I told him, ‘Well, actually, it’s art - and it could start a conversation.’”Īctually, it did a lot more than simply get people talking. “One guy wanted to buy a whole pallet, but he wanted me to soak the labels off the bottles because he wanted to pour it at his restaurant, and he didn’t want people to be put off by it. “Some people were afraid of it,” Williams says. Then there’s Phinney’s strange choice of artwork, which instantly became a lightning rod for wine buyers. At a time when most winemakers stayed laser-focused on single varietals, Phinney busted out with an unconventional blend, heavy on Zinfandel with splashes of other grapes. Prisoner creator Dave Phinney, though, was doing things a little differently from other producers. The restaurant, which closed in 2015, served as an important stage for California winemakers in its heyday. In 2000, Williams was among the first to feature The Prisoner during tastings in the courtyard at the venerable Napa Valley restaurant Tra Vigne, where she helped run the wine program. There was never anything of the macabre style. “You didn’t see anything dark on a label. “Back when it first came out, it was a one of a kind,” says Karen Williams, proprietor of ACME Fine Wines in St. Last year, the company produced about 165,000 cases of The Prisoner, up 17.5 percent, a dramatic escalation for what used to be a small but influential indie label. It’s a brand, one of more than 100 under the Constellation umbrella - and one that the Fortune 500 company seems eager to grow. As such, The Prisoner is not merely a wine anymore. The Prisoner is now the property of beverage giant Constellation Brands, following a whopping $285 million sale in 2016. Phinney’s edgy taste in art and unconventional approach to blending Zinfandel with other grapes earned him and his wine a lot of acclaim, making Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list three times.īut Phinney is no longer involved with the label that made him famous. He launched the trendsetting label in 2000, putting out a mere 385 cases. Prisoner creator Dave Phinney was famously given a print of the creepy Francisco de Goya etching that appears on the bottle as a gift from his parents at age 12. Finished with notes of lime zest and marshmallows.Ī post shared by James C. On the palate, you’ll find a creamy entry, that’s balanced perfectly by bright acidity, and minerality. On the nose, you’ll get mandarin orange, peach nectar, and honey dew. I don’t drink blends very often but I’m in love with this 2013 Blindfold from Consisting of 30% Chardonnay, 20% Viognier, 20% Grenache Blanc and Chenin Blanc.
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