Orin Swift Cellars

Wow.
To start off, it’s a wonderfully simple, classic tasting room. Very organic, minimal. Soft lighting.
I could spend hours there (maybe I did?)
Katie, thank you for the experience. Hands down one of the best wine-​tastings i’ve had. You were warm, knowledgable, unpretentious, easy to talk with… just great. Thank you.
And then the wines… well. I’ll let them speak for themselves.
Because they will.
Cheers, keep it up!
We will be back!

Drove here on a whim only because I’ve been a fan of The Prisoner and Papillon. It’s a super small space, so luckily I had a chance to do a tasting. «Heads» it was. I got already to talking to the staff and other visitors. Great pointers for the rest of the day trip to Napa.

Wines were ok. Pricing ok. Décor really nice. But it’s a small tasting room with some horrible acoustics. You cannot have a normal conversation with more than 6 people in the place. So really hard to talk to staff about the wines. It’s a crowded bar level volume yet only holds like 20 or or so people. It’s a higher energy vibe so some people may like this just not me.

If I could give this place 10 stars I would. Went with my girlfriend and tasted the many wines they have. Justin showed us the best wine tasting experience we have ever had and we are Napa Valley pro’s. The wines were fantastic. We signed up for the Milk Run to secure some of that great Trigger Finger wine. I cannot express the gratitude we have for Justin who also gave us a wonderful parting gift. I will be going back and taking friends. A Great time all around. Thanks Justin

Recently I tried a glass of the Orin Swift Papillon at The Winds Café in Yellow Springs Ohio and was delighted. This is the most flavorful wine that I have tasted in decades. Even the smallest sip was sensual and lasting long after the wine cleared your palate. The price made me reluctant. The taste made me desirous of an entire bottle which I will soon purchase.

Just tasted the 2009 Orin Swift Abstract. At first I didn’t want to open it because I thought it might be a little young but boy was I wrong! Big, Bold, Spicy & ready to drink.

By the glass, I’ve seen it at Akasha (½ off glasses or bottles on Wednesdays!!!), Tavern (Brentwood), Bandera and The Brentwood.

Orin Swift makes fantastic artisan wines, The Prisoner (Zin blend) and Papillon (Cab Blend) are made with suburb craftsmanship from grape to bottle. The owner (and wine maker) Dave Phinney worked his way up from the fields of Mondavi turning a passion for wine into a great business. Not only are the wines fantastic, but each label really conveys a unique story and artistic element as well.
The 06 Prisoner is very approachable and smooth for a Zin, not hot or overly alcoholic. Slightly different in taste than the 05, but both are outstanding.
We had a chance to visit the new office/​tasting room in downtown St. Helena. You need to call ahead and schedule an appt which I usually find slightly pretentious, but Neil, the front of shop manager, put us down for 30 mins that same afternoon and was a very gracious host. You’re literally sitting in the middle of their office, with the phone ringing, filing cabinets, etc. Perfect last tasting after a few hours going through the Napa gauntlet.

Holy cow!!! The 2004 Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon is out of this world as is the 2005 Prisoner (2006 is good but not as good). I always look forward to drinking wines from this winery… one sip and you will agree.