Gustav Dalla Valle led a full life, before opening his winery.  Almost out of a different era, Gustav was a deep sea diver and more before the kick to make some wine kicked in and he purchased 25 acres off the Silverado Trail.

Unfortunately, Gustav didn’t live to see his project gain the consumer and critical acceptance that it now enjoys, he passed away in 1995.  Within a decade Dalla Valle had a full wine club and mailing list, as well as a waiting list for the mere ability to taste any of their wine at all.

I’ve joked at times that wineries with such a setup are living the good life, but that’s true here.  Since they’re so dang hard to get ahold of, I haven’t been able to try a Dalla Valle Vineyard wine myself as of yet, but each of their three offerings all bring wide consumer and critical acceptance.

Cabernet: the backbone of the winery and project, classic Oakville.

Maya: Cabernet Franc (a grape I LOVE, but we don’t see often enough!) based, with some Cabernet.

Collina Dalla Valle: Hillside Cabernet Sauvingon, all the rage these days on Atlas Peak and beyond, this is their version and helps to showcase that wineries off the Silverado Trail do gain significant elevation rather quickly to the east.

All in all, well, well worth a visit and a winery well worth including in any of our red wine clubs….if only they had any reason to sell us any wine!