Dalla Valle, Maya - Napa Valley 2020

The Drink Business

97 / 100

byColin Haythe9/19/2023

The second release of this wine on la place. Intensely floral. Violet and crushed, concentrated petals. Lithe. Tender and tense, with lovely freshness from the Cabernet’s leafiness. Picked just at the right point. Intense. Very harmonious, with a gracious sense of evolution as the cedar and floral elements combine and reinforce one another. This seems to manage the challenges of the vintage so well.

Decanter.com

99 / 100

byGeorgina Hindlethe9/4/2023

Fragrant and so scented on the nose, inviting and cool. The classic blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc is smooth and supple on the palate, crisp and crunchy yet smooth and silky and also slightly chewy and bouncy. A lovey combination of power and focus, this has drive and sculpt, nuance and detail. Excellent presentation, really fills the palate with juice, energy brightness. Lovely length and overall structure, fels well worked, full but not overpowering, rich but not overly alcoholic - a wonderful presentation and totally delicious.

The Wine Independent

97 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe8/21/2023

The 2020 Maya, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. Scents of warm cassis, black raspberries, and mulberries leap from the glass with wafts of rose oil, menthol, dark chocolate, and sandalwood. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and impactful, the palate offers spicy black and red berry layers with a ripe, grainy texture and long, mineral-laced finish.

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byJoe Czerwinskithe3/31/2023

Perhaps there's a subtle added touch of leafy complexity to the 2020 Maya that the Cabernet Sauvignon doesn't show, but otherwise, this 60-40 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is reasonably similar, with black cherries, dark loamy notes, hints of cassis, cedar and vanilla. It's medium to full-bodied, richly textured and tannic but with a slightly open-knit feel and a ripe, softly wooly finish.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe2/16/2023

Even better, the 2020 Maya Proprietary Red Wine checks in as the usual blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, and it's another full-bodied example of this cuvée that has a brilliant core of both red and black fruits as well as dark chocolate, leafy tobacco, spring flowers, and a kiss of chalky minerality. Structured, concentrated, and perfectly balanced, it doesn't get any better in 2020.
96+

Vinous

89 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe10/31/2022

The 2020 Maya is packed with black cherry, chocolate, spice, leather, scorched earth and incense. There's good depth to the fruit, but the tannins are searing in their intensity. There's a lot to like in the 2020, especially if it settles down. The tannins are pretty imposing today, though.

Jamessuckling.com

96 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe9/16/2022

Subtle yet transparent blackberry, black licorice and cassis bush. Some sage and lavender as well. Graphite, too. Full-bodied, yet tight and poised on the palate, with tight and refined tannins that are compact in the mouth. They are layered and run vertically down the wine. Turns nicely austere at the end. Very well done for the vintage. Give this three to four years to open up.