Dalla Valle Maya: A Complete Retrospective 1988-2012

Dalla Valle's Maya is one of Napa Valley’s most iconic wines. This complete vertical back to the inaugural 1988 is a poignant reminder of just how trailblazing Maya was back in the 1980s and 1990s. At the same time, though, Maya is timeless and enduring in its beauty.

Naoko Dalla Valle and her husband Gustav purchased their estate in 1982. The sunny, well-exposed property reminded Gustav Dalla Valle of his native Italy. Dalle Valle is located about mid-slope on the eastern side of Oakville in what is now recognized as one of the pockets of true excellence within Napa Valley. Pedregal, Weitz, Backus, Peter Michael’s Au Paradis and Oakville Terrace are some of the sites that surround Dalla Valle. Sadly, Gustav Dalla Valle passed away in 1995, but he left behind a rich legacy that even he probably could not have envisaged. Today, the winery is run by Naoko Dalla Valle with the assistance of Winemaker Andy Erickson.

Dalla Valle is known for intense, red, clay-rich soils that are typical in this part of Oakville. The concept of Napa Valley terroir is much more developed today than it was thirty years ago. Dalla Valle and the sites around it were originally part of Pritchard Hill, which is directly above. Time and erosion created the ridges where Dalla Valle and other nearby vineyards now sit, as well as parts of the estates that lie below, just across the Silverado Trail, including Screaming Eagle, Rudd and St. Eden, where the same red soils are found.

Vineyards were first planted between 1984 and 1987. Production began with two wines; a Cabernet Sauvignon and Maya, a groundbreaking Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend named after the Dalla Valle's daughter. From 1988 to 2002 Maya was a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc, with the exception of 1989, when the percentages were reversed. Although Cabernet Franc is now a very popular variety in Napa Valley and around the world, that was certainly not the case in the early 1980s. Over the years a series of vine diseases took a heavy toll on production and required a total replanting. As a result, Dalla Valle did not bottle Maya in 2003 or 2004. Maya returned with the 2005 vintage, but with a bit less Cabernet Franc as replanted vineyards gradually re-entered production.

Heidi Barrett made the wines from 1988 to 1994. Green harvesting was introduced in 1990 as Dalle Valle gradually moved to a riper style. Tony Soter joined in 1995 and then gradually handed the reigns over to Mia Klein, who remained at Dalla Valle through 2005. Philippe Melka was in charge for 2006, his one and only vintage at Dalla Valle. Current winemaker Andy Erickson arrived in 2007. Today, Maya is often made with longer periods of skin contact than at the outset, while barrel aging and blending are more flexible. Long-term stability with regards to winemaking and the introduction of a second wine, Collina Dalla Valle, also in 2007, are two of the biggest reasons why Dalla Valle’s dual flagships, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Maya, are consistently better today than they have ever been.