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.