In France, 'departments' are similar to a counties in America. Deep in the Southwest corner of France lies Department 66, the inspiration and namesake for Dave Phinney's winery and vineyards in the town of Maury. Roughly two hours east of Barcelona, Spain and thirty minutes inland from the ancient Roman port city of Perpignan, old vine Grenache thrives along with Syrah and Carignan in the 'Cotes Catalanes'; a sub-appellation of the Roussillon.
Dave owns and maintains 300 acres of vineyards, planted more than 60 years ago, among the Pyrenees-Orientales mountain range. The terroir is dominated by black schist, with small deposits of granite and limestone in red, rocky soils known as angile. Schist is a crystalline-rock soil that retains heat well but is poor in organic nutrients and nitrogens. Apart from lowland scrub, 'garrigue,' and sparse tree plantings, very little agriculture survives here.
Heat from the intense sun radiates back to the gnarled, head trained vines at night, increasing ripeness while maintaining acidity. The result is a very low yield (half ton per acre), but makes for a dark, concentrated, and finesse driven wine that embodies this singular region.
Most well-known for his iconic The Prisoner, a Zinfandel-based red blend he has since sold to Huneeus Vintners, Orin Swift Cellars produces several other sought-after domestic wines, each with an innovative label or bottle design. These include the cabernet-based Mercury Head, the Bordeaux blend Papillon, and a Chardonnay-based white blend, Machete.