Dalla Valle Vineyards

Dalla Valle Vineyards is one of the original Napa Valley cult estates, a hillside property above Oakville that produces two of the most sought-after wines in California: the estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the legendary Maya, a Cabernet Franc-dominant blend named after the winemaker's daughter. Founded in 1986 by Gustav and Naoko Dalla Valle, Italian immigrants who fell in love with the Oakville hillside, the estate quickly achieved cult status when the Maya bottling earned near-perfect scores and became one of the most coveted wines on the collector market.

The estate covers 25 acres of steep hillside vineyard above the Oakville benchland, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and small amounts of other Bordeaux varieties. The elevation and slope provide excellent drainage and sun exposure, while the rocky volcanic soils limit vine vigor and concentrate flavors. The vineyard was devastated by the 2017 Atlas Peak wildfire but has since been replanted and is producing fruit of exceptional quality. Naoko Dalla Valle, who has run the estate since Gustav's death in 1995, oversaw the rebuilding with the same determination that built the brand.

Winemaker Andy Erickson, who also produces wines under his Favia label, crafts the Dalla Valle wines with a style that emphasizes the hillside terroir's natural intensity. The estate Cabernet Sauvignon is powerful and structured, a wine that demands years of cellaring to reach its peak. The Maya, named after Naoko's daughter (who is now making wine herself under the Hoopes and Dante labels), is the more complex and celebrated bottling, blending Cabernet Franc's aromatics with Cabernet Sauvignon's structure. Both wines are produced in small quantities and available primarily through the mailing list.

Tastings at Dalla Valle are by appointment only and extremely limited, reflecting the intimate scale of the operation. The experience includes a tour of the replanted hillside vineyard, where the effects of the 2017 fire and the subsequent restoration are visible, followed by a seated tasting of the current releases. The setting is dramatic, with the steep vineyard dropping away toward the valley floor below. The tasting fee reflects the estate's cult status and the quality of what is poured.

Dalla Valle's importance to Napa Valley lies in its demonstration that Cabernet Franc, a variety usually relegated to a blending role, could be the star of a world-class wine. The Maya proved that Cab Franc-dominant blends could command the same prices and critical acclaim as the valley's finest Cabernet Sauvignons, and the wine's influence can be seen in the growing number of producers who now offer Cab Franc as a standalone bottling. Naoko Dalla Valle's resilience after the fire, rebuilding the estate from burned earth, adds another chapter to one of Napa's most compelling family stories.