In early March 2017 I was very fortunate to visit the beautiful Icon winery of OVID, perched up high in the hills above St Helena. While we only tasted a small selection of wines, it stilled proved to be one of the true highlights of the week long visit to Napa and Sonoma.
OVID (Publius Ovid Naso) was a roman poet who lived from 43 bc–17 ad. His most famous work, Metamorphoses, is a poetic narrative of the Greek myths, celebrating the themes of transformation and change.
Each year, from small lots of fruit grown in the red rocky soils of the vineyard on Pritchard Hill, they choose the best barrels and blend them together to create the new vintage of OVID Napa Valley. “The vineyard’s evolution is fascinating, with each successive vintage showing new dimensions when the wines are revealed.” ~ Austin Peterson, Winemaker
OVID is generally a blend of four Bordeaux varietals grown there: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot & Petit Verdot, which varying in proportion from year to year but always manage to eloquently convey the special terroir of their vineyards.
The Wines Tasted:
OVID No.W2.5 Experimental White Blend 2015, St Helena, Napa Valley, 14.3 Abv.
An exotic blend of 36% Roussanne, 28% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Viognier, 14% Albariño make for a thoroughly beguiling white wine. Sweetly perfumed with lashings of white blossom, yellow peaches, pineapple pastille, green apple purée and crunchy white peaches. Palate shows massive concentration of apple bon bons, white peach, more pineapple fruit and an aromatic white citrus complexity. The wine is vibrant and fleshy, very focused and intense with a rasping, pithy dry extract finish from being kept on its lees right until bottling. Such a beautiful, characterful wine that offers up so much to the drinker. (US RRP $85.00pb)
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
OVID Hexameter Red Blend 2013, St Helena, Napa Valley, 14.8 Abv.
A Cabernet Franc dominated wine, the 2013 Hexameter is a 500 case blend of 64% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot. It possesses a seductive nose of exotic black fruits, violets, liquorice, blueberries and crunchy, leafy notes. There is subtle creamy cedary oak with a sappy undertone and a sour black cherry lift. The tannins are broad and creamy showing very impressive harmonious mineral grip. Youthful and full of verve, this characterful wine finishes with a fanning peacock’s tail of blueberry crumble and vanilla pod complexity. Very impressive indeed. (US RRP $285.00pb)
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
OVID Proprietry Red Blend 2010, St Helena, Napa Valley, 14.8 Abv.
The pretty 2010 red is a complex blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. There are rich complex aromatics of black cherries, damson plums, sweet oak nuances and cedary dried herb spices. The palate is rich and fleshy with an impressively opulent mouthfeel with leafy undergrowth notes, plums skins, hedgerow, sweet cedar and sappy foresty spice. The tannins are super plush and sweet with a broad harmonious palate concentration, powerful intensity and wild forest berry fruits laced with choc mocha spice. Also beautiful freshness and a pure fruited vibrancy boldly displayed. I just love the wild, untamed, rugged mountain wine character of this OVID blend.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
In the past few weeks, after “covert” negotiations, the sale of OVID Winery to Silver Oak Winery was announced for an estimated US$50m dollars according to CNBC. With 85% of production sold through a very sought after mailing list with a long waiting list, everyone in the UK is wondering whether the sale might just free up some modest OVID allocations for the UK market, where Silver Oak has itself enjoyed a popular following for a long time. We live in hope!
Greg Sherwood MW 