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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

2023

Lombardi

Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir is a blend of clones 2A, 115, 667, and Pommard from Baer Vineyard, along with Clone 777 from Gap’s Crown Vineyard. It’s fermented in stainless steel and aged for ten months in a 38-hectoliter cask. Co-owner Tony Lombardi also runs a charity, Hilinski’s Hope, which focuses on raising awareness around mental health in young athletes. The wine is incredibly zesty and floral, with notes of blood orange and grapefruit zest, rich cocoa nibs, and clove spice. Everything comes together in a full-flavored, medium-bodied expression with a velvety finish.

2023

Sean Minor

Signature Series Chardonnay

This 100% Chardonnay is sourced from several vineyards within Sonoma Carneros, including a small portion from the estate property. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, 20% of which were new, it’s a ripe, full-throttle, tropical-scented Chardonnay with a supple palate and toasty oak spices interlaced with baked apple and pear, all drizzled with a touch of lemon cream. Sean Minor Wines was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife team Sean and Nicole Minor, and is still family-owned and operated. In 2023, their daughter, Elle Minor, joined the team as winemaker. Wines are made from a combination of estate fruit and fruit purchased from sustainably farmed sources throughout California.

2023

Sean Minor

Signature Series Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir hails from select Sonoma Carneros sites and was fermented in open-top stainless steel tanks before being pressed into French oak barrels—a mix of toast levels—where it completed malolactic fermentation and aged for 10 months, 20% new. It’s a soft, seductive, and full-bodied Pinot Noir with creamy dark cherry fruit, spiced plum, clove, and wet slate notes. Lengthy and fruit-driven on the finish. Sean Minor Wines was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife team Sean and Nicole Minor, and is still family-owned and operated. In 2023, their daughter, Elle Minor, joined the team as winemaker. Wines are made from a combination of estate fruit and fruit purchased from sustainably farmed sources throughout California.

2023

Vaughn Duffy Wines

Pinot Noir

This 125-case cuvée is sourced from three vineyards spanning the interior Sonoma Coast—Baer, Bacigalupi, and Sangiacomo. Winemaker Matt Duffy selected barrels that expressed particularly coastal, savory tones inspired by the region’s cool-climate character. Some fermentations included whole clusters to add structure and spice. The result is a beautifully balanced Pinot Noir with layered aromatics, coastal energy, and textural depth. Aromas of black cherry and fig mingle with applewood smoke and apple blossom, enhanced by brown baking spices, clove, and stony minerality. Juicy and supple on the palate with zesty acidity, it’s a vibrant, finely tuned expression of site and season. Vaughn Duffy is a small, family-owned winery based in Sonoma County, producing 3,000 cases annually and specializing in Pinot Noir. The wines are made by forklift-wiz-turned-winemaker Matt Duffy, who co-founded the winery in 2009 with his wife, Sara Vaughn.

2023

Williams Selyem

Coastlands Vineyard Pinot Noir

The Coastlands Vineyard is owned by Ross Cobb, and 2023 marks the final vintage that Williams Selyem will produce from this site. Aged for 16 months in 62% new French oak and 38% one-year-old barrels, the wine wine shows an incredible sous-bois character—local redwood, mineral-rich intensity, and all the wild forest nuance this coastal site is known for. Layers of pomegranate seed, bergamot, red fruit, grapefruit zest and zippy, zingy acidity unfold alongside a distinct sea-salt complexity. There’s a vibrant, refreshing acid spine and even a touch of blood-orange citrus. Dark-fruited, laser-focused and intense, this is a wine built for the long haul—one that will age for a very long time.

2023

Williams Selyem

Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir, sourced from Hirsch Vineyard, and aged for 16 months in 43% new French oak and 57% one-year-old barrels, this red utilizes fruit from a handful of clones—including Pommard, Mt. Eden and Clone 114— from older vines on the East Ridge. Jeff Mangahas notes that you really have to coax the aromatics out of this wine, because there’s a strong maritime-saline influence that comes through—subtle red-berry tones layered with deep forest notes. The attack is driven by beautifully fine tannins balanced by a succulent mid-palate fruit weight. Those tannins linger with a crushed-mineral, crushed-rock and apple-skin character.

