2022 Dalla Valle ‘Maya’ Red Blend Oakville

TWI99+ The 2022 Maya is composed of 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the first time since 1989 that more Cabernet Franc than Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a fair bit of shaking to wake up notes of fresh boysenberries, wild blueberries, and red currants, giving way to an undercurrent of pencil shavings, garrigue, licorice, red roses, and iron ore. The full-bodied palate is very tightly wound with many layers of bright black, blue, and red berry flavors intertwined with minerally nuances and supported with a rock sold structure of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. The Cabernet Franc really shines through here and it is so, so good!
DEC98 Sourced from the Maya blocks on the estate’s southern side, combined with Cabernet Franc from a parcel adjacent to Peter Michael’s Au Paradis vineyard, this wine is absolutely superb in 2022. While it’s not one to hold for 40 years, it easily has the structure to age 20 to 30 years—no exaggeration. Right out of the gate, at the pull of the cork, it is fragrant and inviting, with sage, unsmoked tobacco, and rich, elegant toasty cedarwood spices, accented by a hint of incense. The medium-bodied palate carries fine-grained tannins with firm structure, alongside generous fruit weight that feels more supple than in previous vintages. This is a “wow” wine, offering immediate enjoyment in its youth, yet built to reward those who hold onto it for as long as patience allows. Maya Dalla Valle, daughter of founder Naoko Dalla Valle, leads the winemaking, with Andy Erickson and Michel Rolland consulting, while Edgar Alfaro oversees vineyard management.
VIN97 The 2022 Maya is a rare Maya that is Cabernet Franc-driven, the first since 1989 with a similar blend. Pliant and layered, the 2022 is sublime. Dark cherry, plum, new leather, licorice and espresso all build in the glass. A remarkable wine, Maya may very well turn out to be one of the wines of the vintage. It is certainly one of my favorites at this stage and a clear front-runner.
JD97 Moving to the 2022 Maya, it’s the first year since 1989 that has this cuvée includes more Cabernet Franc than Cabernet Sauvignon. (It’s 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 20 months in 75% new barrels.) A fabulous nose of darker currants, leafy herbs, violets, camphor, new leather, and flower notes all define the aromatics, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a layered, polished mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a brilliant finish.
JS97 An intricate, supple, luscious wine that’s silky, full-bodied and elegant yet age-worthy. Aromas of blackcurrants, dark chocolate and spearmint, then flavors of blueberries, black cherries, violets and creme de cassis. Tightly structured but still generous, this red blend is known for long-term aging. Made from 55% cabernet franc and 45% cabernet sauvignon grapes that were biodynamically grown. Drinkable now, but best from 2030.
WA96+ Dalla Valle’s 2022 Maya is a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, dominated on the nose by scents of dark chocolate and black cherries, plus vaguely leafy notions and hints of dried spices. Tannic and taut, in obvious need of cellaring, this medium to full-bodied wine’s tannins are not as deep or richly textural as they can be (as in the 2021, for example), but they remain impressive; and the finish exhibits superb length. The winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon is more flattering to taste now, while the Maya may surpass it in time.