Dalla Valle Maya | Napa Valley Red Wine 2012 / 750 ml.

Aromatic lift, precision and intensity are the signatures of the 2012 Maya. Savory herbs, mint, violets, spices and red cherry jam are woven together in an intricate fabric of flavors and textures that captivate all the senses. Pure power and finesse are rarely found together to this degree. Readers who can find the 2012 are in for a real treat. This is an utterly magnificent Maya.

The 2012 Maya is surprisingly deep and powerful in this vintage, with none of the early appeal of the estate’s other 2012s. Today, the Maya is dark and brooding, with tons of intensity to match its massive, virile personality. Readers will have to be patient, but the 2012 is a special wine that much is clear.

Dalla Valle was the first winery to demonstrate what heights Cabernet Franc could reach in the valley with their Maya proprietary blend, which averages 50–55% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2012 Maya is a spectacular offering. I recently had the 1991 (made by Tony Soter) and it is still drinking exceptionally well. In fact, it could still be called an adolescent at 23 years of age. The 2012 Maya is already revealing great complexity with notes of forest floor, licorice, truffles, red and blackcurrants and a hint of graphite. The beautiful aromatics are followed by an equally majestic, full-bodied, multidimensional wine of great class and elegance. This sensational effort should drink well for 25–30 years.