OVID Hexameter
Tasting Note
The 2015 vintage was one of natural predetermination. Budbreak continued its streak of early starts and the summer was warm and beautiful, finishing with a hot flourish. The cumulative lack of rain of the previous 3 tears came to bear on the clusters if this vintage. The resultant yield was less than half our historical average. Nevertheless, the fruit that the vines did offer in 2015 was spectacular, deeply hued, and densely delicious, the wines from this tiny vintage are fresh, vibrant and profoundly compelling.
Lively and exuberant, the 2015 Hexameter opens with notes of dark red cherry, boysenberry, cola, plum, orange blossom, and mulberry, entwined by aromas of sweet green tobacco, molasses, and pencil shavings. Round and brooding this wine has an undeniably delicious power and tension.
Vintage Data
- Appellation:
Napa Valley - Soil Type:
Hambright soil series - Harvest Dates:
September 15-October 3 - pH Level:
3.65 - Alcohol:
14.8% - Aging:
20 months
Jeb Dunnuck
Pure perfection in the glass, the 2015 Hexameter is a monument to Cabernet Franc.
Pure perfection in the glass, the 2015 Hexameter is a monument to Cabernet Franc (the blend is 65% Cabernet Franc, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot) that offers extraordinary complexity and nuance backed up by a jaw-dropping textural richness and depth. Notes of crème de cassis, black raspberries, crushed violets, incense, and spring flowers notes all flow to a full-bodied red that has perfect balance, a multi-dimensional, layered texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s a heavenly wine that has another 2+ decades of prime drinking ahead of it.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made up of 65% Cabernet Franc, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Hexameter delivers fresh blackberries, mulberries and red plums with nuances of black tea, potpourri, Chinese five spice and pencil shavings plus a touch of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers layer upon layer of savory flavors and a rock-solid, grainy backbone, finishing with fantastic perfume and freshness. “With the Cabernet Franc being so beautiful, it was hard for us to ignore,” said OVID’s winemaker, Austin Peterson, of the winery’s concept behind the creation of Hexameter. In 2006 OVID was mainly Cabernet Franc; after that it was decided that in exceptional years for the grape, they would make Hexameter. ‘Hexameter is another expression of the estate,’ Peterson says. ‘Both OVID and Hexameter express the site in very compelling ways.’
Antonio Galloni
Racy and nuanced to its core, the Hexameter also points to a house style that increasingly seeks finesse rather than power alone, as was more typical in the early days.
The 2015 Hexameter, OVID’s Cabernet Franc-based wine, exudes all the purity of fruit and overall freshness that makes Franc on Pritchard Hill so alluring. Racy and nuanced to its core, the Hexameter also points to a house style that increasingly seeks finesse rather than power alone, as was more typical in the early days. This fleshy, voluptuous wine will drink well right out of the gate. I loved it.