Department 66 ‘Painted Scars’ (David Phinney) Rhone Blend 2021

Dave Phinney’s winemaking star went into orbit with the huge rise and massive popularity of his wine The Prisoner. He is one of the most talked about Rockstar Winemaker to hit the wine scene in California in the last 10 years, His wine The Prisoner has revolutionized wine in California changing the style of blends, their style and how we offer them. The sale of the Prisoner has been parlayed into a wine empire from France, California to all over California where he has made great wines that are not only loved by the wine drinking public but by critics alike. In Napa where it all started for Phinney, he has purchased heritage site vineyards like DB Crane, to preserve, to protect them and to make great wines out of them. His wines Orin Swift Machete and Mercury Head have become instant classics. On a visit to Maury, in the Cotes Catalanes—a sub-appellation of the Roussillon, France in 2008, Phinney fell in love with the steep mountainside old vine vineyards made up of Grenache and Syrah. The terroir is dominated by black schist, with small deposits of granite and limestone in red, rocky soils known as angile. Phinney wanted to make wine here; he knew he could make big rich hedonistic red wine in the style of The Prisoner. In 2009 he began constrcuting a winery, named Department 66 and today have over 300 acres of vineyards.  The name Department 66 comes from the administrative department number (66) assigned to Pyrénées-Orientales in the south of France, where the winery’s vineyards are located. Today we bring you the Department 66 ‘Painted Scars’ (David Phinney) Rhone Blend 2021. The wine is a blend of Syrah and Grenache from vines that are 60-100 years, making a big rich opulent red with spectacular concentration thats cashmere smooth on the palate and all silk and satin on the finish. If you love The Prisoner, if you love the style of Dave Phinneys wines, this wine will blow you away. The wine normally sells for $45 and we have it down to $21.99, you save 60%. The wine got a huge 95pts by Decanter and when compared to the Prices of Phinney’s California offerings, the wine is an absolute steal. Lovers of Rhone reds and Rhone red blends, this wine will floor you at the price.