2020 Dalla Valle Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

JS96 So much blackberry and lead-pencil shavings. Hints of tar, too. Full-to medium-bodied with extremely well-crafted tannins that run the length of the wine. Hints of oak at the end, but this will come together nicely with bottle age. Slightly chewy now. Some salted caramel. Better after 2026.

WA95 Black cherries, dark loam and cassis appear on the nose of Dalla Valle’s 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, joined by hints of cedar and vanilla. It’s medium to full-bodied, firm, tannic and sturdy but essentially ripe, with a softness to its structure that suggests early accessibility. The long, mocha-tinged finish lingers elegantly, a delicious capstone to a super wine.

JD94 The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a solid step up, boasting a deep purple color as well as a brilliant bouquet of crème de cassis, graphite, liquid violets, and nicely integrated background oak. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, it hits the palate with medium to full body, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. It’s up with the top wines I’ve tasted in the vintage.

DEC94 Absolutely riveting with immense purity of dark black fruits, sagebrush, sandalwood and purple florals dusted with cinnamon. Full-bodied with concentrated satiny black fruits laced with wild herbs, cedar wood and tobacco. Gorgeously crisp tannins are finely grained, and the finish is long and punctuated by graphite and cassis. One of the most gratifying wines of the vintage from second-generation winemaker Maya Dalla Valle. Her parents, Naoko and Gustav, produced their first vintage of estate Cabernet in 1986. As Maya discovered her passion for the family business, she honed her skills by working at such places as Ornellaia, Bodegas Rolland, Petrus, and Chateau Latour. She was named winemaker of her family estate in 2021.