Orin Swift Abstract

Inky blue-purple in colour. The bouquet bursts with aromas of dark fruit, sage, acacia flowers, kirsch, and a hint of California chaparral. Voluptuous in texture, this is remarkably fresh on the palate with ripe blackberry, mulberry, roasted plum, black tea, and bitter chocolate notes. A sweet and soft tannin profile rounds out the finish, which lingers elegantly.

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, so in 1998 he founded Orin Swift Cellars; 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 company into a multinational brand that now includes 300 acres of vineyards in the Southwest of France. This international ambition has led to projects in Spain, Italy, Corsica, Argentina and other locations around the globe. Despite the growth, Orin Swift Cellars continues to operate as a small, passionate team of friends and family dedicated to making great wine.