Review: 2022 Orin Swift Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon

Orin Swift never met a gimmick he didn’t like, and even I have to say this one is pretty fun.

Mercury Head is a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with no front label — only a real mercury head dime embedded into the glass of the bottle. The dime alone is worth about $1.50. The wine inside makes up the other $168.50 of the asking price. The 15.6% abv offering is aged for 13 months in French oak, 60% of which is new.

Let’s dive in.At 15.6% abv, there’s no avoiding the booziness of this wine, which is dense and extremely fruity, loaded with notes of plum preserves, macerated raisins, black raspberry, a nd a touch of milk chocolate. Layers of sesame and incense give the wine a vaguely Eastern sensibility, the finish lingering on notes of plump, sweet raspberry and cherry, with hints of coconut and gooseberry clinging to the finish. Sweetness endures on the tongue well after the wine has vanished, making this appropriate not just for the most grandiose of meals but also for service with dessert.

A- / $180

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