OVID Napa Valley Syrah
Tasting Note
The 2012 vintage was prosperous and mild. On our little piece of Pritchard Hill, budbreak began in the second week of April – roughly a week early. Long and temperate days meted out the growing season to follow, making it a vintage with a sense of luxury. There was time to study the vineyard, time to consider each small and meaningful farming decision, and time to focus on each section individually to elicit the best fruit, row by row, vine by vine. Harvest was also expansive, lasting more than three weeks, from the third week of September to mid-October.
Truly hand-crafted in tiny batches, the 2012 Syrah was 100% barrel fermented in Burgundy and Bordeaux casks in several different lots, using different percentages of whole clusters ranging from 0% to 100%. The lots with more stems add savory elements & structure distinctive to Syrah while the destemmed lots contribute pure fruit lushness and notes of crushed blueberry. The resulting 2012 OVID Syrah wine is bright & articulated with cascading layers of flavors, familiar as Syrah but distinctly expressing this red rocky mountain site. Notes of coffee, tar, and vanilla bean converse with pomegranate and fresh boysenberry to create a hugely delicious wine with great focus and fluency.
Vintage Data
- Appellation:
Napa Valley - Soil Type:
Hambright soil series - Harvest Dates:
September 30-October 3 - pH Level:
4.02 - Alcohol:
14.8% - Aging:
22 months
Antonio Galloni
The flavors are bright, focused and articulate throughout, with chiseled fruit and fabulous overall balance.
OVID’s 2012 Syrah is fabulous. In time, it could very well develop into the most complex of these 2012s. It is every bit that fabulous. The flavors are bright, focused and articulate throughout, with chiseled fruit and fabulous overall balance. Syrah on this hillside site has a personality all of its own that is quite different from other parts of the valley. Readers will need to give the 2012 a few years to develop more flavor complexity. Even today, OVID’s Syrah is hugely delicious.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fermented in concrete eggs, the opaque purple-colored 2012 Syrah offers a big, sweet nose of blackberries, lavender, roasted meats and lard. Rich, full-bodied and opulent with sweet tannin, adequate acidity for uplift, and a long, fleshy finish, it should drink well for 7-8 years.