Our annual offering of Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of some of the best blocks that grow on our estate property. The vintage, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, was aged for 22 months in two-thirds new French oak barrels, giving the wine a round, burnished texture and elevated fruit intensity. Fresh berries, soil and dried hay give way to cinnamon, nutmeg, smoked meat and cassis. It is layered and lively, with a strong sense of place. Our vineyards, which sits 500 feet above the valley floor, consistently delivers wines of remarkable intensity, and in a special vintage like 2018, the experience is elevated. This wine will surely age gracefully for many years to come.
97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, which always includes a splash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, is incredible juice and a wine readers should seek out. Showing the quality and style of the vintage beautifully, it offers a captivating bouquet of crème de cassis, unsmoked tobacco, bouquet garni, and violets, with just a touch of foresty, earthy notes in the background. Aged 22 months in barrel (with a small amount in amphora), it’s full-bodied and perfectly balanced, with integrated acidity and a great finish. I love this wine and don't make the mistake of overlooking this while only focusing on the Maya cuvee.
97 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes soaring out of the glass with 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.
97 Points - Vinous
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful, explosive wine that is going to need a number of years to be at its finest. The 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. This is the first vintage that includes component wine aged in amphora. This is far from an easygoing 2018.
96 Points - Wine Spectator
This throws a lot at you from the get-go, with 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. Best from 2022 through 2038. 1,000 cases made.
95 Points - Decanter
A luscious, ripe but tucked-in expression of eastern Oakville Cabernet from Andy Erickson. The nose is voluptuous and chock full of ripe red and purple fruits surrounded by subtle toasted oak aromas. The palate is delectably sweet and concentrated, showing flavours of boysenberry, candied black cherries, fresh tobacco and brown sugar. A full-throttle wine but reigned in enough to still show poise and purity.
95 Points - James Suckling
This has a perfumed nose of violets, blueberry pie, vanilla and crushed walnuts. It’s full-bodied with firm, powdery tannins. Powerful yet fresh, with intense layers of blue fruit, flowers and wood spices. Better from 2022.
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