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Ovid
The Winery
Ovid
“As a poet, Ovid has several remarkable qualities. His great scope and ambition enabled him to seamlessly tie together all of the Greek myths into a single unbroken song in his poem Metamorphoses. And throughout this long text, his poetry is simultaneously dense and rich and extremely fluid and fluent. Each year, when crafting our flagship Ovid Napa Valley blend, we are inspired to recreate these poetic qualities in the wine: to tell a compelling story from our estate; to make wine at once many-layered and seamless; to add texture and finesse that belies its strength and power.”
–Note from the Producer
Located on the famed Pritchard Hill in St. Helena, Ovid was founded by husband and wife, Mark Nelson and Dana Johnson. They chose the name as a reference to a Roman Poet of the same name who lived around 2000 years ago and find ways to incorporate his works into the winery’s marketing and branding efforts. Pritchard Hill is located on the eastern side of Oakville and is one of the rockiest parts of Napa perfect for growing the Bordeaux varieties that the producer is known for.
The winery has been set up for success since the beginning thanks to its “dream team” including Vineyard Manager David Abreu from Abreu Vineyards and Founding Winemaker Andy Erickson, previously from Screaming Eagle, Harlan, and Staglin. Most recently, Ovid was sold to the owners of Silver Oak Cellars and Twomey wineries, the Duncan family.
Tasting Notes
- WA98
- The 2009 Ovid is stunningly beautiful. At times it shows a little more depth, power and richness than the Hexameter, but both wines are compelling. Endless layers of fruit saturate the palate as this rich, intense wine conquers the heart and intellect. A totally vivid wine, the 2009 is even more impressive from bottle than it was from barrel. Over the time I followed it, the 2009 gained finesse and elegance in the glass, which bodes quite well for the future. Intense graphite, crushed rocks and pencil shaving nuances add energy to the polished, huge finish. The blend is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. Ovid keeps raising the bar with this drop-dead gorgeous set of new releases. Owners Dana Johnson and Mark Nelson have spared no expense in their pursuit to make world-class wines. These new releases are a testament to their unwavering commitment to quality. This year I also tasted two of the ‘Experiment’ series wines, which bear creative names inspired by Dana Johnson’s background in Library Sciences. The talented Austin Peterson makes the wines, Andy Erickson consults and David Abreu manages the vineyards, but what really counts is what is in the bottle. The results so far from this young property have been nothing less than stellar.
- WE97
- With a beautiful purple color, this wine quickly exhibits classic Cabernet aromas of black currants and cedar. In the mouth, it’s full bodied and concentrated, showing powerful, sweet blackberry fruit. It’s incredibly refined, impressively structured, massive, impeccable and frankly delicious. This should develop over the next 20 years, at least.
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