So what does Dave Phinney say about his long anticipated and triumphant return to Zinfandel?
Our relationship with Zinfandel goes back 20 years. Orin Swift Cellars was started with two tons of Zinfandel in 1998—perhaps the most important two tons we’ve ever purchased. Quite often, you learn more from your failures than you do from your successes. What we learned from those two tons is that there is neither a silver bullet nor alchemy once the grapes are in the winery. You can only make great wine from great grapes. This truism applies to Zinfandel more than any other varietal. Like golf or fly-fishing, you never truly master the game; you just have good days and bad days. By incorporat- ing Petite Sirah and Syrah into the blend, we’re able to mitigate some of the unpredictability. In the end, our goal every year, is to get closer and closer to the mastery of Zinfandel.
