Winemaker Dave Phinney met legendary photographer Greg Gorman years ago and forged a friendship over great wines. In fact, the Papillon, Mannequin and Funeral Pyre labels were all shot by Greg and commissioned by Dave Phinney.

2015 exhibited a warmer winter and spring than previous years resulting in an earlier bud break and bloom. With the continual drought and warm growing season, the clusters were smaller but highly concentrated. Consequently, the fruit was picked earlier offering up fresh, delicate and at times almost feminine qualities but with the underlying masculine personality of the three previous vintages. The 2015 vintage opens with gentle aromas of ripe cherries, cassis and hints of violet and sage. Its immediate accessibility on the palette offers up elegant notes of black cherries, crème de menthe and sage with an underlying belly of gravelly notes and minerality. As the wine expands on the mid-palette, the soft tannins and smooth acidity help extract the subtle notes of rich boysenberry, ripe cherry and plum to take center stage. The understated flavors of red licorice and tobacco help finesse the 2015 vintage to its long, elegant and complex finish. Best drunk at cellar temp and decanted for a half hour before consumption.