Ad Vivum Cellars - Sleeping Lady Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

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.

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Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Technical sheet

Composition: 

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Single-Vineyard: 

All fruit for the 2022 AD VIVUM Cabernet Sauvignon was grown at Sleeping Lady Vineyard, in Yountville, Napa Valley. As the southernmost vineyard in the Yountville AVA, this location enjoys significant cooling from nearby San Pablo Bay, which promotes gradual ripening, as well as acid and color retention. 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 techniques.

Soil: 

The soil profile reveals Keefers dark gravelly-sandy clay loam of alluvial origin. This matrix allows excellent drainage and moderate water-holding capacity.

Growing Season: 

The 2022 season was marked by low yields and long periods of ideal weather punctuated by several heat events, the last of which took place Labor Day weekend. However, our blocks at Sleeping Lady Vineyard once again demonstrated their resilience to weather anomalies by virtue of their proximity to the western hills. Late afternoon shade and a spring-fed aquifer are our key to even ripening and consistent fruit quality. The final crucial weeks of ripening prior to harvest on September 26 could not have been more perfect, allowing us to harvest fruit with ample freshness and natural acidity.

Winemaking: 

Following night harvesting, gentle de-stemming, and optical berry sorting, the cold must was transferred to tanks (77%) and barrels (23%), for primary fermentation. Total maceration time prior to draining of the free run was 17 days, at which point the warm wine was drained into 75% new French oak barrels for 20 months of aging prior to bottling on July 26, 2024, exactly 22 months after harvest.

Tasting Notes: 

Visually stunning in its deep garnet-purple hue, the 2022 Ad Vivum offers an aromatically rich bouquet of black plum, blackberry, and Bing cherry, layered with subtle hints of fennel and forest floor. As the wine unfolds on the palate, silky tannins emerge and build gracefully to a crescendo, leading to an extended finish marked by the same vibrant fruit and savory notes present at the start. This is a finely structured, expressive wine that reflects both the precision of the vineyard and the elegance of the vintage.