Dalla Valle

The history

Naoko and Gustav Dalla Valle moved to Napa Valley in 1982; Naoko originally came from Japan, and their vineyard was planted on the hillside east of the valley floor. First Cabernet was produced from young vines in 1986, and its taste, strong in tannins and sharp, reflected that fact. Several vintages from the late 1980s struggled to complete malolactic fermentation, the secondary fermentation that softens the harshness of red wine.

In 1989, Maya, named after the couple's daughter, was born; this wine was the first to showcase the vineyard's true potential, even though it happened to be a vintage with heavy rainfall. Under the guidance of winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett, the quality continued to improve as the vines matured.

In the mid-1990s, Gustav passed away, and almost simultaneously, the vineyard began to suffer from disease. Naoko Dalla Valle had to undertake the replanting of portions of the vineyard on her own. She wanted someone with deeper knowledge of viticulture for the task, so she brought in Tony Soter and his assistant, Mia Klein; Mia Klein took full charge of winemaking starting in 1995.

Naoko later remarked that the replanting wasn't entirely a bad thing, because the vineyard now expresses the characteristics of its terroir much more authentically than the early wines had.

Eighteen blocks, one plateau

An approximately 8-hectare vineyard surrounds the family home and winery located at Dalla Valle. In other words, for such a well-known name, the estate is relatively small in scale.

Because of this slowly rising hill and location, the vineyard receives sun and wind in equal measure and is more or less situated on a plateau rather than a continuous slope. Thanks to this topography, the vineyard is divided into 18 plots, each managed separately season by season according to its specific needs.

Work is carried out according to biodynamic principles, and the soil is regarded not merely as a medium for growing crops, but as a living system. There is no room for haste in this process. Much of the team's knowledge has been gained through decades of observing the same vineyard. Some of these vines have been rooted in this soil for a very long time.

The terroir

The primary factor distinguishing the Dalla Valle vineyard from Oakville vineyards on the valley floor is elevation. In the highland region, temperature accumulation varies by season, resulting in different ripening patterns across each plot.

The subsoil here is, unusually for this region, iron-rich volcanic soil mixed with clay and ancient rock. Thanks to this geological diversity, the winery explains that it exhibits a rare variety of expressions within a very small area, which is precisely why they cultivate 18 individual plots rather than a single vineyard.

Naoko and Gustav leveraged this diversity when deciding which varieties to plant where, matching each variety with the soil best suited to it. The resulting wines are deep in color and possess a firm structure, with the minerality and savory notes that have become the winery's signature style since the vineyard reached maturity.

Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc

The three red grape varieties grown throughout this vineyard are distributed as follows:

• Cabernet Sauvignon, 68%
• Cabernet Franc, 30% (a fairly high proportion relative to Napa Valley)
• Petit Verdot, the remaining 2%

The blending percenates differ per vintage and per wine.

The winemaking

Dalla Valle is quite straightforward about how decisions are made in the wine cellar: through tasting. While numerical data, analysis results, and technical indicators all exist and are utilized, they serve as a means of verification rather than guidelines.

The vineyards are inspected by person before harvest and, after harvest, each barrel is teated and inspected as individually. The wines must develop on their own, by nature, and not guiding it towards a pre determined goal.

This is a process based on teamwork rather than the individuality of a single winemaker; it is the result of a collaborative effort by people who have tended the same vineyard together for many years.

The wines

Maya is the wine that made this winery famous. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this wine is named after the founder's daughter and is produced in much smaller quantities than the winery's other red wines.

In addition, Dalla Valle features Cabernet Sauvignon produced on the Oakville hillside, which is listed under the winery's name, and also includes MDV and Collina. All red wines are made from the same three grape varieties grown on the same plateau.

Both of these long-established wines have a rich history and distinct characteristics. Cabernet Sauvignon is the firmer and more robust of the two, with mineral and sage notes, while Maya possesses the richness and depth derived from Franc.

Production volumes are generally low.