The desert can be an inhospitable place for the unprepared. When our winemaker, Dave Phinney, entered into an eight-year Zinfandel non-compete agreement in 2008 (i.e., a desert), we took advantage of it by honing our craft with other varietals, setting the stage for when we could reintroduce a Zinfandel based wine. For years now, Eight Years in the Desert has been at Orin Swift’s core.