TN: 1997 Dalla Valle Cabernet

WINE TALK
1

Had this tonight at Bottega. I bet a fair dose of people here have it, so here are my detailed thoughts…

1997 Dalla Valle Cabernet, Napa Valley, $?
This was decanted and immediately consumed. Less than a half-thimble of sediment in the bottle. Translucent deep ruby. No bricking at all. But the color is losing density in the middle. Medium-bodied. Really excellent and classy right away, with red fruit flavors and a slight spice note with a touch of cedar. At the perfect point where fruit flavors are starting to give way to cedary aromas. For me, this is the prime drinking window for Napa Cabs. After just 30 minutes it started to lose some steam and the aromas lost some complexity. I believe this was due to decanting, which we did because we did not know how much sediment it had. I recommend drinking straight from the bottle unless it will be all consumed within a half hour. Too much air hurts it. When at it’s peak is like Cindy Crawford circa 1989 in a black dress; sexy but classy and very American. As good as I hoped, I just wish I had not decanted. For me, this wine will not get better and it is time to drink up. Prototypical aged Napa Cab as it should be.
94pts

2

thanks for the note…i do have few of these :slight_smile: sounds like its time to open one. release price was around $90

3

sounds good with Lobster and Dim Sum :stuck_out_tongue:

4

wine with dim sum…humm…they may not like that? have you ever taken bottle to dim sum [shock.gif] ? hardcore…