Over the years, we’ve celebrated Dalla Valle’s as one of Napa’s most iconic cult labels—but it was only weeks ago that we finally managed a personal estate visit. We emerged from the experience with two things: (1) a new perspective on the “cult-wine” scene and (2) one of the sweetest Napa offers to ever hit SommSelect.
After tasting through a number of barrel samples (the ’17s are going to create major noise), we were seated in front of an impressive lineup while taking in a panoramic view of Napa’s valley floor. It was memorable, to say the least. They were gracious enough to pull the corks on their flagship Cabernet ($200+), numerous vintages of their rarefied “Maya” ($400+), and today’s stunning $85 “Collina.” We were fascinated by the superb balance and luxurious, deep-fruited savor of each, but this wine grabbed our attention and refused to let go. Collina Dalla Valle has remained an affordable luxury since its first vintage, despite being largely sourced from their estate vineyard and hand-crafted with the same meticulous care as their ultra-premium labels (natural farming; the finest French oak; and 20+ months of aging). As such, this “entry-level” bottle has become a darling label around the world that is rapidly inhaled by collectors and restaurants. They were kind enough to give us access to a tiny allocation before the majority is released from their cellars. This is a rare chance to experience an extraordinary cult producer’s wine at an extremely generous price! We can offer up to six per person until it disappears—for good!
Dalla Valle is a Napa Valley Shangri-La currently run by the mother-daughter team of Naoko and Maya Dalla Valle. Naoko (of Japanese descent) and her late-husband Gustav (of Italian descent) arrived on the Napa scene in the early 1980s and began planting vines once realizing the beautiful slice of hillside land they had purchased was first-rate for grapes. It’s not all about land, though—a skilled winemaker is crucial and they are far from lacking in that department. Their prominent list of past and present winemakers include the likes of Heidi Barrett, Mia Klein, Philippe Melka, and, currently Andy Erickson. Combine all these names, and you have the greatest Olympic Winemaking Team ever (I’d support the inclusion of this sport).
Within years of releasing their first vintage in 1986, Dalla Valle’s wines had raised eyebrows, but their 1992 “Maya” changed everything: It received a perfect score and their acclaim went nuclear. Tragically, this was also when Gustav passed away, so Naoko was left with a monumental decision: Sell or continue the business. She bravely chose the latter, and for nearly 25 years now, has been a pioneer for women in wine. Her daughter Maya is now stepping up to the plate. After studying viticulture and working at wineries around the world (most notably Pétrus and Latour), she’s more than prepared to carry this flaming-hot torch and lift it even higher.
We witnessed this firsthand as Maya walked us through their organically farmed vines overlooking the valley floor, pointed out her now-famous “Maya” block, and spoke with intense passion about the intricacies of winemaking. Like us, she was thrilled with the results of their 2016 Collina Dalla Valle, calling the vintage “classic Napa” with a “perfect weather scenario.” This bottling is largely culled from their younger estate vines plus a small portion of grapes from the neighboring “Oakville Ranch” vineyard. The crop was hand-picked over the last week of September and the first week of October. It was subjected to a long fermentation and the resulting wine rested in 40% new French oak for over 20 months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
There’s a reason Vinous Media’s Antonio Galloni annually boasts that today’s “Collina Dalla Valle” is among Napa’s best price-to-quality wines. It reveals an intensely concentrated purple-black core and flaunts an intoxicating mix of dark-fruit perfumes and powerful minerality from the unique volcanic soils. The nose oozes fresh violets, blackberry, black cherry, freshly picked black and blue plums, créme de cassis, cedar shavings, cigar box, baking spices, licorice, underbrush, and crushed stones. It’s big and powerful yet enticingly smooth (tannins are ultra-soft) and elegant due to the pristine, naturally farmed hillside fruit. Because it is already so extraordinarily appealing in its youth, we’re not hesitating to call it one of the finest 2016s we’ve tasted to date. The palate is broad and intricately complex with lush dark-berry fruit and breathtaking layers of invitingly fresh savory components that are tinged with a volcanic influence. Enjoy one right this moment (after a 30- to 60-minute decant) and space out your others over the next decade and beyond. This is one of the finest cult Napa reds you can get your hands on so be sure to share with your very best crew. Serve at 60-65 degrees in large Bordeaux stems and revel in this luxurious drink. It’s bound to crack your “Best of 2019” list.
