Mercury Head & Papillon Cabernet JUST ARRIVED

The history of Orin Swift 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. PAPILLON & MERCURY HEAD are still VERY LIMITED produced wines from top notch Single Vineyards in the Napa Valley.PAPILLON 2013 PROPRIETARY RED, NAPA VALLEY
Retail $70.00 – $66.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6 or more
Use code PHINNEY upon check out
Can mix & match with Mercury Head

A dense shade of crimson red coats the sides of the glass. Subtle aromas of cedar wood and rose petals mingle with hints of well-seasoned oak. The entry of the wine is seamless and prepares the taster for a broad mid palate saturated with ripe cherry and dark chocolate. The wine finishes with broad and rich tannins that linger on for nearly a minute.

Wineamaker notes: “Composed of all five Bordeaux varieties, Papillon is our Cabernet based red wine. The goal was to make a stand-alone wine that incorporates all the majesty of Cabernet Sauvignon with the subtleties of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and the power of Petit Verdot and Malbec. The label is a photograph taken by our good friend and fellow winemaker, Greg Gorman.”

MERCURY HEAD 2013 CABERNET, NAPA VALLEY
Retail $125.00 – GGWC $119.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6 or more
Use code PHINNEY upon check out
Can mix & match with Mercury Head

A deep hue of dark garnet is almost opaque. The weight of the wine is evidenced in the long and rich legs that coat the sides of the glass. Aromatics of ripe cherry and gooseberry mingle with the scent of newly toasted oak and freshly baked croissants. The entry of the wine is both soft and massive all at once. It coats the mouth and leads into a mid palate laced with fine layers of deeply ripe stone fruits. The wine finishes with long chains of subtle tannins and sophisticated structure.

Wine Maker Notes: At the end of the day, all winemakers are only as good as the vineyards they source from and the vintage in which the wine is made. Fortunately, the 2013 vintage was stunning. Coming on the heels of the spectac ular 2012, the weatherwas near perfect and the resulting wines show a complexity and structure that defines a classic. As in past vintages, the grapes used for the 2013 Mercury Headcome from various blocks within the Taplin and Morisoli vineyards as well select hillside vineyards in the Atlas Peak appellation. The wines are vinified separately, and then aged for 18 months in new and once used French oak barrels. The final blend is made up of a selection of the best of these barrels, which is bottled and aged for another six months. The dimes are all authentic Liberty, or “Mercury Heads,” and are hand applied to the bottle using food grade silicon.