Dalla Valle Maya 2020 (750ML)

99 DE / 97 WA / 97 WI / 96+ JD / 96 JS / 95 JA / 17 JR

Fragrant and so scented on the nose, inviting and cool. The classic blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc is smooth and supple on the palate, crisp and crunchy yet smooth and silky and also slightly chewy and bouncy. A lovey combination of power and focus, this has drive and sculpt, nuance and detail. Excellent presentation, really fills the palate with juice, energy brightness. Lovely length and overall structure, fels well worked, full but not overpowering, rich but not overly alcoholic - a wonderful presentation and totally delicious. Winemakers Naoko Dalla Valle and Andy Erickson.-Gerogina Hindle, Decanter

Perhaps there's a subtle added touch of leafy complexity to the 2020 Maya that the Cabernet Sauvignon doesn't show, but otherwise, this 60-40 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is reasonably similar, with black cherries, dark loamy notes, hints of cassis, cedar and vanilla. It's medium to full-bodied, richly textured and tannic but with a slightly open-knit feel and a ripe, softly wooly finish. - JC, Wine Advocate

The 2020 Maya, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. Scents of warm cassis, black raspberries, and mulberries leap from the glass with wafts of rose oil, menthol, dark chocolate, and sandalwood. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and impactful, the palate offers spicy black and red berry layers with a ripe, grainy texture and long, mineral-laced finish. I’ve tasted the 2020 several times and never fail to be impressed with the quality this estate managed to produce in such a challenging Napa vintage. Brava to the mother/daughter team, Naoko and Maya!- Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Even better, the 2020 Maya Proprietary Red Wine checks in as the usual blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, and it's another full-bodied example of this cuvée that has a brilliant core of both red and black fruits as well as dark chocolate, leafy tobacco, spring flowers, and a kiss of chalky minerality. Structured, concentrated, and perfectly balanced, it doesn't get any better in 2020. - Jeb Dunnuck 

Subtle yet transparent blackberry, black licorice and cassis bush. Some sage and lavender as well. Graphite, too. Full-bodied, yet tight and poised on the palate, with tight and refined tannins that are compact in the mouth. They are layered and run vertically down the wine. Turns nicely austere at the end. Very well done for the vintage. Give this three to four years to open up. - James Suckling

Nuanced, powerful, juicy, with liqourice root, black tea and cocoa bean wrapped around blueberry and blackcurrant fruits. Hard not to love this, rippled through with character, and has a graceful, elegant edge to it that shows what was possible in Napa in 2020. Naoko Dalla Valle and Andy Erikson winemakers. 8.5ha of vines. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux 

Deep in colour with a sweet, very pure, cassis-driven nose. The palate is monolithic, a surge of sweet black fruit met by rich, succulent tannin. Full-bodied yet balanced, this is of a style but impressively made. Very intense, with a long, polished finish.-Tom Parker MW, JancisRobinson