Dalla Valle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Beautiful from start to a long finish. Best for me of the 98-01 vertical!

2000 vintage

Simply beautiful. No sign of any age other than some tertiary notes of cedar and tobacco… But the bright red fruit combined with hint of black cherry and Baker’s chocolate dominated. Crisp acidity, silky tans, and a beautiful long finish – a huge crowd pleaser – drinking in the perfect window!

2000 vintage

Tasted blind next to the 2000 Pape Clement. Ripe nose of blackcurrant, hints of bacon. There’s good balance here but the Cab notes are distinct. Slightly bitter finish.

2000 vintage

OG dinner : My extra since I was afraid that the brett in the Ducru wouldn't blow off. Ripe, concentrated fruit without being overdone, very impressive that this made experienced tasters wonder if it was a Bordeaux. I did find some liquorice and sweetness that betrayed its new-world origins, but a new-world Cab with 13.5% alcohol is always a winner in my book.

2000 vintage

Pure and precise wine with ripe fruits. I was between warm right bank and Napa for this wine. Really showing well with understated characteristics for a new world wine. Preferred over Ducru for the evening.

2000 vintage

Delicious and tasting much younger than expected. Tannins have faded and acidity has softened. Fruit is dark with some cherry and slight sweetness. Best bottle yet. Could last another 10 years but I am out!

2000 vintage

this Cabernet Sauvignon from the turn of the millennia is drinking beautifully. Barely a hint of age, perfect storage perfect cork. Purchased on release, on the nose beautiful crushed berries mocha and a hint of earth. Incredible mouth feel with dark fruit flavors and chocolate finishing with incredible length. Sadly this is my last bottle from the case I bought over 20 years ago… But it’s in its prime.

2000 vintage

Spectacularly good right out of the bottle, with sweet red cherry fruit and a beautifully perfumed nose with layered fruit and aromatics. Drank well with extended air, although a hint scorched earth showed up later. I'd say this is at the tail end of peak but should hold strong for several more years. Recommend not decanting if you have these. Last bottle of 7 and would love to source more at the right price.

2000 vintage

ESTG Year-End Tasting (Newcastle, WA) : Deep, pungent, grilled plum, shocking ripeness and concentration for a 2000, spicy, mint, slightly leafy.

2000 vintage

We decanted for over 2.5 hrs before trying and drank it along side a 2008 freemark abbey Howell mountain merlot. This wine was great, but my expectations were slightly let down. The fruit tasted a little older than I was expecting, I think it is slightly over the hill There was mostly leather, licorice, and stewed or dried fruit.. I expected a little more depth.., but the fruit tasted older than I thought it was going to. (I’ve tried older …

2000 vintage

Flawed

2000 vintage

It's hard to believe that this wine was 22 years old. It was so fresh! The tannins had certainly resolved, and the resulting wine was pure pleasure. Lovely fruits on the palate - blueberry compote, strawberry, plums, and some sort of spice mix all came to mind. Popped and poured, then drank over two days. The wine didn't seem to need much air to start strutting its stuff. It also didn't appear to change much from one day to the …

2000 vintage

Quite Nice once it opened.

2000 vintage

Drinking beautifully elegant.

2000 vintage

Consistent with my last note, this wine is firing on all cylinders.

2000 vintage

Adding a point since my last bottle. What a beautifull aged Napa Cab! I could just smell it all day long...

2000 vintage

Coravined 1 glass with aerator. Straight out of the bottle kicking. Old leather and red fruits mainly. After 20/30 min in the glass the tannins are very smooth. Very pleasant and at peak, drink up!

2000 vintage

Glorious right out of the bottle. Nose of earth, tobacco and red fruits. Mostly red fruits, with some leather and earth on the palate. A beautiful example of aged Napa cab, even if it was a difficult vintage.

2000 vintage

Great fruit and acidity. Will last a very long time

2000 vintage

Smooth and easy like a Sunday morning

2000 vintage

Big rich. Delicious. Raspberry. Has many years to go. Great balance

2000 vintage

This was a great aged Napa cab. Notes of black fruit and cassis on the nose and flavors of baking spice and tobacco leaf on the pallet. The 2000 is at it's peak if not on the way down so drink up.

2000 vintage

Enjoyed with a cowboy ribeye steak at Ruth’s Chris. Fully mature and complex. Lovely.

2000 vintage

Another beautiful bottle that showed well with minimal air time. Brought it to a friend's birthday and it didn't last long enough to see how it would evolve with more air. In my estimation this is at peak and will hold there for a few more years. Probably not a wine for additional extended aging.

2000 vintage

Purchased more of this based my enjoyment of the last bottle, in late 2016. This continues to age well, and I'm glad I went for a re-up. The cork broke in half on this bottle - felt fortunate to have a Durand available. Right off the bat, a very fresh, perfumed nose of wild berries, earth and fresh leather. Based on that I did not decant, but let it slow ox in bottle until dinner - about two hours. With …

2000 vintage

Pristine bottle. Probably would have guessed mid 2000s based on color and weight. This was still singing with bright cherry and pencil lead. A well stored bottle should be fine to keep

1991 vintage

A little pruny stewed fruit taste.

