes Rousillion wine is identified as being the product of a rather obscure source, bottled by Sarl H and Co. in Maury, France, in the Pyrenees near the border with Spain. The wine is brought to and distributed in the US by distributor Vanguard Wines of Columbus, Ohio. They distribute many well known labels including some of our favorites such as Lewis Cellars in addition to Orin Swift wines. Several merchants and restaurants attribute this wine to Mr. Phinney. 

Orin Swift Red Wine Flight - Unique Labeling - Imaginative Wines

Orin Swift Red Wine Flight - Unique Labeling - Imaginative Wines - A Lesson in Wine Marketing and Branding

For a another casual Friday night wine and cheese plate tasting, we sampled a flight of Orin Swift Napa Reds.  After our Orin Swift Abstract Red Wine Blend tasting last week, DOC in Yorktown Lombard offered a Orin Swift Red special flight. Once again we had the Butcher's Plate with a pairing of cheeses - aged cheddar and Old Amsterdam, with pate and cured salmon. While his wines tend to carry his innumerable style of bold expressive somewhat eclectic blends, his branding is confusing and disjointed.

 

As a student and practitioner in marketing, and a wine geek, I'm regularly studying and commenting on wine marketing. After tasting and writing about Orin Swift wines twice last week, it was natural to try this special offer flight. I had no knowledge of the three label names on offer - Orin Swift 'Saldo', 'Machete' Blend and 'Palermo' Napa Valley Red Blend wines. As an avid wine collector, writer and taster, I thought I knew something about Orin Swift wines. While I had no knowledge of any of these labels. after tasting, I asked the server to pull the bottles so I could see their labels and packaging. Only then did I realize I recognized and had seen all the labels, but I never associated them with or knew them to be Orin Swift offerings. Such the essence of a failure in typical or classic branding - or is it unique madness or genius in branding?

Last week, when I wrote about Abstract, I also wrote about a tasting where I took two Orin Swift wines, the 'Prisoner' and 'Papilllon'. While I have seen these three labels before, and recognize these labels, not until tonight's tasting experience did I associate all these labels with being from the same producer, let alone associate them with these other rather well known ones. If I fail to make this connection, with all the attention I pay to wines, a casual or typical consumer is lost on the brand. To complicate or confuse matters further, the Prisoner brand, which has taken on a loyal almost cultish following has been sold and is no longer an Orin Swift offering.

Indeed, on my Rick's WineSite(TM), I have a Wine Label Library that features photos of thousands of wine labels from my collection, tastings and encounters. On the library page, I feature a section on Art & Artist Series Wine Labels and another section on Notable Wine Labels. The former are chosen for their distinctive style and branding affinity. The latter are chose for their notable and memorable branding - both good and bad or certainly uniquely different.

Some of the artist wine label libraries are classics such as perhaps the two most notable, Chateau Mouton Rothschild with its annual label featuring original art from a famous artist, and Marilyn Merlot Series featuring the famous Hollywood starlet.

Orin Swift Palermo Label

Notably, I have featured Orin Swift Palermo (shown left) on the second page as an example of a 'bad' label idea. Yea, tonight when I ordered the wine flight and tasted the wine, I did not associate it with that label until the server presented the bottles afterwards upon my request.

It doesn't help that there is another producer with a similar name with the same penchant for weird, sometimes outrageous wine labels. I now realize I often confuse those wines of Orin Swift with those of Owen Roe!  Such is the ultimate in poor or unique branding.

On my 'bad' wine label page, I show the Orin Swift Palermo label and Owen Roe's 'Sinister Hand'. You need to read the back label on that bottle for the story that explains the ghoulish name. I write on my page, "Another instance of 'what were they thinking?' Easy to confuse Orin Swift (Napa) and Owen Roe (Columbia) (above) - same dark perspective or approach ... Many of the Orin Swift labels have an eery sense about them .. http://www.orinswift.com/."

In the end, its all in the eye of the beholder. You be the judge. In the same way, that wine is just grape juice, the labels are mere marketing and promotion of the bottle and brand. Like the case where bad publicity is better than no publicity, perhaps memorable bad wine labels are better than unmemorable labels. After tasting Orin Swift Palermo, I wanted to see the label. After seeing the label, I am not sure I'd be drawn to taste the wine!

Talk about branding confusion, not until after I write my piece above, do I read the Orin Swift Machete website when I pull down the link below, that says, "**Bottled with 12 Different Labels, you may not receive the one pictured**." It links to a pdf with pictures of twelve labels of various poses of a scantily clad woman and a vintage old Cadillac, brandishing a machete in various poses, plus one totally different label of alpha graphics. See a portfolio of a selection of these labels below. Perhaps there is genius in this label madness if the collection of Machete labels become collectables in their own right. In any event, there is uniqueness and fun, if not weirdness in the selection of shots from the photo shoot. Perhaps it is working since I'm writing about it here, and featuring his selection of labels below, and you are reading about it.

The Wines ...

Orin Swift Palermo Red Wine Blend 2012

A Bordeaux blend of predominant Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Dark inky purple colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced, moderately complex vibrant expressive black berry, black and sweet red currant fruits, sweet tobacco, hints of vanilla, cedar, oak and touch of cocoa, with a medium firm tannin lingering finish. Bright vibrant fruits almost taste like a Shiraz on the front.

RM 91 points.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1765854

http://www.orinswift.com/2012Palermo

Orin Swift Machete Red Wine Blend 2012

A blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Grenache. I think its the Grenache that takes on the slightly metallic minerality that detracts from the fruit. Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, complex forward slightly disjointed competing flavors of ripe blackberries, black raspberries, toasty oak, dark mocha tones with hint of expresso on a moderate tannin finish. 

