Tasting Notes
Vinous 99
Dalla Valle’s 2016 Maya, the estate’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend, is endowed with stunning purity and exceptional balance. The purity of the flavors is simply remarkable. A rush of red cherry jam, menthol, pomegranate, mint and espresso builds as the wine opens up in the glass. Blood orange and expressive floral notes appear later, adding brightness as the 2016 reveals the many shades of its beguiling personality. Silky and seamless on the palate, with exceptional balance, the 2016 has so much to offer. The 2016 is one of the most polished and complete young Mayas I can remember tasting. In a word: exceptional.
Anticipated maturity: 2024-2041
Robert Parker 100
“The 2016 Maya Proprietary Red Wine is blended of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it’s a little reserved to begin, soon unfurling to reveal the most incredible array of floral and red fruit layers-kirsch, redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, lilacs, red roses and lavender-with achingly beautiful wafts of cigar box, pencil lead, camphor, cinnamon stick and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied and with fabulous elegance and poise in the mouth, the palate delivers layer upon layer of perfumed black and red fruits with a very firm, finely grained texture and an epically long, mineral-laced finish. Give this knock-out beauty another 5 years in the cellar and drink it over the next 30+.”
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2052
JancisRobinson.com 16
67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Cabernet Franc. Coming on the heels of a prolonged multi-year drought, the 2016 growing season was defined by near-ideal conditions. Rain in March and early April allowed the vines to start the spring with ample moisture in the soil, making for healthy canopies and balanced vines. A dry, mild summer, with only one short heat event, helped the fruit ripen with deep colour, intense aromatics, and ample natural acidity. Harvested 8 September to 20 September. Inky purple in the glass, with an almost tarry ripeness of cassis and blackberry fruit. Very powerful, thick and rich. The toasty oak adds a cherry-cola note which increases the overall impression of heady ripeness. Hedonistic and impressive but a little excessive for my palate. (TP)
Anticipated maturity: 2019-2026