2023

Williams Selyem

Precious Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir

This 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from Precious Mountain Vineyard and was aged for 16 months in 67% new French oak and 33% one-year-old barrels. Jeff Mangahas notes that Williams Selyem has been making this wine since the late 1990s. The vineyard sits near Hirsch, and includes some of the oldest vines in the area, with plantings going back to 1971. It was originally planted to Alsatian varieties, and today it remains completely dry farmed. That dry farming coaxes out the wild side of Pinot Noir, giving this wine a rich underbrush character—super intense—with notes of leather, ironstone earth, blueberry compote, fresh blueberry fruit and fig paste. The tannins are the most robust of their entire lineup. Full-bodied and full-flavored, it shows incredibly deep, fleshy fruit, yet the wine still feels fresh, vibrant and totally intense.

2023

Williams Selyem

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

The Sonoma Coast bottling is bright, crunchy and elegant, with more impactful tannins than even the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir—which has its own impressive textural range. This wine is fresh, inviting and dark-fruited, showing rich conifer and redwood-bark notes, with layers of texture built on a velvety core and grippy apple-skin tannins. Gorgeous cedarwood aromatics mingle with sage, wet stone, clove and citrus zest. A blend of 100% Pinot Noir fruit from Falstaff, Putnam, Starkey and Terra de Promissio, aged for 11 months in 42% new French oak and 58% one-year-old barrels.

2023

Williams Selyem

Terra de Promissio Vineyard Pinot Noir

Sourced from Terra de Promissio Vineyard, which sits in the Petaluma Wind Gap, planted in 2002 to Dijon clones 115 and 777, along with Swan and Calera. Aged for 16 months in 67% new French oak and 33% one-year-old barrels, this 100% Pinot Noir is gorgeously perfumed, showing violet and blueberry coulis aromas with the wonderful natural crispness that defines this cool, windy corridor. Clove spice and wet slate add complexity, and the grippy tannin texture brings depth, energy and a sumptuous layering to the wine’s tension-filled profile. It captures this part of the world in a beautifully articulate way.

2024

Bob Cabral Wines

cuvee Acoustic Sunrise Chardonnay

Entirely from Bacigalupi Vineyard, native yeast fermented in barrel with malolactic prohibited. Barrel-aged sur lie in neural Marcel Cadet Barrels. The Acoustic Sunrise shows a juicy pear and peach-driven acidity, with plenty of pure fruit expression—apple and fresh pear at the core. A buttery, creamy leesy note adds textural silkiness, yet the wine remains vibrant and taut, thanks to scintillating acid tension from the lack of extended aging. The finish carries impressive fruit length and bright, energetic minerality. 93 cases made. ($75).

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Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2022

Producer

Name

This is crafted by Bob Cabral. Super-fragrant from the outset, with rose petal and rose stem notes, dark cherry, and dark slate, lifted by white pepper spice and fresh redwood forest nuances. Black tea notes support the super-dark, juicy, ripe fruit and macerated cherry character. Hints of tangerine peel and crushed cocoa nibs add detail, all carried by a velvety texture and impressive length.

2023

Producer

Name

This is a light, bright, zippy Chardonnay, boasting Sonoma Coast sea-spray minerality, subtle lemon and lime citrus, white flowers, and unsalted, unroasted almonds with a touch of almond-skin grip. There’s plenty of tension to carry this medium-bodied white well into the night or through a long meal, while a hint of sea grass and vanilla rounds it all out.

2023

Producer

Name

Anne Moller-Racke was the vineyard manager at Chateau Buena Vista from the early 1980s until 2001, when she helped establish Donum and remained there until 2019. During that time, she planted the Anne Katherina Vineyard in Carneros and, in 2013, began producing wine under her own label, Blue Farm. Total production is around 2,500 cases. The Sonoma Coast bottling is a blend of Anne’s vineyard sources and is poured mainly by the glass in local restaurants. She self-distributes in California. Once the fruit arrives at the winery, it’s sorted, given a light saignée, then cold-soaked for 3–5 days. As the must warms, fermentation kicks off in tank at cool temperatures for up to 19 days. Once dry, it’s pressed, and only the free run is used. The wine is aged in one-third new French oak for up to 17 months. This Pinot Noir is a bit coiled and very youthful, showing crunchy red berry fruit, chalky minerality, and a real earthiness—perhaps from the Wadenswil clone. Black tea–like tannins frame the palate as darker fruit emerges on the mid-palate and finish. There’s plenty of tension and freshness throughout.

