A Dynamic & Continuing Experiment in Pritchard Hill Terroir
/ Inspiration
Where Tradition Meets Transformation.
From Verse to Vineyard.
Drawing our name from the Roman poet Ovid, whose seminal work, Metamorphoses, explores themes of nature, love and transformation. From him we inherit a mindset; a deep respect for tradition, a discipline that opens the door to creative freedom and an intellectual playfulness that makes the complex feel both resonant and human.
/ The Farmer’s Hand
The son of a winemaker and a native of Sonoma County, OVID winemaker Austin Peterson started in 2006 as enologist under the instruction of Andy Erickson. Austin has served as winemaker since 2010, embracing a tension between classical and cutting-edge methods. Today, he continues to push our wines to new heights and critical acclaim, knowing we have only scratched the surface of this remarkable place.
/ Philosophy
Just like writings of our namesake poet, Ovid, our philosophy is rooted in the belief that true innovation begins with mastery. To break boundaries with intention, one must first understand the discipline, rigor and tradition that define the craft. Only after achieving mastery—through years of study,
precision, and respect for the land and its history—can we push past convention to create
something entirely new.
/ Throughlines
Every bottle of red wine begins and ends on our estate. A single organically farmed vineyard on Pritchard Hill, planted in one-acre blocks.
Our devotion is to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc—varieties that, given time, reveal the magic Pritchard Hill has to offer.
Tradition guides us, but wonder drives us—an endless curiosity and spirit of experimentation to find what our estate has not yet been asked to reveal.
/ Foundation
In 2000, David Abreu—one of Napa Valley's most celebrated vineyard managers—meticulously planned and planted the OVID estate on Pritchard Hill, an untouched plot of land perched 1,349 feet above sea level. His decision to divide the vineyard into single-acre blocks, each with diverse rootstock and clonal combinations of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, laid the foundation for a farming philosophy rooted in individuality—every vine tended on its own terms. Alongside him, architect Howard Backen conceived a winery as quietly exceptional as the estate it was built to serve.
Austin Peterson has been our winemaker since 2006, and in that time has developed a practice that is as much art as it is craft—guided by intuition, shaped by tradition and driven by an unrelenting curiosity about what this land is capable of. He doesn't follow formulas. Each vintage begins with a question: how to best reveal the character of this remarkable place.