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2018 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon

Minimum Bid is $165
Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

ITEM 9850751 - Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased at auction

Bidder Amount Total
$165
Item Sold Amount Date
I9836538 1 $165 Dec 22, 2024
I9752894 3 $165 Oct 27, 2024
I9752893 1 $165 Oct 27, 2024
I9663675 1 $165 Sep 8, 2024
I9645432 2 $165 Sep 1, 2024
2018 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon

RATINGS

97+ The Wine Advocate

...energetic notions of fresh blackberries, black cherries and cassis plus nuances of dark chocolate, kirsch, cardamom and tilled soil with a fragrant waft of violets. The full-bodied palate is densely packed with perfumed black fruit flavors, supported by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of mineral accents.

97Vinous / IWC

...a powerful, explosive wine...energy and raw intensity are so pronounced. Inky dark fruit, spice, menthol, licorice and cedar add striking aromatic nuance, but it is the wine's phenomenal balance that stands out most.

97Jeb Dunnuck

...captivating bouquet of crème de cassis, unsmoked tobacco, bouquet garni, and violets, with just a touch of foresty, earthy notes in the background...full-bodied and perfectly balanced, with integrated acidity and a great finish.

96Wine Spectator

...sassafras, sweet bay leaf and red tea notes leading off, before the core of red and black currant paste and boysenberry reduction starts to assert itself. Licorice and fruitcake accents check in late, with all the other elements falling into line easily through the lengthy finish. Distinctive and gorgeous.

95James Suckling

...perfumed nose of violets, blueberry pie, vanilla and crushed walnuts...full-bodied with firm, powdery tannins. Powerful yet fresh, with intense layers of blue fruit, flowers and wood spices.

94.7CellarTracker

PRODUCER

Dalla Valle

Dalla Valle was founded in 1986 by Gustav and Naoko Dalla Valle, who purchased 21 acres on a plateau overlooking Oakville, in Napa Valley. They planted the vineyards in Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and had their first harvest and crush in 1986. Since then the winery’s wines have become synonymous with quality and excellence. Dalla Valle produces a Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, and a very limited amount of a proprietary red named Maya, after the couple’s daughter. Maya usually contains 45-55% Cabernet Franc, and Robert M. Parker Jr., for one, has written that the finest Cabernet Franc in “the New World is from Dalla Valle’s vineyard.” Though Gustav Dalla Valle died in 1995, Naoko has continued to run the winery. Dalla Valle wines are generally available only through a mailing list. The average age of the vines is 14 years. Annual production of the Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is 2,000 cases. Annual production of Maya is 400 cases.

REGION

United States, California, Napa Valley

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

TYPE

Red Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.