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Ovid is a highly regarded Napa Valley winery on Pritchard Hill — founded in 2000, producing a single estate Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Syrah, farmed organically and aged approximately 20 months in French oak.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What distinguishes Pritchard Hill from other Napa Valley growing areas?

Pritchard Hill is a mountain AVA sub-region on the eastern side of Napa Valley above the town of Oakville, at elevations ranging from 1,200 to 2,200 feet. At this altitude, temperatures are cooler than the valley floor during the growing season, producing slower, more even ripening and naturally higher acidity in the grapes — the combination that drives age-worthiness in premium red wine. The soils are rocky, volcanic, and extremely well-drained, stressing the vines and reducing yields while concentrating flavor in the remaining fruit. Pritchard Hill is home to several of Napa’s most acclaimed estates (Bryant Family, Colgin, Chappellet, and Ovid among them) precisely because those growing conditions produce structured, concentrated wines with long aging potential.

Why does Ovid include Syrah in a Bordeaux-style blend?

Traditional Bordeaux blends use only the five Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Ovid adds Syrah — a Rhône variety not used in Bordeaux — as a blending component, which is a California winemaker’s prerogative not constrained by French appellation law. The Syrah addition contributes additional savory, herbal, and dark-spice complexity that the Bordeaux varieties alone don’t provide, and on Pritchard Hill’s volcanic soils and cool mountain climate, Syrah develops a more structured, mineral character than it does in warmer California growing areas. The percentage varies by vintage based on what the winemaker determines best expresses that year’s fruit.