RM 89 points.

http://www.orinswift.com/2012Machete



Orin Swift Saldo Zinfandel  Red Wine 2012

Bright garnet colored, medium bodied, rather simple narrow focused flavorful sweet dark berry ripe plum and cola flavor with tones of mocha, vanilla and spice.


RM 88 points.

A blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Petite Sirah.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1754889

http://www.orinswift.com/2010Saldo

http://www.docwinebarchicago.com/lombard/

Another examples of Orin Swift unique labeling is their premium label Mercury Head which features an actual American Mercury Head dime coin affixed to the bottle.

Orin Swift Veladora Sauvignon Blanc 2013

Orin Swift Machete Label Library

 

 

 

Orin Swift Abstract Napa Valley Red Blend - Hesketh Cruel Intentions Shiraz

Hesketh Cruel Intentions Shiraz 2010 - Orin Swift Abstract Napa Valley 2012 WBTG with food pairings at DOC Yorktown Wine Bar

For a casual late night snack, Linda and I tasted two red wines from the WBTG (wine-by-the-glass) offering with a platter of artisan cheeses, pate and bruschetta on the patio at DOC Yorktown in Lombard.

The food pairings from the Butcher's Plate menu included Old Amsterdam Dutch, Four Year Old Aged Cheddar cheeses, the New York Pate Forestier and the bruschetta with asparagus, prosciutto and reggiano. 

The wines selected were Hesketh 'Cruel Intentions' South Australia Shiraz and Orin Swift Abstract Napa Valley Red Wine Blend.



Hesketh 'Cruel Intentions' South Australia Shiraz 2010

Hesketh Wine Company is a small, family owned, South Australian based producer run by owner and winemaker Jonathon Hesketh who refined his craft with Wirra Wirra, Moet Chandon and Cloudy Bay. He sources fruit from several growing regions across South Australia for a modestly priced White Label line. He also produces Black Label wines from select vineyards recognized for excellence from the Currency Creek and McLaren Vale regions on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Each wine is either single vineyard or sourced from a small selection of specific vineyards and produced at facilities close by the vineyards for quality and practicality.

Fruit for this wine comes from the Currency Creek and McLaren Vale growing regions on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia.

Cruel Intentions is another whimsical artist label that reflects fun and a sense of humour on behalf of the producer/winemaker.

Dark crimson red color, medium bodied, a slight metallic and mineral layer competes with the ripe plum fruit, tones of anise, vanilla and toast on a moderate tannin finish. A bit disjointed and flabby.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1518830

Orin Swift 'Abstract' Napa Valley 2012

The wines of Dave Phinney and Orin-Swift Cellars are distinctive in their branding and packaging with some of the more intriguing and unique labels and wine names. Perhaps best known for the somewhat macabre “Prisoner”  (no longer owned by Dave, although he remains a consultant) and “Papillon” with its stark black and white photograph of rough-hewn fingers (left), Phinney composes his rather mysterious label designs from a collection to a collage of a variety of photographs.

His wines are as distinctive as his labels. They tend to be full-flavored, forward, intense, firm structured wines. He mixes a melange of varietals from a variety of  appellations and vineyards to form the distinct profile and personality of each label. They are not for the feint of heart.

After graduating college he spent a short time at Robert Mondavi Winery before founding Orin Swift Cellars. From his original release based on purchased Zinfandel grapes, he has added Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and eventually extended the range to Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Syrah.

Orin Swift recently purchased forty-eight acres in the hills above Oakville to plant and develop. They also recently purchased some vineyards and a winery in the steep hillsides of the Roussillon, near Maury in the French Pyrénées planted in 60-100 year old Grenache, with a small percentage of Syrah and Carignane. Commuting between California and France, Dave lives with his wife and children in St. Helena, CA.

I vividly remember taking Orin Swift Napa Valley 2005 Red Wine Blends Papillon and The Prisoner to a gala team dinner over the holidays back in 2009. The Prisoner was thick with ripe spicy black berry fruits predominating. Papillon showed the most complexity, structure and breadth and depth of flavors - dark, brooding, black berry, currant, spice, oak, and finely integrated tannins. With this as a backdrop I was interested to try 'Abstract', a blend of Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Syrah from primarily hillside vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties.

Dark garnet purple colored, full bodied, thick and complex, Abstract bursts with aromas and obtuse forward fruit flavors of ripe blackberry, mulberry and hints of blueberry fruits with tones of floral, kirsch, black tea, and bitter chocolate on a chewy tannin finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1705920

 is comprised of Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah and drinks like an inky, concentratedPetite Sirah blend. Blackberry, dark dark chocolate with a silky texture - See more at: http://www.deandeluca.com/wine/red/syrah/orin-swift-abstract-red-2012/?gclid=CjwKEAjw0a2eBRDVrabv9vWJ90USJACsKRDH6B5OhAB6XDVSlzbsYV3x60x_cVKzi5H9JdRZDvi9ARoCq5zw_wcB#sthash.0ItBWrI1.dpuf

my favorite Red blend that Dave Phinney is making right now. The Prisoner is a fun-drinking Red but this is a completely different wine. It is comprised of Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah and drinks like an inky, concentratedPetite Sirah blend. Blackberry, dark dark chocolate with a silky texture is what this wine offers in the glass. - Kerrin Laz, Wine Director - See more at: http://www.deandeluca.com/wine/red/syrah/orin-swift-abstract-red-2012/?gclid=CjwKEAjw0a2eBRDVrabv9vWJ90USJACsKRDH6B5OhAB6XDVSlzbsYV3x60x_cVKzi5H9JdRZDvi9ARoCq5zw_wcB#sthash.0ItBWrI1.dpuf

http://www.orinswift.com/2012Abstract


http://www.docwinebarchicago.com/lombard/

Plate from earlier visit