Orin Swift Papillon Red Blend; Napa Valey 2022 (750ml)
Product price
Description
Orin Swift's Papillon is a proprietary red blend from Napa Valley, built primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon with supporting roles from Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. The 2022 spent thirteen months in French oak and represents the house style: structured, unapologetic reds that refuse to follow the trend toward softness.
Black cherry and blackberry anchor the nose, with a subtle herbal undertone. The palate grips immediately, crunchy, sappy tannins dominate the mid-palate and gradually open into warm brown spice notes and cedar on the finish. This wine has backbone and power in a vintage where many peers chose restraint, and it rewards the effort of decanting and serving in large-format glasses. The tannins are prominent but not raw; they frame the fruit and acidity with enough intensity to suggest the wine will settle and deepen over time. Drink it now if you enjoy structure, or cellar it for a few years as the components integrate.
Product Details
| Category | Wine |
| Color | Red |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Subregion | Napa Valley |
| Varietal | Red Blend |
| Producer | Orin Swift Cellars |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Size | 750 ML |
| Subtype | Still |
Expert Reviews
A proprietary red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, aged for 13 months in 44% new French oak. Richly layered with black cherry and blackberry fruit, this wine delivers unexpectedly grippy tannins, standing out in a vintage where softer structures are more common. More grip, more power, and more bang for the buck than many others from this year. The palate is defined by crunchy, sappy tannins that fill the mid-palate, gradually resolving into warm brown baking spices. To fully appreciate its structure and depth, serve at cellar temperature in large Bordeaux stems after an hour of decanting—allowing it to build in richness and cohesion, with seamless integration of its robust tannins and juicy acid tension.
The 2022 Papillon Red Wine is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% each Malbec and Syrah, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot. It also includes a bit more than 5% of 2021 vintage wine, so it is labeled as Napa County, rather than Napa Valley. All the bookkeeping aside, it offers plenty of ripe cherries and a faint herbal streak on the nose, a full-bodied, silky-textured palate and a welcome bit of cedar (it spent 13 months in 40% new oak) on the charming, supple finish.