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Dave Phinney is a person. He’s our founder, winemaker, creative director, and artistic force behind every bottle we produce. Check out his recent profile in Wine Spectator.
Dave recounts the experiences that brought him into winemaking and the early days of the Orin Swift wines, while working at Robert Mondavi and Whitehall Lane, including the lessons learned from the difficult 1998 vintage. Our conversation leads from assessing vineyards to blending and the "perception of sweetness."
Nov 7, 2023 · Phinney’s unique red blends and standout labels soon propelled Orin Swift Cellars to cult status, leading the winemaker to close blockbuster deals with industry giants: He sold The Prisoner to...
- Hannah Staab
Gestalt was founded by creative director Dave Phinney. Dave has been making wine all over the world for the last twenty five years. His most notable accomplishments in the space include being the creator and founder of both The Prisoner wine brand as well as Orin Swift Cellars.
- The Phinney Lineup
- Abstract and Machete
- Department 66
- Locations
- Mannequin
- Mercury Head
- Papillon
- Palermo
- The Prisoner
- Saldo
Dave Phinney produces wines under the California-based Orin Swift label (Abstract, Mannequin, Mercury Head, Papillon, Palermo and Veladora) and is a partner in a host of other winemaking projects abroad.
The quintessential Phinney projects, blending different grapes (Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah) from regions all over California (Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino). The Abstract label shows a collage designed by Phinney, piecing together images the winemaker collected for years—from pictures of Hemingway to photos of old punk rock bands—embossed in bla...
From Phinney’s old-vine Grenache vineyards in Maury, France. The wine’s name refers to the French department number for the region. Though one of the simplest of his labels, Phinney says it was the most difficult to design. “I had so much respect for Maury. I wanted that to show,” he says. The “D” on the label is copied from an honorary degree his ...
A value-oriented lineup of blends from Spain, France and Italy—so far, with more to come. The labels are made up of the international license plate country code to indicate where the wine hails from.
Phinney heard the word “mannequin” in the lyrics of a Nicki Minaj song, and instantly had a vision for a label. Well-known portrait photographer Greg Gorman spent a day with Phinney shooting dozens of pictures of mannequin limbs before snapping an image of the discarded torsos in the corner of his studio. A blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, Sémillon, ...
Phinney found a Liberty Dime in a handful of change, which reminded him of how much he enjoyed collecting coins as a child. The Liberty Dime—nicknamed Mercury Head—was always his favorite. Of the three Cabernets he makes, this is the most expensive, and represents his best Cabernet Sauvignon lots in Napa Valley. 2010 and 2011 were tricky vintages, ...
French for “butterfly,” Phinney first heard the term when his daughter saw a butterfly and said the word out loud. A Cabernet-based blend, the grapes come from Howell Mountain, Rutherford, Oakville and St. Helena. The image—photographed by Greg Gorman—shows the hands of Vince Tofanelli, a third-generation grapegrower.
Extra lots of Cabernet Sauvignon used to go into The Prisoner, so after the sale of that brand, Phinney created Palermo, the most value-centric of his Cabernets. The label image of a mummified priest is from a photograph by Vincent Musi that Phinney saw in National Geographicin a story about catacombs in Palermo, Sicily.
Phinney’s first label, sold to Huneeus Vintners in 2010. A blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Charbono and Grenache from vineyards around Napa, the wine gets its name from the Goya print—originally a gift from Phinney’s parents—on the label.
Phinney sold this Zinfandel bottling in 2010 along with The Prisoner. It carries the broad California appellation, blending grapes from Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Amador and Contra Costa counties. In Spanish, “Saldo” translates to “balance on hand” or “from here to there.” The front label is just the single word on an embossed label.
Dec 12, 2021 · These stunning, unique wines with quirky labels from legendary and innovative winemaker David Phinney are some of our most sought wines and have an almost cult like following since they arrived.” (Peter Foley at Foley Wines in Ireland, who sells to private customers)
Dec 2, 2018 · For his first ever job in wine, Orin Swift’s Dave Phinney turned up for the interview for the position of ‘Temporary harvest worker’ in a suit and tie. He can still hear the laughter many years on. Phinney has never looked back, however.
