| | Wine Name | Rating | Maturity | | 1991 | | Dalla ValleMaya Proprietary Red Wineダラ・ヴァレ・マヤ・プロプライエタリー・レッド・ワイン | 99 | 1998-2019 |
Wine Advocate #96 (1994-12-23) | The 1991 Maya (made from equal proportions of Cabernet Francand Cabernet Sauvignon) has developed incredibly since I tasted itnearly a year ago and rated it 94. The wine is black/purple-colored andoffers 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 tremendouslayered feel on the palate. All of this intensity and richness isbrilliantly pulled off without any sense of heaviness. I can understandwanting to drink this wine immediately as it is an extraordinarilyimpressive young wine, but it should be given another 4-6 years ofcellaring; it is a candidate for 25 years of aging. It is also a strongcandidate for a three-digit score in a few years. This is a winemakingtour de force! Dalla Valle has propelled itself into the top echelon ofCalifornia Cabernet Sauvignon and proprietary red wines. The owners,Gustave and Naoko Dalla Valle, are admirably supported by winemakerHeidi Barrett (the wife of winemaker/proprietor Bo Barrett of ChateauMontelena). This team is producing awesomely concentrated wines fromtheir 25-acre hillside vineyard overlooking the Napa Valley floor. Thereis no secret to their success. The wines are made from fully ripenedfruit, and are neither excessively processed nor handled. There are only2,000 cases of the Cabernet Sauvignon. The microscopic production ofDalla Valle's proprietary red wine, Maya (named after the proprietors'daughter), usually contains between 45-55% Cabernet Franc. I am notoverstating the case by saying that the finest Cabernet Franc I havetasted in the New World is from Dalla Valle's vineyard. |
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