Orin Swift Abstract 2021

An alluring inky-purple achievement, the 2021 Abstract is replete with a vivid nose of red and black stone fruits, candied cherry, cassis, dried floral notes, and sweet oak accents.

Fleshy and spirited, the wine evolves into a very complex flavor profile of dark berry preserve, raspberry jam, Asian spices, mocha, chaparral, and a hint of crushed rock minerality. An underlying acidity leads to a graceful and fine tannin chain that is seemingly endless.

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.