Winemaker Notes
Capturing this glorious season, the 2021 OVID Hexameter displays notes of black cherry, plum, lavender, sage, violet candies, orange rind and crushed bay leaf. Broad and captivating on the palate, this wine exudes power and grace with burnished tannins and beautifully layered depth that will continue to reward for many years to come.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This is the first vintage of Ovid wines without cold soaking or extended macerations. Winemaker Austin Peterson emphasises their transition to a hands-off winemaking approach, following extensive experimentation and vineyard work. Hand-sorted clusters pass through an optical sorter introduced in 2015 and undergo gravity flow into tanks. Post-fermentation, the free-run juice is bled into stainless steel before barrel ageing with minimal racking and malolactic fermentation. From January, Peterson begins crafting the final blend to harmonise with oak. After 20 months in 37% new French oak, this year's blend consists of 50% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot (subject to variation annually). Peterson notes that drier winters and springs tend to favour Cabernet Franc more. The wine is compact and tightly wound, showcasing precise black-toned fruits, liquorice, dried sage, bay laurel, cast iron, and cedarwood. It is full-bodied and polished, with firm, taut, fine-grained tannins. Delicate red berry fruit intertwines with cedar and walnut husk, supported by a firm spine of acidity that maintains freshness.
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James Suckling
Effusive blueberry and rose petal aromas, then juicy, appetizing black and red berries in this multilayered blend based on cabernet franc. Blueberry syrup meets light wood char, star anise and grilled herbs, but the fruit dominates. The tannins are so racy. Best after 2028.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Bottled in June, the 2021 Hexameter is based on 50% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Merlot and Petit Verdot, raised 20 months in 50% new French oak. This deep ruby/purple-hued beauty has a stunning bouquet of black raspberries, wild strawberries, spring flowers, and dark chocolate. It's full-bodied on the palate, has an incredibly pure, seamless mouthfeel, silky tannins, and a great finish.
Rating: 97+ -
Vinous
The 2021 Hexameter turned out beautifully. Rich, ample and super-expressive, the 2021 offers up scents of mocha, dried cherry, leather, gravel and dried herbs. Cabernet Franc plays the leading role in this potent, structured red. Bright acids liven up the finish beautifully. All this needs is time.
Rating: 97+ -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Released in Spring 2024, the 2021 Hexameter artfully combines red and black fruit on the nose, with raspberries and blackberries wrapped in a coating of mocha and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, it's bright and fresh on the palate, framed by soft tannins and finishing almost zesty and long. This year's assemblage includes 50% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot.
OVID is an organically farmed, 15-acre vineyard perched on a secluded mountaintop at 1,400 ft. elevation in the western reaches of the Pritchard Hill geography of Napa Valley. Here, they farm rocky red, volcanic soils to capture a true sense of place and craft long lived wines composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. They ferment only with native yeasts and bottle their wines without fining or filtering.
The Winemaker since 2006, Austin Peterson, combines his site-specific experience with a sense of experimentation, embracing a tension between classical and cutting-edge winemaking methods.
The name was inspired by the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso [Ovid], whose METAMORPHOSES, a poetic retelling of the Greek myths, celebrates themes of transformation and change.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.