2023 Ad Vivum Sleeping Lady Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Coming from the cooler, western side of Yountville in the Sleeping Lady Vineyard, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard offers a First Growth-like nose of crème de cassis, graphite, freshly sharpened pencils, and spring flowers. Based on 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged 18 months in 75% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied and flawlessly balanced on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins and a great finish. It topped out my scale and will be a 30- to 40-year wine. This is easily the finest vintage I've tasted of this cuvée, and it's as good as anything in the vintage – or the world for that matter. With roughly 300 cases produced, don't miss it.

Gorgeous, pure fruit defines this wine from the outset. Raspberry, red cherry, and blackberry unfold alongside high-toned florals and refined cedarwood spice, with hints of fennel, bay laurel, and bay leaf evoking the scent of a vineyard on a cool, wet day. Crushed rock minerality and dusty stone nuances frame the aromatics, while the mid-palate delivers remarkable fruit purity. Ultra-fine, intricate tannins provide excellent grip without heaviness, carried by bright, vivid acidity that keeps everything lifted and precise. It is an honest, heady wine that quite literally stops you in your tracks, so nuanced and expressive in its finesse and clarity. Another downright gorgeous wine for Chris Phelps.