Orin Swift Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
- twi95
- wa95
- d94
Category | Red Wine |
Varietal | |
Brand | Orin Swift |
Origin | California, Napa Valley |
Alcohol/vol | 15.6% |
Winery Notes:
An almost-black, opaque garnet core sits in the glass with slow-moving tears falling down the sides. Immediate aromatic notes of ripe cassis, charred ribeye, sandalwood and freshly cut oak pilfer - breathe deeper for more. The first sip is a complex, layered conundrum of blackberry, black plum, fennel, licorice and dark chocolate. More sips peel back the layers to reveal a rich and balanced wine with a deep cassis core. A sweet linger on the finish closes the wine with softly textured chalky tannins.
Wine Spectator 91 Points
The Wine Independent
- twi95
The 2021 Mercury Head, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, is deep garnet-purple in color. A little subdued to begin, it soon unfurls to offer notes of creme de cassis, blueberry pie, and chocolate-covered cherries plus hints of Indian spices and mint tea. The full-bodied palate is rich and impactful, with a lively line and firm, grainy tannins supplying a rock-solid backbone, finishing with epic length and depth.
Wine Advocate
- wa95
Winemaker, creative director and founder Dave Phinney says of Mercury Head, "It's the easiest, shortest story—it's just the best [expletive] Cabernet we think we can make in Napa Valley." With fruit derived from several sources, including the Taplin-Lewelling Vineyard across Highway 29 from the Louis Martini winery, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mercury Head is gently herbal, with those elements adding complexity to the cassis and black cherry fruit, plus there's a hint of dark chocolate as well. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, this ripe, fruit-driven wine finishes velvety and long.
Decanter
- d94
100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 13 months, 58% New French Oak. Expressive sweet and savoury coconut, dill, and Kirsch aromas with toasty oak, vanillin and mocha. A towering red that enmeshes itself on the palate with a blanket of fine-grained tannins that resolve with a burly texture before clearing the way for more of the same flavours on the palate, joined by spiced rum cake and rum-soaked raisins. The ripe, sweet fruit is granted an aromatic lift from a good amount of glycerol, which remains cool and balanced through the finish of earth, wet river stones and dried herbs.