Dalla Valle Maya 2018

Dalla Valle Maya 2018

 

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Dalla Valle
Maya 2018
  • Vintage : 2018
  • Country : USA
  • Region : California
  • Subregion : Napa
  • Type : Red
  • Style : Deep Full Bodied
  • Format : 75cl
  • Alcohol : 14,5°
  • Grappes : 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc

Representing the pinnacle of Dalla Valle’s production, Maya 2018 is a bold, expressive wine with intricate layers of dark fruit, mineral notes, and a refined tannic structure.

Experts Score Vintage
RP Robert Parker 100 2018
JD Jeb Dunnuck 100 2018
VN Vinous (Antonio Galloni) 98 2018
JS James Suckling 98 2018
WS Wine Spectator 97 2018
More information on wine critics and ratings

Region and Vineyards

The Maya 2018 comes from Dalla Valle’s estate vineyards located in the eastern hills of Oakville, Napa Valley. This area is known for its iron-rich, rocky soils, which provide excellent drainage and contribute a distinctive mineral quality to the wine. The Oakville AVA’s warm, sunny climate, tempered by cooling influences from the San Pablo Bay, allows for a slow, even ripening process. This climate is ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, yielding grapes with intensity and balance.

The Maya Block, a specific section of the vineyard known for producing consistently exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, is central to this wine. Adjacent blocks of Cabernet Franc add complexity and structure, creating a blend that reflects the vineyard’s unique terroir. The vineyards are managed using organic and biodynamic practices, emphasizing sustainability and allowing the natural characteristics of the site to shine.

Winemaking

The 2018 Maya blend consists of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, both harvested in October at peak ripeness. The grapes underwent a natural fermentation process, followed by 22 months of aging in 100% new French oak barrels. This extended aging period enhances the wine’s complexity, lending it structure and subtle oak influence without overpowering the fruit.

Bottled without filtration or fining, the Maya 2018 is crafted with minimal intervention, allowing the wine’s natural expression and purity to come forward. The resulting wine is dense, polished, and highly expressive, with an impressive concentration that promises longevity and development with bottle age.

Tasting Notes

  • Color: Dark garnet with a deep, opaque core.
  • Aroma: Complex aromas of Bing cherry, clove, pencil lead, and gravel, accented by hints of bay leaf, vanilla, and subtle floral notes.
  • Palate: Full-bodied and intense, featuring layers of black cherry, dark plum, and earthy minerality. The tannins are firm and refined, leading to a long, layered finish with notes of spice and crushed stone.

Did you know?

Maya is named after Naoko Dalla Valle’s daughter and reflects the highest expression of the estate. This blend consistently includes grapes from the Maya Block, known for producing Dalla Valle’s most compelling wines, with Cabernet Franc adding an exciting new dimension to each vintage.

Wine Pairing Ideas

  • Braised Short Ribs with Rosemary and Thyme: The richness of the short ribs and herbs pairs well with the wine’s robust structure and dark fruit notes.
  • Rack of Lamb with Black Olive Tapenade: The wine’s tannic backbone and earthy minerality complement the savory depth of lamb and olive.
  • Porcini Mushroom Risotto: The creamy risotto and earthy mushrooms enhance the wine’s complex layers of minerality and spice.
  • Aged Gouda or Comté Cheese: The nutty, caramelized flavors of aged cheese balance the wine’s power and bring out its subtle vanilla and cherry notes.

History of Dalla Valle Vineyards

Founded in 1986 by Naoko and Gustav Dalla Valle, the estate quickly gained recognition for its powerful, complex wines. The Dalla Valle family’s journey into winemaking began as a shared dream that Gustav and Naoko brought to life in the Oakville hills. Sadly, after Gustav’s untimely passing, Naoko took over the management of the estate, passionately building on their vision and refining the vineyard’s identity with every vintage.

The estate’s iconic wine, Maya, named after Naoko and Gustav's daughter, exemplifies the commitment to quality and terroir-driven expression that defines Dalla Valle. Today, Naoko and Maya work together to carry the family’s legacy forward, focusing on biodynamic and organic practices that respect the land and enhance the vineyard’s vitality.

Region and Vineyards

Situated on the eastern slopes of Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA, Dalla Valle’s 21-acre estate benefits from an optimal Mediterranean climate and unique, iron-rich volcanic soils. These conditions are ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the primary varietals that thrive in the vineyard’s rocky, well-draining soils. The vineyard’s elevated location provides ample sunlight and cooling breezes, balancing the ripeness and acidity of the fruit.

Since transitioning to biodynamic farming practices, the vineyard has become a model for sustainable viticulture in the region. Each block of vines is carefully managed, with hand-harvesting and meticulous vine care that enhances the quality of the grapes. These practices result in wines with exceptional concentration, minerality, and a distinct sense of place.

