DVO Red Wine Napa Valley 2019

Great minds think alike, and DVO is the glorious brainchild of a collaboration between two celebrated wineries in their respective regions, Dalla Valle of Napa Valley and Ornellaia of Tuscany. In creating this label, or winemaking “brain trust,” the families and teams of Dalla Valle and Ornellaia have paid homage to the traditions and history of winemaking while embracing the potential of a new frontier. They are striking an alliance of Old World and New World, with the understanding and trust of shared values as meticulous and thoughtful producers. For DVO, 2018 was an impeccable inaugural vintage with the pristine growing season in Napa, and then 2019 arrived to blow the debut release right out of the water. 

Legacy comes to mind when describing Ornellaia and Dalla Valle, established wineries with the next generation at the helm, seeking intriguing ways to push the boundaries and create new ventures. Each winery was started in the mid-1980s by families linked to wine through previous generations of Italian winemakers and grape growers, who conveyed a passion for quality and precision from the start. Naoko and Gustav Dalla Valle purchased their prized parcel of Oakville terroir in 1985 and planted their first vineyard in ‘86. The following year, these vines earned their name as the couple welcomed their first and only daughter, Maya. At the same time, across a continent and ocean, the Antinori family launched Ornellaia in 1985, mere miles from the Ligurian sea. Ornellaia began as and to this day is “an expression of the close bond between humans and nature.” Now owned by the Frescobaldi family, with 700 years of winemaking history, there is a celebrated reverence for tradition. And part of that tradition is constantly pursuing perfection and ingenuity through melding many perspectives.   

Leading Dalla Valle and Ornellaia into the next generation are winemakers and directors Maya Dalla Valle and Alex Heinz. The common thread between their two properties was evident when Naoko and Maya met Alex at the International Cabernet Symposium in the early 2000s. Alex’s role as director of winemaking and the estate for not only Ornellaia, but Massetto, places him in the center of the Super-Tuscan world, and with a wealth of knowledge of time-honored techniques. In 2013, Maya spent her first international harvest with the Ornellaia team, learning from Alex and strengthening their bond. His mentorship continued as Maya completed her Master of Business and Science degree at Alex’s alma mater, Bordeaux Science Agro. 

In Maya’s triumphant return to Napa, she has taken over as Winemaker for Dalla Valle, alongside consulting winemakers Andy Erickson and Michel Rolland. Her vintages are already garnering much acclaim, and as the first endeavor to cement her mark on Dalla Valle, she has teamed up with Alex to launch DVO. DVO is crafted to be a Napa Valley Cabernet with Tuscan sensibility. While the intention is not to re-create the Old World in Napa, their efforts hope to manifest a wine showing restraint, complexity, and a long life ahead.

The 2019 vintage is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc from the Coombsville, Mt Veeder, and Oakville appellations. Maya and Alex collaborate on all winemaking choices for DVO and, in 2019, selected 70% new French oak for the 22-month-long aging. High-toned aromas of black currants and underripe Bing cherries brighten the underlying and mellow notes of florals and dusty gravel. Layered, softened tannins carry through a long finish that coats the palate with delicate flavors of baking cocoa and winter spices.