Winemaker Chris Phelps grew up in the hills of the Livermore Valley, east of San Francisco, in a family of wine lovers. His early interest in winemaking grew out of his parents' practice of making a barrel or two of Zinfandel or Cabernet for family and friends. Chris attended UC Davis with the sensible plan of becoming a doctor. However, his love of wine and France pulled him into the school's Enology and Viticulture program, an internship at Louis M. Martini in Napa Valley, and the world of professional winemaking.
From there, Chris then embarked on a 16-month sojourn in Bordeaux, where he met Christian Moueix, who persuaded him to stay on to manage the 1982 harvest at Château des Laurets, in the Puisseguin-St. Emilion district of Bordeaux. It was during this trial-by-fire experience that Chris met his mentor, the brilliant Jean-Claude Berrouet, who served for 44 years as the winemaker of Chateau Petrus. To this day, Chris still credits much of his inspiration as a winemaker and his solid understanding of the technical challenges of the winemaking craft to Berrouet's tutelage. Upon returning to Napa Valley, Chris spent twelve years as winemaker at Dominus, as part of the Berrouet-Moueix team. He considers the 1991 and 1994 vintages to be among the greatest wines he has helped to create. He then spent seven years at Caymus Vineyards, managing all red winemaking from 1999 through 2002.
Ad Vivum (Latin for "toward wine") Cabernet Sauvignon is made from one small micro-block of vines at Sleeping Lady Vineyard, in Yountville, Napa Valley. The vines are located at the vineyard's uppermost western perimeter along the Mayacamas Mountains. Row orientation is southwestnortheast. The vineyard is sustainably and meticulously farmed by the Bettinelli family. The soil profile shows Keefers dark gravelly-sandy clay loam of alluvial origin.
JEB DUNNUCK 97 POINTS - "A gorgeous wine from Chris Phelps, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard sports a dense purple hue as well as awesome aromatics of cassis, violets, flowers, and spicy oak. It’s young and unevolved, with medium to full-bodied richness, silky tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It ranks with the finest wines I’ve tasted from this vineyard. All Cabernet aged 20 months in 70% new French oak, it has two decades or more of prime drinking ahead of it."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 97 POINTS - "Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard offers up fragrant scents of plum preserves and kirsch with hints of potpourri, stewed black tea and menthol, plus a waft of cast-iron pan. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a taut structure of firm, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, supporting the generous black fruit layers, finishing with loads of mineral and red fruit sparks. 350 cases were made."
WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - "Dark, winey and a bit of a throwback, this rock-solid Cabernet offers a nice deep well of dark currant and boysenberry reduction notes mixed with warm paving stone, tobacco and freshly plowed humus for a rock-steady baseline, while violet and sweet bay leaf details add nuance in the background. A well-grounded version, with cut and drive that bodes well for cellaring. Best from 2025 through 2040."
From there, Chris then embarked on a 16-month sojourn in Bordeaux, where he met Christian Moueix, who persuaded him to stay on to manage the 1982 harvest at Château des Laurets, in the Puisseguin-St. Emilion district of Bordeaux. It was during this trial-by-fire experience that Chris met his mentor, the brilliant Jean-Claude Berrouet, who served for 44 years as the winemaker of Chateau Petrus. To this day, Chris still credits much of his inspiration as a winemaker and his solid understanding of the technical challenges of the winemaking craft to Berrouet's tutelage. Upon returning to Napa Valley, Chris spent twelve years as winemaker at Dominus, as part of the Berrouet-Moueix team. He considers the 1991 and 1994 vintages to be among the greatest wines he has helped to create. He then spent seven years at Caymus Vineyards, managing all red winemaking from 1999 through 2002.
Ad Vivum (Latin for "toward wine") Cabernet Sauvignon is made from one small micro-block of vines at Sleeping Lady Vineyard, in Yountville, Napa Valley. The vines are located at the vineyard's uppermost western perimeter along the Mayacamas Mountains. Row orientation is southwestnortheast. The vineyard is sustainably and meticulously farmed by the Bettinelli family. The soil profile shows Keefers dark gravelly-sandy clay loam of alluvial origin.
JEB DUNNUCK 97 POINTS - "A gorgeous wine from Chris Phelps, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard sports a dense purple hue as well as awesome aromatics of cassis, violets, flowers, and spicy oak. It’s young and unevolved, with medium to full-bodied richness, silky tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It ranks with the finest wines I’ve tasted from this vineyard. All Cabernet aged 20 months in 70% new French oak, it has two decades or more of prime drinking ahead of it."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 97 POINTS - "Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard offers up fragrant scents of plum preserves and kirsch with hints of potpourri, stewed black tea and menthol, plus a waft of cast-iron pan. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a taut structure of firm, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, supporting the generous black fruit layers, finishing with loads of mineral and red fruit sparks. 350 cases were made."
WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - "Dark, winey and a bit of a throwback, this rock-solid Cabernet offers a nice deep well of dark currant and boysenberry reduction notes mixed with warm paving stone, tobacco and freshly plowed humus for a rock-steady baseline, while violet and sweet bay leaf details add nuance in the background. A well-grounded version, with cut and drive that bodes well for cellaring. Best from 2025 through 2040."
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