Orin Swift Cellars

Orin Swift Cellars, based in a tasting room in downtown St. Helena, was founded in 1998 by Dave Phinney, who remains its winemaker and creative director; the name is drawn from his father's middle name (Orin) and his mother's maiden name (Swift). Since 2016 the brand has operated in partnership with the Gallo family. Rather than organize around one estate or appellation, Orin Swift builds its portfolio as a series of proprietary-named projects, each built around its own varietal focus and sourced from vineyards across Napa Valley and California more broadly, with the wine's identity carried entirely by its label rather than a varietal name on the front.

The reds run from single-varietal statements to multi-grape blends: Mercury Head and Palermo are both Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; Slander is a California Pinot Noir; Trigger Finger is Grenache; Double Take is a Napa Valley Merlot sourced mainly from Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak; Machete blends Petite Sirah and Grenache; and 8 Years in the Desert, named for a gap in the brand's Zinfandel production during the early 2010s, is built on Zinfandel. Papillon, the estate's Bordeaux-blend flagship, brings together all five Bordeaux varietals — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot — from Napa Valley. Face Value (Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) and Sign of the Times and Scattered Stones (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Grenache; and Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grenache, respectively, the latter from Stagecoach Vineyard) round out the reds, alongside the California blends Abstract and Bloodlines (a California Cabernet Sauvignon) and the charity release Burnt Sacrifice. The whites and sparkling wines follow the same naming logic: Mannequin (California Chardonnay), Firebent (Napa Valley Chardonnay), Veladora (Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc from Solari Vineyard in Calistoga), Blank Stare (Sauvignon Blanc from Russian River Valley), and You Go First, a sparkling wine.

Facts read from orinswift.com