2019 Maya, Dalla Valle, Napa

One of the finest wines in the vintage is the 2019 Maya Proprietary Red Wine, and red wine doesn’t get any better. The usual blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, its deep purple hue is followed by an incredible bouquet of blackcurrants, tobacco, dark chocolate, and crushed stone, which turns more floral, pretty, and complex with time in the glass. Full-bodied on the palate, it marries a rare sense of elegance and finesse with incredible intensity. It’s impossible to resist today yet merits at least 5-7 years of bottle age, and I have no doubt this beauty will still be enjoyable at age 50. Bravo!

The clarity of fruit is so impressive with blackberry and blueberry aromas and so many violets. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and reserved, with very polished, strong tannins that are long and well-formed. There’s freshness and brightness, though. A cool and toned young red. Try after 2025.

As fans know, Maya comes from a very special section of the estate vineyard, situated in the valley's eastern foothills, below Pritchard Hill and in the above the Oakville floor, overlooking Screaming Eagle. The blend is two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Maya slowly unfurls to reveal a firework display of redcurrant preserves, kirsch, boysenberries and wild blueberries, followed by iron ore, red roses, cardamom, fallen leaves and crushed rocks, with a waft of pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is stunningly graceful and refined, featuring exhilarating mineral sparks among the red and black fruits, finishing with so much brightness and energy. Breathtaking!

The 2019 Maya is fabulous. I can't remember a young Maya with this much sheer immediacy and allure at this stage. The purity of the flavors is just remarkable. Bright red/purplish fruit, spice, blood orange, mocha and mint are some of notes that open over time. There is plenty of tannin, but it is nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. I would not be in any rush to open a bottle soon. In 2019, Maya is more finesse than power.