What I drank - November 16th 2012

Some of the more esteemed wineries in Napa Valley have some much demand that they need to implement a mailing list and then further a wait list. It can take years to receive allocation from many of these wineries. One of the cult producers of Cabernet is Dalla Valle. The Maya is highly rated by all the major critics and the second label is the Casa Dalle Valle, which happens to be the initial wine open to mailing list members. The 2004 Casa Dalla Valle still has the firm tannin you would expect from a young Oakville Cabernet. After 5 hours of decanting the dark fruits expressed themselves. What made this wine extraordinary was the complete mouth feel. The evolution from initial taste to mid palate to the finish is an incredible journey. The wine has a finish that seems to last for minutes. This wine could benefit from another 3-5 years in the cellar.