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Tasting Notes
It comes from the Maya blocks on the house's southern side combined with Cabernet Franc that abuts the Peter Michael Au Paradis vineyard. A wonderfully dark, opaque ruby colour in the glass leads to fragrant boysenberry and kirsch notes, cedarwood, and rose petals. Full-bodied with super firm and structured tannins that have a pixelated density that would make the latest iPhone jealous. The finish is very long, and even for all the wine's compactness and weight on the palate, there is a lightness to this wine that is striking. Maya Dalla Valle, the daughter of founder Naoko Dalla Valle, is the winemaker with Andy Erickson and Michel Rolland consulting, while Edgar Alfaro manages the vineyards.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent
More reviews and scores
The deep purple-black colored 2021 Maya is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc. Blueberry preserves, Morello cherries, and lilac scents slowly emerge from the nose, leading to a beguiling undercurrent of tar, lavender, damp earth, and iron ore. The full-bodied palate is taut with muscular blue and black fruits, supported by firm, finely-grained tannins and jaw-dropping tension, finishing with long-lingering mineral sparks. It’s still very closed on the nose and palate, needing 5-7 years to really show its stuff. It should easily cellar 30 years and beyond.
Simply a wonderful wine, the 2021 Maya oozes class, with deep, complex aromas of violets and cassis, earthy loam and hints of tobacco and mint. It's just medium to full-bodied, cool, silky and finessed. Supremely elegant but concentrated, just reined in, restrained. She's the "perfect" girl, the one so special a younger me would be afraid to ask out. The current me is married, so... I'll just sit here and drink it in. Readers should drink it in too. All of it, from the upfront fruit to the lingering, savory finish. While approachable now, this wine should continue to drink well for two decades or more.
About the producer
Dalla Valle Vineyards was founded in 1986 by Naoko and her late husband Gustav Dalla Valle, in Oakville. Initially they had wanted to create a luxury resort, but when they discovered the potential of the site, they changed tack and decided to make wine.