Wine Range

Dalla Valle Vineyards is celebrated for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Collina, and Maya wines:

  • Cabernet Sauvignon: A structured, age-worthy wine with rich, dark fruit, minerality, and polished tannins, embodying the power and elegance of Napa Valley Cabernet.
  • Collina: An approachable, youthful red blend showcasing floral, dark fruit, and spice characteristics from the estate’s younger vines.
  • Maya: The flagship wine and one of Napa’s most acclaimed blends, Maya combines Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from the finest blocks. It is a highly structured, complex wine with extraordinary aging potential and is considered a collector’s wine for its rarity and reputation.

Did you know?

Dalla Valle’s Maya was one of the first California wines to earn a perfect score from renowned wine critics. This achievement highlighted the estate’s dedication to excellence and put Dalla Valle on the global map as a leader in premium wine production.

Robert Parker (RP) : 100 Points (2018)
The very deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Maya is shy and restrained to begin. With swirling, it begins to reveal beguiling notes of fragrant earth, lavender, garrigue and Sichuan pepper, giving way to a core of wild blueberries, boysenberries, black raspberries and black currants plus a hint of iron ore. The palate is full-bodied, revealing itself in slow-releasing layers of black and blue fruits with exhilarating earth and mineral sparks, framed by firm, beautifully ripe tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a persistent ferrous note. As cerebral as it is downright hedonic, this Maya is simply jaw-dropping.

Jeb Dunnuck (JD) : 100 Points (2018)
A smaller production cuvée from a single parcel of the estate vineyard, the 2018 Maya Proprietary Red Wine is the normal 60/40 split of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. Incredibly perfumed with complex notes of blue fruits, flowers, loamy earth, graphite, and tobacco, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, polished, silky tannins, no hard edges, and a finish that won’t quit. While this is a rich, concentrated wine, it’s the complexity, elegance, and finesse that define this cuvée, which is going to benefit from just short-term cellaring and cruise for 2-3 decades.

Vinous (Antonio Galloni) (VN) : 98 Points (2018)
The 2018 Maya is stratospheric. Inky, deep and wonderfully layered, Maya is off the charts. Inky red/purplish fruit, cedar, licorice, spice, tobacco and mocha are some of the many notes that grace the 2018. The wine is young, but exceptional and vivid. Maya is usually much more forbidding at this stage, this is an incredibly refined vintage. The purity and delineation of the flavors is unreal. Moreover, the 2018 is a wine of extreme pleasure. (AG)

James Suckling (JS) : 98 Points (2018)
A polished, full-bodied red with aromas and flavors of blueberry, black cherry, sandalwood and crushed praline. Superb flavor intensity and a creamy texture, supported by firm, velvety tannins. Lingering vanilla notes. Delicious already.

Wine Spectator (WS) : 97 Points (2018)
This puts it all together, with an initial torrent of cassis, plum and blackberry fruit that is slowly harnessed as it moves through, thanks to guardrails of graphite, cast iron and smoldering tobacco. Seriously long and remarkably refined, despite its obvious muscle, with the iron note reverberating through the fruit at the end. (JM)

Dalla Valle Maya 2020
Dalla Valle Maya 2020
Dalla Valle
Maya 2020
RP
97
DCT
99
JS
96
The Dalla Valle Maya 2020 is an exquisite, confident blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, showcasing depth, elegance, and the strength of Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA.
720,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Dalla Valle Maya 2014
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Dalla Valle
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RP
96
VN
96
The Dalla Valle Maya 2014 is a powerful yet refined blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, characterized by its concentrated fruit and seamless structure, showcasing Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA.
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Dalla Valle Collina 2019
Dalla Valle Collina 2019
Dalla Valle
Collina 2019
VN
92
JD
94
The Dalla Valle Collina 2019 is an energetic and refined blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, encapsulating the vibrancy of the Napa Valley terroir in a beautifully layered profile.
196,00 €
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Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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WS
96
RP
97
DCT
95
The Dalla Valle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville is a masterful expression of Napa Valley terroir, showcasing exceptional depth and elegance.
440,00 €
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Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
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Dalla Valle
Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
RP
95
DCT
94
VN
92
Crafted from the estate’s volcanic, iron-rich soils, the 2020 Dalla Valle Cabernet combines depth, power, and finesse, promising a graceful evolution in the cellar.
345,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Dalla Valle Collina 2020
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Dalla Valle
Collina 2020
VN
89
JD
90
Displaying resilience and finesse, Collina 2020 is crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and a touch of Petit Verdot, offering depth, complexity, and a seamless texture.
145,00 €
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Dalla Valle Collina 2021
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167,00 €
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Wine regions guide
879,00 €
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