OVID Napa Valley Syrah
Tasting Note
The glorious 2009 growing season made all of us here at OVID grateful to be living in these times. The season started out dry and brilliant. Modulated cool nights followed by beautiful warm days stacked up to make a season densely packed with days of ripening sunshine and no extreme temperatures. Harvest began September 11th with our final fruit coming in on October 5th, just days before a large Thunderstorm traveled over Napa. The milder conditions found atop Pritchard Hill lead to wines of great power, structure and depth to be enjoyed for years to come.
So here it is – our first: the 2009 OVID Syrah. The grapes are from two Syrah clones: Alban and Syrah Noir. This wine was barrel-fermented using Burgundy and Bordeaux barrels, and then aged on its lees in a single Burgundy barrel. This hedonistic wine explodes with notes of smoke, wild game, blueberry, crème de cassis, campfire, tar, roasted coffee, rose petals and crushed stone. This impossibly deep and dark violet wine is bursting with flavor now and time will only add to its vibrancy and personality.
Vintage Data
- Appellation:
Napa Valley - Soil Type:
Hambright soil series - Harvest Dates:
September 21 - pH Level:
3.96 - Alcohol:
14.8% - Aging:
20 months
Antonio Galloni
The inky, impenetrable 2009 Syrah is another huge, huge wine loaded with fruit. Hints of melted road tar, asphalt, black olives and grilled herbs literally explode from the glass. Way too young to fully appreciate, the 2009 nevertheless boasts stunning depth to match its sheer exuberance. It will be interesting to see if the 2009 finds a little more finesse in bottle, or if it remains a wine built mostly on opulence.