Dalla Valle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

Dalla Valle Vineyards sits among the most revered, influential, and coveted wine names in the world. Founded by Gustav and Naoko Dalla Valle, and for over 30 years now, they have firmly established themselves as one of the greatest cult wines, and one of the first in Napa Valley. A celebrated group of winemakers including Heidi Barrett, Mia Klein, Philippe Melka, and Andy Erickson launched incredibly successful careers while helping Dalla Valle rise to its prominence with the decades-long, lauded past vintages. This iconic estate’s vineyards are planted high in the iron-rich, volcanic soils of Oakville, on the eastern hillsides of the Vaca Mountains. The convergence of these soils with west-facing, sun-exposed vineyards planted on hillsides with a cooling marine influence, makes for a wine with intensely concentrated aromatics and phenolics, pronounced minerality, lifting acidity, and boundless intensity. With Rudd Estate, Screaming Eagle, Joseph Phelps’s Backus Vineyard, and Peter Michael’s Au Paradis Vineyard, there is no denying that this special corridor of Oakville is destined for creating nothing but exceptional wines. 

A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the initial impression of the wine is layered and lively, bright, and with ample structure. This vintage is incredibly flavorful, with appealing notes of fresh berries, iron-rich soil, and dried hay, giving way to cinnamon, nutmeg, smoked meat, and cassis. It is mouthwatering on the entry, across the palate, and on the finish, which lasts for nearly a full minute. This is a wine that is generous and expressive right now, but, given the strength of its fine-grained tannic backbone, will continue to develop and age for many years to come. If you choose to drink now, allow time for a hearty decant. Dalla Valle Vineyards has a wait list for their wines a mile long so we at ACME are incredibly excited and honored to be able to share this truly classic wine with you.