2018 Ovid Syrah

Coming from the estate’s tiny half-acre of Syrah vines, the 2018 Syrah was all destemmed and brought up on lees (it's never racked) in a mix of new and used barrels. Dense purple-hued, with a powerful nose of black fruits, smoked game, chocolate, bay leaf, and sagebrush, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, plush, concentrated mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Another singular wine from this team, it needs 2-4 years of bottle age but will have 15+ years of longevity. It's a thrilling wine.

The 2018 Syrah is another wine at Ovid that has really evolved in recent vintages. Floral and deeply spiced, the Syrah offers a compelling interplay of site and varietal character. At times it is more a wine of the estate, while in other moments, Syrah aromas and flavors dominate. Here, too, the picking earlier and less new oak yield a wine endowed with tremendous personality. The Syrah at Ovid is always distinctive, as it is again in 2018. What impresses most is its translucence; power with no excess weight.