2023

Producer

Name

Fresh and zesty, with a touch of grape-skin tannin and an intriguing, heady mix of white Rainier cherry, apricot and white peach, accented by subtle almond undertones. There’s also a gentle pop of tarragon or wild fennel and a super-salty core of crunchy orchard fruit and dried white-floral notes. Exotic, enticing and genuinely fun to drink. I’d pair this with a selection of farmers’ market hard cheeses and charcuterie.

2023

Producer

Name

Sourced from Heintz Vineyard and Bootleggers Hill Vineyard. Aged 12 months sur lie in 30% new Marcel Cadet, Tonnellerie Ô, and François Frères barrels. Unfined and Unfiltered. 263 cases produced. The wine is lifted and bright, offering wildflowers and crushed almonds with a subtle hint of vanilla. Fleshy orchard fruit brings generosity to the mid-palate, while saline acidity and wet river-rock minerality frame a taut, energetic wine. The long, cool growing season proved challenging for Chardonnay, though it favored Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. I’d suggest enjoying the hell out of the 2023 Chardonnay now, while holding the 2022 and 2021—begin pulling corks on those starting in 2027 or 2028. ($100)

2023

Producer

Name

The 2023 Electric Hippy is robust and richly styled, bold and generous yet framed by zippy, zesty acidity. A pop of cocoa powder freshness lifts the darker fruit tones, while earthy black tea tannins and fresh morel notes add savory depth, but the overall impression remains focused and precise. Vineyard sources include: Goldrock Estate, Campbell, and Heintz. Native yeast fermented, one-third whole cluster, aged for 16 months in fine French oak. ($125) 13.9% alcohol.

2023

Producer

Name

A dark and brooding Pinot with intense boysenberry, plum, and black raspberry fruits. Hints of leather, turned earth, and tobacco and tea leaves join the fray on the wonderful nose. It’s silky and substantial, but clearly has a mineral edge (and great structure) under all of that ripe palate fruitiness. – J.R.

2023

Producer

Name

Stoetz Ridge Vineyard faces east and is planted entirely to Clone 667. It’s a low-yielding site, and the resulting wine is quite pretty yet carries good heft and grip. There’s an old redwood-grove character here, with red cherry fruit and an elegance and prettiness that define the style. Good length and an easy quaffer. All night-picked with 5–20% whole cluster, given a two-day settle, then treated with a small sulfur adjustment before native-yeast fermentation. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and gradually tapers off, after which the wine is racked into roughly 35–45% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

Producer

Name

A medium-bodied, plump, and juicy Pinot Noir with a velvety texture, sourced from four vineyards: Terra de Promissio, Cut Root, Bucher, and Placida. The inclusion of 15% whole clusters adds a touch of grip, though the tannins are well-integrated and refined. Aged 11 months in 30% new French oak, the wine shows layered baking spice character—clove, nutmeg, and a touch of dusty minerality on the finish. Harmonious and inviting, it’s an effortlessly appealing Pinot Noir that’s all too easy to drink. Debra Mathay purchased Dutcher Crossing in 2007, and it now produces more than thirty wines from Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties, farming 75 acres of estate vineyards.

2023

Producer

Name

This 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from a collection of exceptional Sonoma vineyards, including Gap’s Crown, Lancel Creek, Terra de Promissio, and Durell. Aged for 10 months in 35% new French oak, the 2023 vintage marks the inaugural release of this wine—and what a debut it is. A Pinot Noir fireworks display of red cherry, clove, and mild Indian spices bursts across the palate, supported by firm, taut tannins with an iron edge, underscored by blood orange acidity and framed by a red floral and sweet-spice finish. Gary Farrell Winery has been a pioneer of the Russian River Valley wine scene for over 40 years.

