As part of the research for his Napa and Sonoma report, James recently spoke to two big-name wineries together over Zoom to hear about a "secret" project they had been working on together. DVO is a new joint venture between Napa winery Dalla Valle and Tuscan winery Ornellaia, and their first wine will be released in 2021.
Tuscany’s Tenuta dell’Ornellaia is a jewel of the Frescobaldi family estates, making wines that are not only among the best of Italy, but also some of the most collectible and sought after in the world. In turn, Dalla Valle Vineyards is one of Napa Valley’s most admired family-run wineries. These two 'first growths' of Tuscany and Napa Valley are now combining their skills to create a new wine, that James described as "a beautiful first release, refined and with a beautiful sensibility".
On the call along with James were Axel Heinz, winemaker at Ornellaia, and Naoko Dalla Valle and Maya Dalla Valle, founder and director respectively (and mother and daughter) at Dalla Valle. Watch the video to hear how this collaboration came about and to hear details of this first wine (tasting note below) and of the 2018 vintage.
DVO Napa Valley Rutherford 2018
Read the full Napa report here: NEW NAPA VALLEY WINES HIGHLIGHT HARMONY AND REFINEMENT WITH 2018 VINTAGE (1,093 WINES RATED)
