2024 Orin Swift 8 Years in the Desert estate spotlight
Dave Phinney on Orin Swift, in a 2012 winemaker interview.
The market on this bottle
U.S. shop listings for this 750ml, before sales tax. Auctions and clearance specials are left out. The main-listing low is $33.94, so this bottle is $34. Checked 2026-10-06.
Dave Phinney, Zinfandel blend
2024 Orin Swift 8 Years in the Desert Red, California, USA
Eight Years in the Desert is the California red that followed eight years when the house was barred from Zinfandel.
It is a California wine, not a Napa Valley wine, and Wine Advocate scored the 2024 a 93. The bottle is $34.
The Zinfandel came back
Dave Phinney started Orin Swift in 1998 with Zinfandel. After he sold The Prisoner in 2008, the house was barred from Zinfandel for eight years. The fruit in the 2024 comes from across California, including Monte Rosso on Moon Mountain, Stefani Ranch, Dark Horse, and others.
If the Zinfandel he was kept from is back in the bottle, what else do you need to see?
The grapes
Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah share the wine.
The oak
Eight months in French oak, 32 percent of it new.
The alcohol
The wine is 15.4 percent alcohol.
The 2022
Owen Bargreen scored the 2022 a 94, with a window from 2024 to 2034.
Wine Advocate 93 on the 2024
Wine Advocate scored the 2024 a 93 and wrote raspberry, stone fruit, a silky feel, and soft tannins.
Owen Bargreen scored the 2022 of this wine a 94 and set the window at 2024 to 2034.
Raspberry, stone fruit, soft tannins
The 2024 shows raspberry and stone fruit, a silky middle, and soft tannins, from Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah raised eight months in French oak.
This is the bottle that carries the name. The 2024 is $34. Twelve bottles ship free in the lower 48. Hawaii and Alaska are quoted on their own.
Raspberry and stone fruit.
Silky, with Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah together.
Soft tannins.
Across California
The fruit is drawn from more than one part of the state.
Monte Rosso on Moon Mountain, Stefani Ranch, and Dark Horse are among the sites, along with others.
The wine spent 8 months in French oak, 32 percent of it new.
Alcohol is 15.4 percent. Read it as a California wine, not a Napa Valley wine.
Eight years without Zinfandel
The house began with Zinfandel, left it, and came back.
Dave Phinney started Orin Swift in 1998 with Zinfandel.
He sold The Prisoner in 2008.
For eight years the house was barred from Zinfandel. Eight Years in the Desert is the wine that came back, built as a California red.
Why It Matters
Monte Rosso is in the mix, and so are Stefani Ranch, Dark Horse, and other sites, and the bottle is still a California wine rather than a Napa Valley one.
Barbecue baby back ribs are the plate, with skillet cornbread beside them.
Open and pour. The tannins are soft, so it does not need a long decant.
Balsamic Glazed Baby Back Ribs
Baby back ribs take a peppercorn rub, then a low, slow cook and a balsamic barbecue glaze in the last stretch.
Why it works: Sticky ribs match the raspberry and the soft tannins, and the wine is ready when the racks are.
View Recipe for Balsamic Glazed Baby Back Ribs (opens in a new tab)Skillet Cornbread
Grace Parisi bakes a buttermilk-free batter in a hot cast-iron skillet so the crust goes deep gold.
Why it works: Warm cornbread is the plain side that lets the ribs and the red stay in front.
View Recipe for Skillet Cornbread (opens in a new tab)Open the 2024
The 2024 is $34, a California red Wine Advocate scored 93.
Open a bottle the next time barbecue ribs come off the heat.
