Ad Vivum
About Ad Vivum
After cutting his teeth at Pomerol legend Petrus in the 1980s, California-native Chris Phelps (no relation to Joseph Phelps) returned to Napa Valley to become a winemaker at Moueix’s Dominus. As a founding winemaker, he spent 12 years at what has become an icon of Californian wine.
The roots for Ad Vivum began in 1990 when Chris met Larry Bettinelli. Larry happened to grow up in Napa, is a 5th generation farmer and both he and Chris connected over their shared passion for wine. At the time, Larry was selling his grapes to larger wineries where they were often blended into a much larger production wine. He wanted to focus on a smaller production of wine where the varietal characteristics were preserved in the winemaking.
Starting in 2005, Larry found a tiny, under 1-acre plot within the Sleeping Lady Vineyard located in Yountville that sat just south of Dominus, a terroir that Chris knew extremely well. Chris started producing wine from this magical plot, and in 2007, the first vintage of Ad Vivum Sleeping Lady Cabernet Sauvignon was born.
‘Chris Phelps’ Ad Vivum Cabernet Sauvignon has been one of the great under-the-radar gems in Napa Valley over the last handful of years.’
Antonio Galloni (Vinous)

Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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California | 1 | 97+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£364.82 |
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Wine Advocate (97+)Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps from the glass with blackcurrant jelly, warm plums and mulberries notes plus suggestions of black raspberries, roses, tar, anise and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, the palate is very tight-knit, with firm, ripe, grainy tannins and lively acidity supporting the layers upon layers of nuances, finishing very long and wonderfully minerally. 480 cases were made. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California | 1 | 97+ (WA) |
In Bond
£296.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97+)Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps from the glass with blackcurrant jelly, warm plums and mulberries notes plus suggestions of black raspberries, roses, tar, anise and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, the palate is very tight-knit, with firm, ripe, grainy tannins and lively acidity supporting the layers upon layers of nuances, finishing very long and wonderfully minerally. 480 cases were made. |