The Wine Thread

A couple weeks ago, I took out a client & he introduced me to the world of Orin Swift wines.

http://www.orinswift.com/

He suggested we order the 2005 Papillon. It's a Bordeaux-style blend, very full & jammy with a pretty nifty and unusual label. Also look for the butterfly ("papillon" means butterfly in French) at the bottom of the bottle in the dimple at the bottom of a wine bottle that is called the 'punt'.

The wine was absolutely delicious.

Ruby red with notes of campfire, toast and sweet vanilla. On the palette - wild strawberry, rhubarb, and sassafras. And the finish - 30 plus seconds with an impression of cherry pie.

They also make "The Prisoner", also a blend, which I've since had and enjoyed but Papillon is definitely the better of the two, and more costly.

The 2007 "Prisoner" blends the lush berry flavors of Zinfandel, the power and concentration of Cabernet Sauvignon, the dark black fruit of Syrah, the intensity and structure of Petite Sirah, the flesh of Charbono, and a hint of Grenache - all combined for a decadent wine with great complexity.

Orin Swift wines are pretty hard to find but I picked up a few bottles at Whole Foods in Redondo Beach. $50/each if you buy 6 total bottles for the '06 Papillon (the '05 we had in the restaurant is sold out) & $30 for The Prisoner. Considerably more than I normally spend on wine but definitely worth the occasional splurge.

And I've heard if you find these wines, get 'em while you can. They run in limited supplies and once they're out of any given vintage, they're out.