Ad Vivum Cellars - Sleeping Lady Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Druva

100% Cabernet Sauvignon (55% Clone 191, 45% Clone 7)

Tasting note

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.

Chris Phelps has been the winemaker at Ad Vivum for 12 years. This is a small production label of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (55% Clone 191, 45% Clone 7) coming from just six rows of vines from the Sleeping Lady vineyard in the Yountville AVA south of Dominus.

-

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Technical sheet

Composition:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon (75% Clone 191, 25% Clone 7)

Single-Vineyard:

All fruit for the 2021 AD VIVUM Cabernet Sauvignon was grown at Sleeping Lady Vineyard, in Yountville, Napa Valley. Sleeping Lady, the southernmost vineyard in the Yountville AVA, is in a location that enjoys ample cooling from nearby San Pablo Bay, which promotes gradual ripening. These blocks are at the vineyard’s uppermost western perimeter along the Mayacamas Mountains, with rows oriented southwest-northeast. The Bettinelli family farms the vineyard meticulously, using sustainable and responsible farming.

Soil:
The soil profile shows Keefers dark gravelly-sandy clay loam of alluvial origin.

Growing Season & Harvest:

2021 was a dry season, but good late winter rains provided soil moisture for a good bud break. Early shoot growth and canopy development were strong at Sleeping Lady, due to water from upslope springs being metered into the water table. Summer temperatures, with just one period of heat, were exceptionally favorable to the development of tannins and color in Cabernet Sauvignon. Little crop thinning was required, as the vines once again naturally set a quantity of fruit tailored to the canopy size. The final stage of ripening was picture-perfect -steady and gradual.

Winemaking:

All fruit was harvested in the early morning hours of October 11th. After gentle de-stemming and optical berry sorting, the cold must was transferred to tanks (75%) and barrels (25%), where it was allowed to warm up naturally. Primary fermentation was slow but steady, and total time on the skin was 18 days. The new wine was then drained immediately into 75% new French oak barrels for 20 months of aging prior to bottling in July 2023. 2,400 bottles produced.

Tasting Notes:Deep red garnet, with a vermillion edge, the 2021 Ad Vivum is visually stunning. Palpable tension in the entire tasting profile lifts and integrates the dense blackcurrant fruit and ripe, seamless, fine-grained structure. Subtle notes of graphite, espresso, and cedar are woven gracefully into the whole. The finish is long, aromatically complex, and voluptuous. Clearly a wine to be involved in both the short term and for 2 or 3 decades to come, this is a very polished wine designed to please all of your senses.