Winemaker Notes
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Mercury Head (aged for 15 months in oak, 51% new) delivers classic notes of warm cassis, plum preserves and mulberries with hints of cigar box, dried bay leaves, pencil lead and truffles. The full-bodied, densely packed, full-throttle palate has a solid structure of firm tannins and oodles for freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing long and savory
Robert Parker 93 Points
Wine Spectator 93 Points
About Orin Swift Cellars
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, he founded Orin Swift Cellars in 1998; 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 brand to what it is today.
About the Mercury Had Label
Phinney’s simplest bottle design is used for his most expensive wine – Mercury Head. The inspiration for the bottle came when Phinney chanced upon a Liberty dime in a handful of small change.
“It reminded me of how much I enjoyed collecting coins as a kid. The Liberty dime, affectionately known as ‘Mercury head’, was my always my favourite,” says Phinney. The coins haven’t been in production since 1945, but that didn’t deter him from his idea to stick a Liberty dime to the front of every bottle of Mercury Head.
“It took a little effort at first finding the dimes from dealers and coin collectors, but we have a good supply now. People even send us the coins from their empty bottles to use,” says Phinney. The grapes that go into Mercury Head hail from Phinney’s best lots in the Napa Valley.
