2017 K Vintners Ovide Jacks Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Bright red-ruby. Blackberry, licorice, smoky steak and soy sauce on the nose, plus a hint of olive. Sweeter than the Roma even if it's less aromatically accessible today. This very concentrated wine nicely combines an umami Syrah texture with Cabernet-like spine. As seamless and pliant as it is, it has enough underlying structure to reward some aging. Finer-grained and longer than the Roma, this will also reward some cellaring. Incidentally, both of these wines carry pHs around 4.0. (these vines are about seven years old but the plot was the first to be planted in The Rocks, according to winemaker, although not originally to Syrah)
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Opening with a dark juicy core, the 2017 Ovide Jack's Vineyard offers dusty black fruit with a rustic minerality and hints of worn leather reminiscent of Bordeaux amidst a firm expression of baking spices in the glass. Full-bodied, the wine is generous and has an underlying mineral tension and gripping tannins that linger on the long, complex finish. The 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Syrah blend is delightful this year. Perhaps give it another year in bottle and drink over the next decade and a half.
The ruby/plum-hued 2017 Ovide is another Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend, yet this comes all from Jack’s Vineyard. It’s a smaller production cuvée compared to the Roma and offers medium to full-bodied notes of tobacco, loamy earth, new leather, hoisin sauce, and spice box. It shows its Rocks origin aromatically and has a plush, seamless texture, great tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s ripe and sexy, yet also stays clean and beautifully balanced. Drink it any time over the coming 10-15 years. This is what I call a stacked lineup from K Vintners, and the team of Charles Smith and Brennon Leighton continue to make brilliant wines. The lineup is broken up into multiple brands today, with K Vintners focusing primarily on Rhone varieties. The Wines of Substance (or just Substance) label are the Bordeaux based wines, then you have CasaSmith, Sixto, B. Leighton, and now Golden West.