OVID NAPA VALLEY RED 2018 750ML

Also seeing less time on skins and a shorter maceration, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc , with the rest Petit Verdot. Killer notes of blackcurrants, toasted spice, lead pencil, and loamy soil all emerge from this full-bodied beauty. With ripe, building tannins, an expansive, layered, textured, and flat-out stunning purity of fruit, this remarkable mountain Cabernet Sauvignon will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for 30 years or more in cold

This Pritchard Hill estate makes stupendous wines now, with a subtle, tightly formed nature showing in the tight, linear tannins and blackberry, new-leather and tar character. 1970s style to it. Solid. Drink or hold.

The 2018 Ovid is pretty tightly wound today. In fact, it seems to have closed quite a bit since I last tasted it about a year ago. That won't be an issue in time, but it is something readers should keep in mind. There's terrific depth and resonance, all the 2018 needs is cellaring.

Packed nicely with dark plum, cassis and raspberry puree flavors, this is vivid and direct, with a graphite edge harnessing the fruit through the finish. There's a strong cast iron spine running from start to finish, giving this some serious depth for the cellar. A late echo of sweet bay leaf adds the finishing touch. Patience required.