Dalla Valle Vineyards Maya 2023 (750ML)

99 Points, Joe Czerwinski, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "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..." 05/26

98 Points, Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter: "Sourced from the Maya blocks on the estate’s southern side, combined with Cabernet Franc from a parcel adjacent to Peter Michael’s Au Paradis vineyard, this wine is absolutely superb in 2023. Fermented in Maya Dalla Valle’s new winery using a combination of stainless steel and concrete, the estate is led by Maya Dalla Valle, daughter of founder Naoko Dalla Valle, with Andy Erickson and Michel Rolland consulting and Edgar Alfaro overseeing vineyard management. The wine is aged predominantly in French oak (78% new), with a small portion (2%) aged in amphora; the oak influence registers more as textural refinement than overt flavour. In this cooler vintage, the wine is perfumed and suave with polished tannins and a remarkably rich, black-fruit core that saturates the mid-palate. Savoury saline notes lend tension and drive, propelling an everlasting finish. There is tremendous depth of flavour here, yet it is framed by the energy and verve characteristic of 2023. (Drink between 2026-2040)" 02/25

99-100 Points, Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com: "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." 12/25

98 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous: "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. (Drink between 2028-2045)" 11/25