One Year Anniversary Orin Swift Wine Tasting at Duluth - Niko’s on Thursday April 2nd - 6pm-8pm/Tasting Fee $20 / Special Prices

Niko’s Orin Swift Wine Tasting

Special Prices on Tasting wine purchase

April 2nd at 6pm-8pm

Tasting Fee $20 Non-Member

$10 to Premium Member+1

$10 to Regular Member ONLY

Please join us to celebrate our one year Anniversary in Duluth Downtown Tasting Orin Swift (Maker of Prisoner wines) wines …..

Newest Wine from Orin Swift Cellars “First launch” in Georgia at Niko’s..

Orin Swift Bloodlines Cabernet Sauvignon

Bloodlines is a story of obsession. We are on a relentless pursuit to create the best wines, pushing ourselves harder each day and moving the goal post just before we reach it. Sourcing is intentional, blending is precise and labels are perfected. Case in point - the red Orin Swift rings are more than meets the eye – founder and winemaker Dave Phinney drew they by hand over 300 times before they were right. The devil is in the details and simply put, we are obsessed.

The deep core pulls one into the glass of the 2024 Bloodlines, complemented by a neon fuchsia rim. Aromatically, the wine exudes notes of pluot, boysenberry, blackcurrant, black pepper and leather. As the wine opens, further complexity is revealed highlighted by a rocky perfume. Taut and balanced with acidity, the palate fills with rich notes of blackberry, lavender and a lengthy close of drying tannins.

Orin Swift Machete

The Machete relaxes in the glass with an opaque, inky garnet core and a neon violet rim; be careful, it stains. Aromatically, the wine opens with powerful notes of bright black plum, slate, cacao, wild sage and crushed gravel. The transition to the palate screams with its brawny presence of brooding blackberry pie and ripe blue fruits yet tempered with hints of orange peel and Amarena cherry. Chewy tannins, typical of Petite Sirah, soften over time and culminate in a lengthy finish with a note of sweet oak.

BLEND

Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache

8 Years in the Desert (Original Prisoner Blend)

The desert can be an inhospitable place for the unprepared or uninitiated.
So, when we entered into an eight year Zinfandel non- compete agreement
in 2008 ( i .e. , a desert ) , we took advantage of i t by honing our c raf t wi th
other varietals , setting the stage for when we could reintroduce the varietal
back into our lineup. For years now, Eight Year s in the Desert has been at
the center of our brand—the culmination of decades of Or in Swift
winemaking. The 2024 vintage is sourced from vineyards across the state,
including the historic Monte Rosso vineyard in Sonoma County ’ s Moon
Mountain District AVA, as well as Stefani Ranch, Dark Horse and numerous
other s .
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
What f i r s t catches the eye i s the opaque mauve core paired with a v i v id
fuchsia as i t approaches the rim. Coating the glass , the 2024 Eight Years
in the Desert opens with aromatics reminiscent of a black plum and
boysenberry galette, Tellicherry peppercorn, cedar and musk . Taut yet
supple on the entry , the palate exudes notes of wild blackberry , crispy
pluot , a hint of fennel and s late. Pleasing texture on the finish, the soft
framing tannins lead into a close of milk chocolate covered raspberry .
BLEND
Zinfandel , Petite Sirah, Syrah

YOU HAD ME AT HELL NO!

ADVICE FROM JOHN

Like many things at Orin Swift, what started as a fascination quickly turned into an obsession. Samantha Smith, Dave Phinney’s longtime executive assistant (read: chauffeur, gopher, right-hand ma’am, therapist, etc.), managed amidst her daytime job to multitask away at a book, Advice From John—an anthology of the brilliant, idiotic, and sometimes deep thoughts found at the bottom of a cocktail and then subsequently scribbled and scrawled onto the walls of dive bar bathrooms.

“You Had Me At Hell No,” captured at a dive in Texas, caught Dave’s eye while ruminating ideas on how to bring Merlot back into the mainstream fold—long pilloried for its second of fame in that movie two decades ago. All good things circle back around, so let’s revitalize this delicious, luscious, and fun varietal.

Dominating aromatics abound with notes of blackberry pie, black plum, sage and lilac. A flooding sensation on entry drives dark fruits onto the mid-palate with touches of savory, fennel and licorice as complements. Long on the finish, the espresso bean and continued concentration of blackberry throughout fades slowly with gentle and soft tannins.

Blank Stare

RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC                

               

WINEMAKER’S NOTES
The 2024 Blank Stare opens with a luminous white gold in the glass and tropical aromatics. Starting with ripe passionfruit, mangosteen and guava, the nose turns even more vibrant with fresh cut grass, gooseberry, coriander and lemongrass. Flooding upon entry, the palate borrows notes from the tropical nose with a broad body and focused intensity that closes with length and everlasting acidity.

BLEND
Sauvignon Blanc

MATURATION
50% Fermented in stainless steel tanks
50% Barrel-fermented and aged in French oak , 42% New, five months

Orin Swift Mannequin Chardonnay                         

The most widely planted white wine grape in California, Chardonnay is expressed in many different styles due to the state’s varied regions. Microclimates and unique soil types allow us to source Chardonnay that tell us about place, heping us achieve our goals of showing what California has to offer. Before everything is blended, each lot expresses where it comes from – some are acid-forward and mineral-focused, while others are robust, ripe and fruit-forward. But through blending trials we’re able to bring them together and form a piece of liquid art. Vintage after vintage we source fruit from vineyards across the state of California featuring vineyards located in the Russian River Valley, Atlas Peak and Santa Maria Valley – Mannequin is our manifestation of California Chardonnay.