Ratings & Tasting Notes:

96 points Wine Advocate

Boasting an exceptionally deep, inky purple hue, this landmark red reveals a sumptuous bouquet of crushed rock, licorice, spice box, and subtle wood. The full-bodied palate is striking and deeply layered, seamlessly intertwining pure blue and red fruits into an incredibly concentrated profile. Delivering multiple dimensions of incremental richness, it shows flawless balance and a stunning 45-second finish, proving to be “one of the top wines of the vintage.” Robert Parker, December 2010

96 points James Suckling

An incredibly expressive and beautiful expression, this flagship bottle meets its lofty reputation with absolute precision. The bouquet opens with complex, seductive notes of tobacco leaf, leading into a palate that is full and rich. Framed by firm structural tannins that turn completely velvety at the end, it delivers a remarkably long finish that is built for extensive aging, showcasing “sublime aromas of milk chocolate, ripe blackberries and sweet spices.” James Suckling, June 2011

95 points Vinous

Alluring aromas of dark plum, blackcurrants, truffle, and sexy oak spices are lifted beautifully by an elegant touch of cocoa powder. It is an incredibly plush, wonderfully dense wine that carries a youthfully restrained sweetness underpinned by a serious, focused spine. Striking a beautiful balance, it shows immense potential for long-term cellaring, though it remains “a beautifully balanced blend but still needs another five or six years” to fully blossom. Stephen Tanzer, May 2018

Cult Wines International Notes:

Dalla Valle Vineyards stands as an absolute, iconic titan of Napa Valley’s elite cult landscape, founded in 1986 by Gustav and Naoko Dalla Valle on the sheer hillside benches of Oakville. Perched on a spectacular plateau overlooking the valley floor, the estate is globally revered for pioneering the profound potential of hillside Cabernet Franc, famously proving it can rival the world’s finest terroirs. Maya, named after the founders’ daughter and current managing director, represents the absolute crown jewel of the estate’s production. This legendary proprietary blend is a meticulous, block-selected marriage of equal parts estate Cabernet Sauvignon and old-vine Cabernet Franc. Grown on severe, iron-rich red volcanic soils that are constantly swept by cooling breezes from the San Pablo Bay, the low-yielding site produces an intensely concentrated, multi-dimensional masterpiece defined by an exotic gravelly minerality and a majestic structural grace.

The 2008 growing season in Oakville was a gripping, low-yielding test of viticultural precision, producing a vintage defined by immense structural power and exceptional longevity. Following a wet winter that saturated the deep soils, the cycle was hit by an unusually dry, severe spring marked by destructive late-April frosts that naturally thinned the crop load and reduced cluster counts. A remarkably warm, dry summer followed, lacking any major heat spikes and allowing the small, thick-skinned berries to undergo an incredibly steady, perfectly even phenolic maturation. The resulting fruit brought monumental concentration and striking acidity into the fermenters. The 2008 Maya emerged from this challenging season as an old-school blockbuster, marrying a dense, pitch-black core of dark fruits and sweet spices with rigid, chiseled tannins that have allowed the wine to evolve beautifully across nearly two decades of cellar aging.