Ovid is named after the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso, who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD, and wrote an epic poem of some 12,000 lines, Metamorphoses.
Nelson sold the company in 1998 and bought up property on Pritchard Hill, to the east of Oakville, California, with his wife, Dana Johnson.
Chappellet Winery has existed on Pritchard Hill since the late 1960s, and neighbor David Arthur Vineyards has been in operation since the early 1980s.
Former Winemaker Andy Erickson stated that: "There is something in the chemical makeup of those soils that gives the wines a gravel, mineral character that is unique.
[2] Antonio Galloni of Vinous stated that 2005 Ovid was characterized by "New leather, smoke, tobacco, mint and savory herbs," with "hints of mocha, blackberry jam and dark spices wrap around the fleshy finish."
Antonio Galloni described 2006 Ovid as "powerful, intense," with "Mocha, espresso, dark cherries, spice and tobacco [which] add aromatic nuance."
[5] 2009 Ovid is described as "voluptous," a creamy blend with "hints of sweet tobacco, menthol and licorice" and 2010 as having a "sense of energy and thrust," with "Black cherry jam, chocolate, plum and mocha."
[5] 2011 Ovid is described by Galloni as "silky," 2012 as "bold, racy, with "red cherry, pomegranate, smoke, licorice and tobacco," and 2013 as "dark, powerful and vertical in its sense of structure.