Tasting Notes
The 2021 vintage continued the second year of drought in the western United States, and OVID was no exception. A cool February and March pushed budbreak back to historical normal with buds emerging in late March. Ample sunlight and a temperate summer coaxed the grapes along and provided ideal ripening weather.
As a result of the superb weather, harvest started a bit early with the first pick in mid-September. We slowly made our way through the estate, enjoying our time in the vines and collecting fruit from each block at its zenith of expression. Our last pick wrapped at the end of the first week of October. Loquacious in its approach, the 2021 OVID Napa Valley offers notes of fresh mulberry, kola nut, blackberry, black cherry, flint and bay laurel that are striking in purity. Broad and enveloping, this wine delivers undeniably delicious power and will continue to tell its vivid, seamless story for decades to come.
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Critical Acclaim
Jonathan Cristaldi
A pedigreed wine characterised by balance, intensity, and complexity.
Comprising 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, the wine is aged 20 months in 66% new French oak. It is full-bodied with ripe, chewy tannins that assert themselves on entry but gradually soften, revealing a beautifully layered wine with mineral-infused mulberry fruit and green tobacco aromas. A pedigreed wine characterised by balance, intensity, and complexity. 100 points.
Jeb Dunnuck
Insanely pure, it offers kaleidoscope-like aromatics.
Insanely pure, it offers kaleidoscope-like aromatics of black and blue fruits, spring flowers, chocolate, burning embers, and bouquet garni. Full-bodied on the palate, it doesn't get any better, and it's concentrated, has building tannins, and a monster of a finish. Offering more generosity and opulence than just about every other wine in the vintage. 100 points.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple colored, the palate is jaw-droppingly stacked with layer upon layer of black fruits and earthy/savory nuances, supported by very firm, beautifully ripe tannins and bold freshness, finishing long with a spectacular mineral firework display. This is clearly one of Ovid's finest vintages and a keeper, for sure, with 25+ years of cellaring potential. 99 points.
James Suckling
This is so beautiful and graceful yet structured.
The purity of fruit and class to this wine is really impressive, with roses, lavender, violets and blackcurrants and a sweet lift. Medium- to full-bodied with very long and racy tannins. This is so beautiful and graceful yet structured. 98 points.
