2019 Orin Swift 8 Years in the Desert California Red Wine 750 ml

No one else in the world does explosive, high-octane, mega-star reds with the maximalist genius of Dave Phinney. The author of the Prisoner, one of Napa’s most iconic bottlings ever, he’s the man with the “Midas touch,” in the words of critic Robert Parker, who has raved over Dave’s “unparalleled blending talents.”

Zinfandel that first put Phinney on the map, and with the release of the 2019 Orin Swift 8 Years in the Desert Red, he shows he’s still the reigning champ when it comes to wringing every ounce of spicy fruit and fantastic concentration out of the grape.

With this vintage, he’s achieved the Jenga-like effect of keeping all that towering power in check with juicy, integrated acids and “tons of freshness,” according to Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Dave Phinney is to the California wine scene what Michael Bay is to Hollywood—the crowd-pleasing mad king of over-the-top kinetic energy and explosive power that tests the limits of plausibility. The main difference is that Phinney is also beloved by the critics—we’ve lost count of the number of wines he’s landed on the Wine Spectator Top 100 over the last dozen years.

Yet the early years of his career were mired in desperation. In 2000, his third difficult vintage in a row of trying to get off the ground, he threw all the wine he’d managed to make together and called it the Prisoner. Most of it was Zinfandel, and the blend went on to become an industry-changing classic.

When he sold the brand, he agreed not to make Zinfandel for eight years. This label, now in its fourth vintage, celebrates his return… and it’s destined to become another member-favorite.