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Tasting notes
The 2023 Maya is two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc, matured in 75% new French oak, with a tiny proportion kept in amphora. It starts off gently leafy and floral, then builds to a crescendo of dark fruit—black cherries, blackberries and cassis—with hints of cedar and vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, it's concentrated and rich without any sense of weightiness, instead showing great length and freshness, culminating in a long, velvety and mouthwatering finish. Am I being stingy? Set up a comparison of this and the 2021 and let's see...
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Full bottle 1,470 g. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Cabernet Franc. Inky purple. Ripe cassis and blackberry fruit with stony, dusty minerality and sweet spice. Denser with firmer tannin than the Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon – far more concentration and weight. Built for the long-haul. It needs at least another four years in bottle before it enters its ideal drinking window. ~Samantha Cole-Johnson
The 2023 Maya brings the same intensity as the Cabernet Sauvignon, yet with another sense of elegance, offering notes of cassis, black cherries, graphite, crushed stone, and chalky minerality. Based on 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Cabernet Franc and aging 23 months in 80% new French oak, it's full-bodied and beautifully balanced with no hard edges and ultra-fine tannins. This is a heavenly, layered, gorgeous wine that has perfection written all over it.
The 2023 Maya is, without question, one of the wines of the vintage. What a wine. Silky, aromatic and exceptionally finessed, the 2023 is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. I have never tasted a young Maya with this much textural finesse and sheer polish. Floral Franc overtones open first, followed by crushed red-toned fruit, mocha, cinnamon, cedar and new leather. All the elements are so well balanced.
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.