1991 vintage

Purchased quite a few on release and forgot I still had one. Certainly holding well but really has not developed much. Still showing ripe black fruits with somewhat stern tannins. It has softened up over the years but is not melding into what I want from a well aged bottle of cabernet blend. More like persists rather than gaining with age.

1991 vintage

These wines have never shown well for me despite pristine storage conditions. Not quite past their prime yet showing few signs of what they once were. Every time I open a bottle I hope to see a glimmer of excitement only to find disappointment.

1991 vintage

Showed beautifully. Still together... Provenance is everything!

1991 vintage

As expected due to 24 years of slumber this looked and tasted disjointed. After a four hour decant the dark and deep fruit folded back in, quite common for Dalla valle 1990 thru 1993. Prunes gave way to dark currant, some tannins and acid back bone evident. Tobacco leaf, cigar box, mushroom and earth. Still a great wine. Drink now thru 2022

1991 vintage

at first it was mostly pruney but after it was decanted and aerated it opened up with chocolate and anise flavors with hints of bluberries. not bad but past its peak

1991 vintage

Nice nose of full ripe fruit. Sweet on the palate but as noted by others a bit pruney. Tannins are all settled now, but the wine seems out of balance to me.

1991 vintage

One can only hope for transformation in the decanter. First impressions are of a port-like and medicinal. The only fruit notes are of prunes and raisins. The finish still has wood and tannins aplenty. I am going to leave this aside for an hour or so. After two hours, sadly there was no such transformation. This wine is dead.

1991 vintage

Last bottle and did it right this time. Decanted for 3 hours before consuming. In a lineup that included 84 Montelena, 91 Mondavi Reserve, 92 Dominus , and several others, all were 94+ points IMOP, but this might have been the freshest and perhaps have the longest life Remaing.

1991 vintage

Last bottle of the evening and was not even finished despite the willingness of the spirit. Lots of wood and narrow, green pepper overtones. Perhaps the '91 is over the hill...

1991 vintage

Did not have time to decant. Big mistake...never opened in the glasses....

1991 vintage

Consistent with last notes - big, brooding Cab with a tannic backbone that is balanced by lovely fruit and enhanced by its terroir. So sorry this is my last bottle.

1991 vintage

Drank together with the 1990 and the 1992. Though less balanced than the other two, I felt this was the most expressive of all, with the fruit being the strongest of the three, as well as more acidic... which are to my liking. Still 3-5y of life left, but certainly enjoyable now.

1991 vintage

Nose garnet with an orange rim. Nose was of a 40 yo Bordeaux, somewhat Over the hill, but with some spiciness. Taste was better than the nose, spicy, tobacco, forest floor. Drink 'em if ya got 'em.

1991 vintage

Dark, big, powerful, earthy wine with lovely berry fruit and hints of coffee.

1991 vintage

Similar fruit profile to the 1992 that proceeded it. Fully mature dark red cherry with cassis and some mocha and chocolate on the mid palate. Tannins are smooth and silky. Nice body and mouthfeel. Edged out by the 1991.

1991 vintage

1991 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon is stuffed with black raspberry, tobacco, earth, cassis, espresso and cigar ash. From a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot, this powerful wine has years to go.

1991 vintage

Showed little fruit and plenty of structure out of the bottle. With some air, the fruit started to show, but I would say this is starting to fade and is a very good, but not great, DV cab. B+/A-

1991 vintage

April Fools Dim Sum; 4/2/2011-4/3/2011 (Seattle, WA) : Dark maroon. Great nosed emblematic of aged Cabernet. Dark red currant with some mint and pepper. Full bodied, showing complexity on the palate. More currant with hints of darker fruit. Medium acidity with herbal and mint flavors mixing with the fruit. Still showing tannic structure, but well integrated and softer with age. Good length. Another wine that would show even better by itself with dinner.

1991 vintage

Sampled 3/5/11. Ruby color with a little bricking at the edges. Almost no sediment. Although not throwing off any meaningful sediment, the fruit is starting to fade compared to my prior experiences with this wine. The eucalyptus notes I also remember were more faint in this bottle. Some sweet black and red fruits, but the sweet tannins were coming through more. The acidity is just high enough to make this wine go best with food, although the wine is certainly …

1991 vintage

This wine is clearly on its death bed, but not going quietly. In terms of appearance, there is only the slightest tint of orange-brown on the edge. Otherwise, deep red hues resonate throughout the glass. First smells and tastes were port like, suggesting that syrupy, definitely past its prime impression. Dark flavors caused an initial "should I hurry and open something else before dinner" reaction. With equal parts laziness and hope, I decanted with huge amounts of sediment still left …

1991 vintage

Cab's at the Capital Grille (Minneapolis) : Sadly, this bottle had passed it's peak. No rating.

1991 vintage

Ripe wine, with opulent dark fruits. A bit top heavy. Firm, slightly grainy tannins. Well structured, and still fairly youthful. Nice wine.

1991 vintage

Should have decanted this wine. Initially it was very closed and ungiving, but after an hour or so, it opened and brightened. This is a very good Cal cab. It can go for another 15 years at least. Very concentrated, deep red color, very nice acidity, alcohol in balance, just needs more time. Surprised me.

1991 vintage

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Dalla Valle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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