OVID VINEYARD

A promising young jewels of the Napa Valley!

OVID Vineyard was created in 1999 following the acquisition of 300 acres of pristine land on Pritchard Hill by Mark Nelson and Dana Johnson. They initially intended to create a second home for their future retirement but they quickly realized that this land was very conducive to growing grapes. For the anecdote Mark Nelson, before being in the wine sector, was the creator and owner of the software company ‘Ovid Technology’.

In 2000 they hired David Abreu to plant 15 acres of vineyards. Managing Partner, Janet Pagano, came on board to oversee the development of the vineyard and winery in 2002. In 2003 they surrounded themselves with the winemaker Andy Erickson to advise them. He was joined in 2004 by Michel Rolland. 2005 was the first vintage for OVID.A year later partners, Mark, Dana and Janet officially inaugurated buildings. Currently the property produces 12,000 bottles per year divided into four wines (OVID, Hexameter, Loc. Cit., And Experiment).

If you go to the Winery you will be amazed by nature, the surrounding quiet and the panoramic view from the terrace over the Napa Valley, from Oakville to San Francisco Bay. VertdeVin: What is the signature of OVID Winery in wines?

These are wines with a pretty bright fruit, polished tannins, balanced, racy (terroir), good structure, well balanced with acidity and a beautiful matter. The presence of a large percentage of Cabernet Franc is one of the markers of our wines.This is a rather unusual thing in the Napa Valley.We work a lot on this grape.We also have Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and a bit of Syrah. Our terroir is also very recognizable in tasting.

In the mouth we mainly taste notes of black fruit, boysenberry and cassis.

We manage all our vineyards with organic farming in order to preserve our soils. It determines our harvest dates in order to have the freshness, acidity and nice fruit in our wines. The balance of the wine is very important. In the winery we work by gravitation to protect the fruit.The fruit first!

V.d.V.: Why did you choose to choose this place to create a vineyard?

Renowned vineyard manager David Abreu was so enthusiatic about the excellent quality potential for a vineyard that his passion was contagious. Initially when Mark Nelson and Dana Johnson acquired in 1999 this area they