$ 30.99 at Crush Wine & Spirits in Bryant, Arkansas (AR)
Wine Advocate – 92 points James Suckling – 90 points
Chardonnay 79% / Viognier 8% / Grenache Blanc 5% / Marsanne 5% / Muscat 2% / Roussanne 1%
Aged in 40% new French oak sur lie for 9 months.
Aromas of jasmine, Granny Smith apple, orange blossom, pear, honey-lemon, and roasted marshmallow. Striking acidity with flavors including crème brulée, peach, tangerine, honey-suckle, and roasted marshmallow. A mineral note is present. The finish is medium to long.
The origin of Orin Swift Cellars dates back to 1995 when on a lark, Dave Phinney took a friend up on an offer and went to Florence, Italy to spend a semester studying about wine. During that time as he learned, he got hooked. After graduating from college, he worked at several high-end wineries including at Robert Mondavi Winery and Whitehall Lane. 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 vineyards in southwest France. This international ambition has led to projects in Spain, Italy, Corsica, Argentina and other locations around the globe.
The “Prisoner” label was Orin Swift’s flagship wine which eventually was sold in 2010 to Huneeus Vintners – also owners of Napa’s Quintessa Winery. In April 2016 The Prisoner label was again sold, this time to Constellation Brands who opened a hospitality center to The Prisoner wine and related brands in November 2013. In 2016, E & J Gallo Winery purchased Orin Swift. Phinney continues as a consultant.
Before Phinney sold this label 75,000 cases were being produced annually, up from merely 385 cases during their first vintage. The label is an etching of a prisoner drawn by Francisco Goya – Dave’s parents first gave him a print of this image as a Christmas present. The grapes for this wine are sourced from high quality vineyards throughout the Napa Valley. When owned by Orin Swift this label was typically a five varietal blend including Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Charbono and Petite Syrah.
Phinney is known for his creative labels. In addition to The Prisoner and Mannequin, other Orin Swift labels are Slander, 8 Years in the Desert, Abstract, Blank Stare, China Doll, Machete, Mercury Head, Mute, Palermo, Papillon, Trigger Finger, and Veladera.
The reason for the name Mannequin is to compare wine to clothes. The purpose of a mannequin is to represent the human form to showcase clothes. Clothing like wine evolves over time, but the mannequin must remain unchanged. The Mannequin wine originally was conceived as a white blend, but it developed into a cuvee dominant of Chardonnay from Carneros and Sonoma Valley.
Phinney is involved with several businesses including Savage & Cooke Distillery based on Mare Island in Vallejo. He also is co-owner in the Napa based Crane Assembly, showcasing one of the Napa Valley’s two oldest commercially producing vineyards (dating back to the 1880s). He also is involved with Canard Vineyard in Calistoga. Another one of his popular brands is Locations which features wines crafted from numerous location around the world. It was also purchased by E. & J. Gallo Winery in 2018.
