Reviews to live and buy by.

THE LATEST NEWS AND REPORTS

Cristaldi Hits the Slopes of Premiere Napa Valley This Week

It’s the week of February 16, 2026.  

The photo above was taken on February 24, 2023 during PNV week in Napa. This was an unusually cold week for Premiere, the annual winter barrel auction. The month of February was on the dryer side, sandwiched between a rainy January and March, but nobody will forget the majesty of the scene when all the surrounding mountains in Napa were snow-capped for a couple of days. It set the stage for one of the greatest Napa Cabernet vintages in 100 years. 

Cristaldi’s final verdict on the 2023 vintage for Napa Cab will hit American shores with Decanter’s May issue.

ICYMI: My Top 100 Wines of 2025 are here. Check it out.

Sonoma Buyers Guide: 340+ wines tasted, rated, and reviewed.

December visit to Livermore Valley: Over 40 new wines tasted in late December. Click on the image of Darcie Kent wines to see all the wines reviewed.

See all our regional coverage and Cristaldi’s work on Decanter via the quick links below. 

Your trusted source for reviews
on wine, spirits, food, and balanced living.
With a dash of humor for good measure.

Featured Article

The Truth About 100-Points

Be Less Serious, Okay?

Crush-Logo-3

Podcast

Cristaldi's Crush - Published Episodes:

Our latest review

Champagne Paul Launois Blanc de Blancs Monochrome #5 Extra Brut Grand Cru

100% Chardonnay from a 16-acre parcel in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, adjacent to ‘Clos de Mesnil’ (a source for Krug and Salon) …

This Week's Top Picks

Our current favorites, wines we are drinking right now. 

Cristaldi Score

2018 Champagne Goulin-Roulet Blanc de Noirs Origine Brut Premier Cru

Cristaldi Score

2018 Kalasi Cellars Kanchi Red Wine

Cristaldi Score

Champagne Paul Déthune Brut Grand Cru

Sample Submission: What's Your Cristaldi Score?

Any winery may submit new wines for review. Only subscribers may submit additional wines after the first submission (up to 10 or 20, depending on subscriber level).

Recent articles

MAILING LIST

The only email you want to open