2023

Producer

Name

A lip-smacking, deeply flavorful Pinot Noir that builds beautifully in the glass with high-toned rose petal florals, ripe cherry, cherrywood smoke, and clove, all coming together seamlessly on a creamy palate. It finishes with a fine thread of cool wet slate and salinity, driven by vibrant tension and energy. Quite delicious. This 100% Pinot Noir is barrel-aged for 11 months in 30% new French oak and is primarily composed of Pommard and Wädenswil 2A clones. Owner and Winemaker Erik Miller founded Kokomo Winery in 2004 (named after his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana). Miller partnered with fourth generation grower Randy Peters to craft wines from the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys.

2023

Producer

Name

For readers familiar with the Three Sticks expression of Gap’s Crown, this bottling shows the other side of the flavor coin. It’s a more focused, tension-driven take on the site—less fleshy, more mineral-layered and crunchy-fruited, yet still thoroughly delicious. A creamy core remains, with panna cotta–like vanilla notes, but here it’s framed by harmonious wet-stone minerality and that signature redwood-grove and clove spice. It hits all the classic Gap’s Crown markers, but with restraint and precision. Really impressive—and quite fabulous.

2023

Producer

Name

The backbone of this wine is Gap’s Crown, blended with fruit from Marshall in the Sebastopol Hills, Pratt–Sexton, Crane Canyon, Thorn Ridge and Pepperwood. A mix of clones—667, Swan, 115, 114, 828, Dijon selections and Clone 23—fermented in stainless steel, concrete and oak, then aged 16 months in 40% new French oak. Absolutely gorgeous coastal florals lead the nose, intertwined with sea-spray minerality and wet stone. Crunchy dark berry fruit drives the palate, joined by savory spice notes reminiscent of a damp redwood grove, clove, scorched earth, tangerine peel and grapefruit zest. A subtle incense-like minerality carries through to the firm yet inviting finish.

2023

Producer

Name

This Clone 15 Chardonnay comes from Baer Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The fruit is pressed off the skins quickly, then fermented in a mix of stainless steel and French oak, with very little new wood, and aged for ten months in Atelier and François Frères barrels. The wine shows vivid aromatics of candied ginger and elegant cedarwood, building into green apple and pear with a squeeze of lemon. Satiny textures and a well-balanced line of tension frame the palate. Crafted by winemaker Cabell Coursey and owned by Christine and Tony Lombardi.

2023

Producer

Name

This Pinot Noir is a blend of clones 2A, 115, 667, and Pommard from Baer Vineyard, along with Clone 777 from Gap’s Crown Vineyard. It’s fermented in stainless steel and aged for ten months in a 38-hectoliter cask. Co-owner Tony Lombardi also runs a charity, Hilinski’s Hope, which focuses on raising awareness around mental health in young athletes. The wine is incredibly zesty and floral, with notes of blood orange and grapefruit zest, rich cocoa nibs, and clove spice. Everything comes together in a full-flavored, medium-bodied expression with a velvety finish.

2023

Producer

Name

This 100% Chardonnay is sourced from several vineyards within Sonoma Carneros, including a small portion from the estate property. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, 20% of which were new, it’s a ripe, full-throttle, tropical-scented Chardonnay with a supple palate and toasty oak spices interlaced with baked apple and pear, all drizzled with a touch of lemon cream. Sean Minor Wines was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife team Sean and Nicole Minor, and is still family-owned and operated. In 2023, their daughter, Elle Minor, joined the team as winemaker. Wines are made from a combination of estate fruit and fruit purchased from sustainably farmed sources throughout California.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2023

2023 Sean Minor Signature Series Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Vaughn Duffy Wines Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Williams Selyem Coastlands Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$$

2023

2023 Williams Selyem Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$$

2023

2023 Williams Selyem Precious Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$$

2023

2023 Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Still Wine

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2023

2023 Williams Selyem Terra de Promissio Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2024

2024 Bob Cabral Wines cuvee Acoustic Sunrise Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

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