Dalla Valle, Maya - Napa Valley 2016

Dalla Valle, Maya - Napa Valley 2016

QUANTITES TRES LIMITEES


Dalla Valle Vineyards is recognized as one of Napa Valley’s preeminent family-run wineries. Founded in 1986 by Naoko and Gustav Dalla Valle, Dalla Valle Vineyards, on the famed eastern hillsides of Oakville, has earned acclaim as one of New World’s most celebrated wine estates, yielding wines of extraordinary character and complexity vintage after vintage.
Today, Dalla Valle is operated by the mother-and-daughter team of Naoko and Maya Dalla Valle, hands-on owners who work alongside an illustrious team that includes Vineyard Manager Edgar Alfaro, Winemaker Andy Erickson, as well as Consulting Winemaker Michel Rolland. With a shared desire that Dalla Valle thrive for generations to come, this passionate group stewards every aspect of the viticulture and winemaking with a level of meticulous care and detail often reserved for the great First Growths.
Naoko and her late husband acquired the first piece of land for Dalla Valle Vineyards in 1982. Drawn to the natural splendor and promise of Napa Valley from their native countries of Japan and Italy—where their families had long traditions as sake makers and winemakers—they originally planned to open a
resort and restaurant. As they began to make their home on the land’s majestic westward-facing hillside, they quickly recognized the remarkable viticultural potential of the site

Maya, the wine
This jewel in the crown originates in the remarkable vineyard that shares its name. A proprietary blend aged in primarily new French oak, Maya showcases the site’s exceptional Cabernet Franc; it is graceful and alluring with an unmistakable pedigree. Fewer than 500 cases are produced each year.

2016 Vintage
Coming on the heels of a prolonged multi-year drought, the 2016 growing
season was defined by near-ideal conditions. Rain in March and early April
allowed the vines to start the spring with ample moisture in the soil,
making for healthy canopies and balanced vines. A dry, mild summer, with
only one short heat event, helped the fruit ripen with deep color, intense
aromatics, and ample natural acidity. Harvesting in September and early
October allowed us to produce wines with remarkable depth, energy, and
varietal typicity. Early reviews are that the wines from 2016 are some of
the most compelling of the last decade.

2016 Maya
The 2016 Maya, a blend of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third
Cabernet Franc from our hillside estate, is a revelation. It starts by pulling
you in close, to appreciate the delicate and precise details of the wine, with
all the exotic aromas of a Moroccan market coming from the Cabernet
Franc, and the dark black fruit tones and crushed rock minerality that
defines this part of Oakville. The sensation then expands, like the slow
crescendo of a Beethoven symphony, revealing deeper and yet more
nuanced layers of complexity. Currant, huckleberry, cocoa, cinnamon, red
leaf tobacco and flint are only a few of the notes offered up as the wine is
tasted, delivered on a bed of silky, polished tannins. Even as the finish
builds to an impressive level of intensity and length, all of the subtleties
and intricacies are there to enjoy. Indeed, the strength of this vintage will
continue to reveal itself over the course of many years.