Orin Swift F1 “Locations” NV
I wanted to
like this wine. Actually I still want
to.
I have heard
a ton of good talk about F1, and I have been a cheerleader for Orin Swift
forever. I think we’ve got a couple of
Papillons in the cabinet, and I know there is a Mercury Head in there.
The label
suggests a mysterious ambiguity, in alignment with the tradition of Orin Swift,
but at the same time reminds me of those cult bumper stickers, OBX, LAX . . .
you know the ones.
Aside from
the shape of the bottle, and the obvious French flag, there is no indication of exactly where and when. With these things in
mind, I uncorked the bottle and took my first obligatory inhale before pouring:
red fruit, cinnamon, done. Burgundy. I
announced this proudly to my wife, check marked a victory in record time, and
poured two glasses.
Fail.
This wine is
big, but subdued. It is from anywhere in France than
Burgundy. Rhone is obvious and confirmed
from reviews, Grenache, Carignan, and Bordeaux grapes that no one seems to
commit to. I chose not to decant the
wine because I thought it was a Burgundy, maybe a misstep there.
Too
subdued. I never really got it, I never
understood F1 Locations. The dark
fruit, the leather, the spice, all those things characteristic of great French
wine, were still too quiet.
I’m not
approaching this wine with criticism, I am admitting I didn’t understand
it. For my first entry into this blog I
realize this is a rather weak debut, but I chose to blog the wine before I
drank it.
A few
possible conclusions:
F1 reminded
me most of what it feels like when you are having a conversation with someone
who you believe has something to tell you, but is not saying it. Allusions and
expressions can suggest to you that the real conversation is going on, but it’s
not on the surface.
Also, maybe F1
really is a bumper sticker. Maybe like
those that show that OBX on the back of their car. They want me to recognize a
place that they feel is worth recognizing, but they don’t want me to understand
it, else it wouldn't be theirs to show.
Either way, I
think that F1 and I need to continue our conversation.
