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.

Ultra-concentrated, smooth and velvety, peppered with sage, earth and iron aromas. It’s equally flavorful on the palate. So full-bodied, broad and deep, but gentle to sip. Dark plums, black cherries, blackcurrants, spearmint and dark chocolate supported by good acidity and very fine-grained tannins. From the Sleeping Lady Vineyard. Drink or hold. Jim Gordon Executive Editor

(96+ points) The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard showed beautifully, with a ripe, concentrated, unevolved style that will benefit from bottle age. Cr me de cassis, plums, candied violets, and spring flower notes all define the bouquet, and it's a ripe, powerful wine with moderate acidity, a lush, layered mouthfeel, sweet tannins, and a great finish. Give bottles 3-4 years if you can, and it should have 15-20 years of overall longevity.

Intriguing and generous, this lushly textured wine is full of flavors of black plum, black tea and layers of oak spices. Bold yet brooding, the wine offers powdery-fine, abundant tannins and energizing acidity. — Elaine Chukan Brown

A touch old school, with notes of cast iron and warm loam guiding a core of cassis, bitter plum and black cherry compote. Focused, with a mouthwatering savory note emerging through the finish that pulls the fruit and minerality together nicely. Drink now through 2038. 200 cases made.

(93+ points) The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard is a beautifully polished, sophisticated wine. Blue-toned fruit, herbs, lavender, spice and crème de cassis are some of the notes that grace this understated, linear Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s great to see the vineyard name and AVA featured on the label, something more producers should do. - Antonio Galloni, December 2023