2022 Grounded Wine Co. Steady State Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Josh Phelps didn’t learn to make Napa Cabernet in a classroom. He learned it in the cellar.

His father, Chris Phelps, trained at Château Pétrus under Christian Moueix, spent 12 years as the founding winemaker at Dominus Estate, and has been making some of the most decorated Cabernet in California for four decades. Josh grew up watching all of it—and quietly absorbing every bit. By the time he landed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40, he’d already built the kind of winemaking education that most people can’t buy at any price.

That heritage shows up in every bottle of the Steady State. This is Napa Cabernet made with the instincts of someone raised on the classics—structured, generous, built to last—at a price point that would make those same classics blush.

The 2022 is the strongest vintage yet. For the first time, the Steady State is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon drawn entirely from Dakata Ranch, a single site in Oak Knoll at the southern end of the Valley. The shift to a single-vineyard wine wasn’t cosmetic—it reflects a winemaker confident enough in one piece of ground to let it speak on its own.

Oak Knoll’s position at the Valley’s southern end puts it closer to the cooling influence of San Pablo Bay than any other Napa appellation. The result is a longer growing season, more gradual ripening, and a structural precision that sets it apart from the warmer AVAs to the north.

That distinction proved decisive in 2022. A record-breaking September heatwave descended on Napa—temperatures surpassed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and held there for days—pushing ripeness rapidly across much of the Valley. Oak Knoll’s persistent bay breezes acted as a natural buffer, keeping Dakata Ranch composed while the heat bore down elsewhere. The wine that emerged carries the density and depth you’d expect from a warmer-climate Cab, with the freshness and structure to age gracefully.

The 2022 Steady State opens with aromas of purple florals and sun-drenched black cherry, layered with blueberry, baking spice, and espresso. The palate is generous and plush—integrated tannins, graphite, and crème de cassis drawing into a long, focused finish.

We have tasted through many vintages of the Steady State, and this is the one we have been waiting for.