Maya Dalla Valle

Winemaker

Maya was destined to be a winemaker. In 1987—the year she was born—her parents, Naoko and Gustav, planted Maya’s Vineyard, a 5-acre block of Cabernet Sauvignon that has become one of the most revered winegrowing sites in America. Growing up at Dalla Valle Vineyards, in the company of winemakers like Heidi Barrett, Tony Soter and Mia Klein infused Maya’s formative years with a sense of place and purpose that has come to define her adult life.

Early on, Maya was committed to earning her place in the family business before coming to Dalla Valle Vineyards. She holds a Master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology from Cornell University, as well as a Master of Business and Science in Vineyard and Winery Management from the esteemed Bordeaux Sciences Agro in France. Complementing her academic foundation, Maya has cultivated invaluable hands-on experience through her work with some of the world’s most revered estates, including Ornellaia e Masseto, Bodegas Rolland, Pétrus, and Château Latour.

In 2017, Dalla Valle Vineyards became a true multigenerational winery, when Maya joined the winery as director. “Dalla Valle is my home. It is also my family’s legacy,” says Maya. “I am so excited to be working alongside my mom. Dalla Valle is her life’s work, and what she has created is remarkable. I also know that the greatest wineries are judged in terms of decades and generations, and that our story is still being written. I am honored to be carrying our family’s legacy into the second generation.”