Orin Swift Cabernet Sauvignon Palermo 2017

Drink now through 2031.
Needs an hour to open up, decant if unable to wait.

Of all the wines that Dave Phinney makes, he looks to this wine to be his most diverse Cabernet Sauvignon. He meticulously selects grapes from the major growing regions of Napa Valley using his expansive network of vineyards. This exhaustive work is meant to showcase the vast styles, microclimates and soil profiles of these vineyards. Like a mad scientist, the wines from different sites are blended together to find the perfect balance.

With two consecutive near perfect harvests, this may be the best Cabernet Sauvignon ever made by Orin Swift.
The nose and taste are as you would hope for and expect from a quality Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Toasted oak and ripe dark berries linger on the nose with a subtle touch of cassis. When tasted, the wine does not attack. It gently lingers on the palate for a moment before evolving into a full and serious wine with amazing concentration of flavor. The flavors that are most prevalent include kirsch/cherry notes, black currant, raspberry and a welcome slightly dusty finish.

The lively tannins and dark fruit make it a phenomenal accompaniment to fattier red meat dishes like grilled lamb chops or a hanger steak. The tannins will cut through the glycerol mouth feel of the fattiness and clear the palate for the next bite.

Orin Swift Cellars is owned and operated by David Swift Phinney. After falling in love with wine on a trip to Florence, Italy, he worked as a temporary harvester for Robert Mondavi Winery before starting Orin Swift Cellars in 1998. Orin comes from his father’s middle name while Swift is his mother’s maiden name.