Community Tasting Notes 21

• sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 98 points

  March 2, 2024 - First of 3 from an auction lot ($187) 2+ years ago. On the nose and palate, classic vibrant Ovid notes of dark berries, cassis, black currants, forest, fruitcake and exotic spice, violets, dark roast coffee, bitter chocolate, graphite, tobacco and a hint of cedar. Wonderfully deep purple-black, medium to full bodied, thick legs. Long, silky tannins and medium acidity, both well integrated, no heat. And as always, epic complexity, intensity and persistence. Wasn’t sure what to expect here, with (relatively) tepid CT reviews, even from CT friend Geaux, a fellow lover of all things Ovid, and a general disregard for this vintage (which, dog in the manger that I am, I don’t share, at least not mostly), but this was beautiful right out of the bottle and gained just a touch more length, depth and silkiness with 30-45 minutes of air, which it held evenly through the last glass on night #2 (you didn’t really think I’d get 3 nights out of this, did you?). This ranks just above the outstanding ‘08, a little more than just below the transcendent ‘12 in my Ovid pantheon, already perfectly resolved, although still youthful, but with a touch less hurricane ferocity than that ‘12. Like those 2 wines, this stuns equally on its own and with food, in this case a rare carnivorous double header for mostly pescatarian sfwl of lamb chops one night, mixed grill the next, with the food really bringing out the tremendous backbone, the on its own experience doing the same for the resplendent fruit. This is bang on in its drinking window with no babying required, yet if the ‘08 (from a similarly unfairly maligned vintage, in sfwl’s humble opinion) is any indication, this will continue to be an extraordinary pour well into the decade beginning with a 3. At the risk of sounding like a totally uncritical fanboy (oh, WTH, I’ll sound that way), this is why I drink wine and only admit what I’ve paid to my non-winey friends sotto voce. I suspect we could have a pretty good pay per view imbroglio over this cuvee and whether it’s right at the top of Napa with me being joined by CT friends msu, Geaux and QL and opposed by cs and A_M (although I’m not sure they’d completely dismiss it, either). I’ve gotten all of my vintages for $200- (not including the inevitable sales taxes but including everything else), a price significantly lower than my Abreus and Colgins, which, for me, this absolutely stands right beside, if not a nose in front of. Long may you run, Andy and Austin. Stunning, suberb and sophisticated stuff. 98+

  2 people found this helpful Comments (3)

• ewasowicz Likes this wine: 96 points

  December 31, 2023 - Nose: dark fruit, oak
  Taste: almonds, dark fruit, charcoal and oak. Very smooth and VERY GOOD!!

  Comment

• Philip67 Likes this wine: 94 points

  October 31, 2023 - This is big and rich. Christmas cake and mulling spices along with lots of blackberry fruit. Full bodied. Still some grip but the structure is softening. This is more advanced than I would expect, speaks to a weaker structure when made. Long and complex, drink now but will last a good few years.

  Comment

• EM_MB Likes this wine: 94 points

  August 17, 2023 - No formal notes. Not sure why the CT scores are so low. I thought this was textbook Ovid and another great vintage. Very early in the drinking window and will easily improve.

  1 person found this helpful Comments (3)

• greg@newsomehh.com Likes this wine: 92 points

  February 23, 2021 - Not as great as I recall. Maybe needed more time

  Comments (1)

Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2014
• Type Red
• Producer Ovid
• Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
• Designation Red Wine
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation Napa Valley

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 9 (0%)
• In Cellars 1,711 (72%)
• Consumed 667 (28%)

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