Ovid Napa Valley Red 2007

WA97: The 2007 is a dense bluish purple blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, and 7% Petit Verdot. It displays beautifully perfumed blue and black fruits intermixed with some pen ink, acacia flowers, and black raspberries. Gorgeous, subtle smoke and a floral character follow through into the sweet tannins of this full-bodied, opulent wine, which builds incrementally and has a gloriously luxurious texture. There’s not one trace of astringency to this seamlessly wrought wine, which is the liquid equivalent of haute couture. Already drinking well, it should continue to evolve for two decades or more.

VM95: Dark red-ruby. Black raspberry, graphite minerality and oak-derived spices and caramel on the slightly liqueur-like nose, complemented by hints of earth, tobacco and molten tropical dark chocolate. Wonderfully plush, sweet and deep, showing an almost exotic character to its fruit and still in need of time to absorb some more of its baby fat; there's a Right Bank opulence here that's compelling. But this huge, chewy wine has plenty of dusty tannic support for longer aging. Displays a slight warmth on the back end but the horizontal, spreading finish goes on and on.