The 2019 DVO (Dalla Valle Ornellaia) is a tour-de-force and wins our vote as ‘most likely to succeed’ new player on Napa’s Cult Cabernet scene!  2019 is only the second public release and is a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, demonstrating how well these two grapes blend together when crafted by two brilliant winemakers.  Maya Dalla Valle’s eponymous Cult Cabernet blend (also features Cabernet Franc) is one of California’s original five Cult wines and Axel Heinz is world-renowned for his craftsmanship at Italy’s Ornellaia and Massetto. The alluring bouquet shows fresh spring flowers, blueberry, raspberry, a hint of vanilla and subtle pipe tobacco in the background. Those delightful flavors continue and dance across the palate alongside semi-sweet cocoa, dark cherry, baking spices, and graphite. This is pure genius and a profoundly delicious cuvée, not only showcasing the talents of its makers, but the brilliance and freshness of 2019. We recommend decanting (minimum 30 minutes) if you pop a cork prior to 2025. Worthy of 99 points now, this thoroughbred will provide an exhilarating race through 2040 and could very well merit a triple digit score along the way. Bravo! (November 2022)

Dalla Valle Vineyards Winery

"DVO is a new joint venture between Dalla Valle and Ornellaia. The fruit for this new
wine comes from various sources around Napa Valley, including cooler areas such as
Coombsville and Mt. Veeder as well as Oakville. “It is about finding a more restrained
take on Napa without being too simplistic about 'Old World finesse with New World
personality,'” Ornellaia’s winemaker Axel Heitz told me over a Zoom call.

"There is a sense of friendship inherent in the wine. Maya Dalla Valle worked at Ornellaia
in 2013. When she did her master’s degree in Bordeaux, Axel was the advisor for her
thesis. “There is a common view between us about great wine,” Maya said. “We look out
for less obvious sites around Napa Valley. We didn’t want a predictable formula. We
wanted to include the coolness of high elevation, while still making a wine that speaks of
Napa Valley.

“There is a close link to Italy with Maya with her father,” said Axel, “but also what we
share as an Italian producer is trying to reflect sunny, warm climate—to try and bring
out complexity and finesse. To combine the ripeness and opulence of wines born of the
sun. In the great vineyard sites, you can have richness, opulence AND finesse.” –
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (1/14/2021)