Since selling Orin Swift Cellars, vintner and winemaker Dave Phinney has concentrated his efforts on his own vineyard, G.B. Crane. Its neighbors include the famed Beckstoffer Dr Crane Vineyard, Hayne Vineyard and Wight Vineyard. This is a quintessential 2016 St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon and the wine’s complexity is a result of the unique location of the vineyard. In 2016, a prolonged, wetter winter pushed the growing season later and longer, allowing for more development of complexity and concentration within each grape. Harvested just after daybreak on September 27th, 2016, the wine evokes the spirit of the historic vineyard and the ancient alluvial deposits on which it sits. The 2016 offers a full-bodied Cabernet with “layered aromatics that surface one at a time and blend seamlessly into the next—licorice and tobacco, cassis and cacao, black tea and cigar box. Structured and endearing, the entry is evocative with flavors of ripe blueberry pie and a touch of fennel, evoking a convivial nostalgia. Lingering, the finish rides on mouthwatering tannins, tantamount to semi-sweet baking chocolate.” 281 cases were produced.