2018 | Orin Swift Cellars | Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon

Description

Red Wine: 2018 | Orin Swift Cellars | Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon

A dark crimson with a blue band, the nose presents immediate aromas of boysenberry, currants, graphite, cedar, fir ash and vanilla.

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Producer: Orin Swift Cellars

Ratings: WA | 93

Vintage: 2018

Size: 750ml

ABV: 15.5%

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country/Region: United States, Napa Valley

A dark crimson with a blue band, the nose presents immediate aromas of boysenberry, currants, graphite, cedar, fir ash and vanilla. Seamless on the entry with resounding energy, the mid-palate features lush blackberry and bing cherry as well as a hint of sweet red licorice. Long, complex tannins punctuate the finish with an elegant and tapering note of black tea.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Palermo gives up gregarious scents of kirsch, Black Forest cake and warm cassis with hints of dried mint, dark chocolate and rose hip tea plus a waft of unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with ripe black berry layers, framed by velvety tannins and a lively line, finishing long and fragrant.

Producer Information

Orin Swift Cellars is trailblazing Californian wine brands, going from a tiny production project to an empire of wines distributed across the world. The distinctively packaged ‘The Prisoner’ wine further becoming a commercial success. The company was founded by David Swift Phinney, who fell into wine on a trip to Italy during his college days. After graduating, he took a job at Robert Mondavi Winery as a harvest worker, before founding his own company in 1998. Orin is his father’s middle name, while Swift is his mother’s maiden name. Orin Swift’s most well-known label is ‘The Prisoner’ – a wine made predominately from Zinfandel with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Charbono, Syrah, and Petite Sirah, sourced from all over Napa Valley. It was launched in 2003 with a mere 385 cases. It quickly became a cult wine, however, with its rich, fruit-forward profile, and striking label – a drawing of a prisoner by Spanish artist Goya. In 2010, Phinney sold The Prisoner label to Huneeus Vintners for an undisclosed sum. By this time, production had reached over 75,000 cases and was being distributed nationwide and internationally. As part of the sale, Phinney signed a non-competition agreement, undertaking not to make a return to Zinfandel production for eight years. His subsequent 8 Years in the Desert label – a Zinfandel-based wine released by Orin Swift in 2018 – was a direct reference to this period. By this stage, Orin Swift Cellars had been sold to California wine giant E&J Gallo in 2016, with Phinney staying on as winemaker. Wine giant Constellation Brands acquired The Prisoner from Huneeus in the same year. Orin Swift produces a number of other well-known labels, the most sought-after being the Mercury Head, a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wine in a bottle adorned with silver-winged Mercury Head dimes that Phinney collected as a child. The dime was minted between the years 1916 to 1945, so the winery sources the coins from recycled bottles and brokers. The wine is known for selling out in a matter of days between club members and retailers. Additional labels include Papillon, a Bordeaux blend; Mannequin, a white blend mostly made from Chardonnay; Machete, a Petite Sirah blend with a lineup of twelve different racy labels; as well as several others. Many of Orin Swift’s wine are limited to the winery’s club members. Recently, Phinney bought 95 hectares (235 acres) of vineyard near the village of Maury in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. He built a winery called Department 66, and launched an old-vine Grenache-based wine called D-66 with the 2009 vintage. Phinney also established the Savage & Cooke distillery on Mare Island, Vallejo, some 35 miles (56km) north of San Francisco, in 2018.