winery

Department 66

Roussillon, France

Philosophy

Phinney expresses concentrated Grenache, Syrah and Carignan from 60+ year-old vines on black schist slopes, crafting wines of signature drinkability with rich tannin structure. Oak-aged at 30% new French oak, his reds marry old-vine minerality with fruit-forward amplification.

Reputation

In 2008, after selling The Prisoner to Quintessa, Dave Phinney followed friends' counsel to the Pyrenees, discovering 40 acres of ancient Grenache on the black schist slopes near Maury, two hours inland from Perpignan. The winery's name honors the French département number—66—of this wild Roussillon terroir where Tramontane winds and mineral soil yield concentrated wines of rare elegance.

AllocationDISCREPANCY ALERT: buywinesonline.com incorrectly places Department 66 in California Sierra Foothills under founder 'Jean Hoefliger'—this is a prefix-bug false match (likely confusion with a California winery). All authoritative sources (producer website, Gallo partnership press, wine reviewers) confirm Department 66 is in Maury, Roussillon, France, founded by Dave Phinney in 2008. No organic or biodynamic certifications found in search results. Richard Case identified as winemaker/GM alongside Phinney. Two US importers mentioned: Gallo (as exclusive importer per August 2024 announcement) and Pharaon (mentioned in Reverse Wine Snob 2022 article)—verify current importer status, as relationship may have evolved. Vineyard age stated as 60+ years in multiple sources; total acreage 300 acres (120 hectares). Production volume not found. Languages: website accessible in English; French presence likely given South France location. Family ownership status: Phinney as sole proprietor with management team.

No benchmark products catalogued for this producer yet.