1991 Dalla Valle Maya
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Tasting notes
Saturated dark red. Wonderfully polished, complex aromas of black raspberry, plum, truffle, smoky oak and caramel, plus a hint of black olive (this wine actually reminded me of some of the earlier vintages of Harlan Estate). At once plush and vibrant, offering terrific retention of sweet berry fruit complicated by tobacco and smoky oak. Firm acidity (natural?) turned slightly tart with aeration but this wonderfully long, saline wine finishes with serious but well-integrated tannins and outstanding verve. While it does not have quite the give of the 2008 I tasted alongside it for my '08 horizontal, it has guts of steel and should go on for years. (13.5% alcohol)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 1991 Maya is an excellent choice for drinking over the next few years, as the aromatics are starting to enter a fully tertiary phase of their development. Sweet tobacco, leather, pine and menthol all linger on the silky, expressive finish. The 1991 isn't the most powerful Maya, but it is among the most refined and polished.
The 1991 Maya (made from equal proportions of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) has developed incredibly since I tasted it nearly a year ago and rated it 94. The wine is black/purple-colored and offers up a compelling bouquet of flowers, minerals, black fruits, vanilla, and spices. There is huge extraction of fruit, full body, outstanding purity and balance, moderate tannin, and a tremendous layered feel on the palate. All of this intensity and richness is brilliantly pulled off without any sense of heaviness. I can understand wanting to drink this wine immediately as it is an extraordinarily impressive young wine, but it should be given another 4-6 years of cellaring; it is a candidate for 25 years of aging. It is also a strong candidate for a three-digit score in a few years. This is a winemaking tour de force! Dalla Valle has propelled itself into the top echelon of California Cabernet Sauvignon and proprietary red wines. The owners, Gustave and Naoko Dalla Valle, are admirably supported by winemaker Heidi Barrett (the wife of winemaker/proprietor Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena). This team is producing awesomely concentrated wines from their 25-acre hillside vineyard overlooking the Napa Valley floor. There is no secret to their success. The wines are made from fully ripened fruit, and are neither excessively processed nor handled. There are only 2,000 cases of the Cabernet Sauvignon. The microscopic production of Dalla Valle's proprietary red wine, Maya (named after the proprietors' daughter), usually contains between 45-55% Cabernet Franc. I am not overstating the case by saying that the finest Cabernet Franc I have tasted in the New World is from Dalla Valle's vineyard. Tel. (707) 944-2676; Fax (707) 944-8411.
About the producer
Dalla Valle Vineyards was founded in 1986 by Naoko and her late husband Gustav Dalla Valle, in Oakville. Initially they had wanted to create a luxury resort, but when they discovered the potential of the site, they changed tack and decided to make wine.