New Brand: OVID.
Nov 04, 2019
Perched on the western reaches of Pritchard Hill at 1,400 feet, OVID.’s vineyard was meticulously planned by founders Mark Nelson and Dana Johnson and planted by David Abreu in 2000. Our organically farmed, 15-acre vineyard is divided into one-acre blocks with rootstock and clonal combinations of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. OVID.’s rocky red volcanic soils and west-facing blocks yield focused and long-lived wines.
In our effort to best capture a sense of place, we work tirelessly in the vineyard to ensure that the winemaking is as simple and transparent as possible. We embrace the tension between classical and cutting-edge techniques and foster a culture of indulging curiosities and relentless learning.
In the Winter of 2016, long-time friends David Duncan and Jack Bittner gathered around Mark and Dana’s kitchen table to talk about the next chapter of OVID. Plans were discussed on how to realize the potential of the property, ensure continuity of staff and let OVID. be OVID. The discussion and plans were finalized with a handshake and a formal transition of ownership in April 2017. The winery’s name was inspired by Roman poet, Publius Ovidius Naso, whose Metamorphoses is a poetic retelling of the Greek myths, celebrating themes of transformation and change. “Omnia mutantur, nihil interit…The more things change, the more they stay the same.” – Ovid.
Our winemaker, Austin Peterson has been at OVID. since 2006. Austin embraces the tension between classical and cutting-edge techniques and embodies OVID.’s culture of indulging curiosities and relentless learning.
Our gravity flow winemaking process uses traditional and modern methods, including built-in-place concrete and pre-case concrete fermenters, all with state-of-the-art controls. These tanks provide temperature stability during fermentation and transparently express our red, rocky mountain top.
We ferment only with native yeasts and bottle the wines without any fining or filtering. In an effort to best capture our sense of place, we age diverse clonal and rootstock combinations from our vineyard separately in French oak barrels (50% new French oak) for one year before crafting out blends and aging for an additional year before bottling.
OVID. SELECTION
“…the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 [OVID. Napa Valley] Proprietary Red Wine gives bright, vivacious scents of crushed red and black cherries, blackcurrants and warm plums with vibrant wafts of lilacs, powdered cinnamon, black pepper and fenugreek plus hints of wild sage and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied with a very firm structure of wonderfully ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, it has a taut, muscular fruit profile laced with loads of energetic red and black fruit sparks with a very long, spicy finish. Wow!” – 99pts The Wine Advocate
“The 2016 Hexameter, Ovid’s Cabernet Franc-based wine, is superb. Bright, focused and beautifully sculpted, the 2016 has a lot going on. Bright red cherry, raspberry, mocha, mint and wild flowers and espresso soar out of the glass. Medium in body and gracious, the 2016 screams with varietal Franc and Pritchard Hill character.” – 96pts Vinous
Experiment wines are an indulgence of our curiosity, but they are more than just mere research. Each harvest at OVID., we envision and create many trials, but only a few successfully capture the requisite poise and character to be bottled as an Experiment. Made only once and never recreated, these wines represent some of the most inspiring discoveries of their vintage.
