Supporting Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center.

Ad Vivum

Napa Valley, California

Born into a wine-loving family, Chris Phelps completed a degree in enology at U.C. Davis prior to studying viticulture and enology at the University of Bordeaux. He was selected by his future mentors, Christian Moueix and enologist Jean-Claude Berrouet, of Château Pétrus and Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix, to direct winemaking at Château des Laurets in Puisseguin-St. Emilion for the 1982 harvest. This led to extensive training at Château Pétrus and other Moueix properties on the Right Bank, and then to 12 years as founding winemaker at Dominus Estate, the Napa Valley property owned by Moueix. After Dominus, Chris was responsible for red winemaking at Caymus Vineyards, as he began his consulting for select clients in Napa Valley and beyond. In 2007, he started production of his own Napa Valley wine project, Ad Vivum, a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Sleeping Lady Vineyard in Yountville. Chris likes to make “New World wines with an Old-World sensibility”, blending experience and intuition with appropriate technology. He is passionate about creating wines that are elegant and balanced.