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100 WA.
"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. Followers of Dalla Valle will want to check out my notes on the brand-new joint venture with Ornellaia Estate in Tuscany: DVO. The other somewhat unusual new release this year is the 2018 MDV. “In 1999 we did a cuvée for auction Napa Valley, made entirely of Cabernet Sauvignon from our Maya vineyard,” Maya said. “The first vintage produced for our clients was 2013, then 2016. We almost never do anything 100%, but I decided to pull out a little 2018 and bottle it separately again this year.” “Collina is an earlier-drinking taste of Dalla Valle—a little more affordable,” Maya commented. “We purchase a small amount of fruit from Oakville Ranch to blend with our own fruit for this label.” Altogether, this was an incredibly strong lineup of 2018s from Dalla Valle, with the Maya label/vineyard's expression of this great vintage absolutely stealing my heart. Wow." Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate Interim, Jan 2021 |