Ad Vivum Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard 2021 750ml

An elegant, polished, and seamless Cabernet Sauvignon from longtime Napa Valley winemaker Chris Phelps. It possesses an ethereal quality, an almost weightlessness, but contains multitudes. I tasted it on three separate occasions and one bottle over a three-day period. It was still vibrant and full of life on day three, and that is the mark of a classic. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Sleeping Lady Vineyard in Yountville, a stone’s throw from Dominus. It shows a deep ruby to purple in the glass. It is beautifully fragrant with black cherry, wild herbs, and cedar wood spices nuanced by rose petal florals. Medium to full-bodied with gorgeous, silky fruit redolent of blackberry, plum, and black cherry, all laced with tobacco spices. The tannins are super fine-grained, and a firm spine of juicy acidity keeps everything lively and fresh. The finish is exceedingly long, with a wealth of concentrated fruit that lingers for a full minute. Simply the best vintage of Ad Vivum that Phelps has ever produced.

• Country: United States
• Region: California
• Appellation: Napa Valley
• Sub Appellation: Yountville
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red
• Alcohol by Vol: 14.4%

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

By far and away the most recognized and widely grown red wine grape varietal in the world is the Cabernet Sauvignon. First cultivated in the 18th century in France, this wonderful cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes has long since been the most important varietal for red wines across the globe. Now grown everywhere from its native France to the furthest reaches of the New World, Cabernet Sauvignon is adored and prized by wineries for its hardiness and resistance to rot, as well as its large and sharp flavors and wonderful capability for fine aging Indeed, many of the finest wines of history and the modern age would be simply unimaginable without Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with the famed wineries of Bordeaux and other important regions using it as the primary grape in their oak aged produce. High tannin levels, acidity and powerful flavors are the characteristics most commonly associated with this varietal, however, when blended and slowly aged, it is capable of a world of flavors and aromas unmatched by any other grape.