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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

2021

Far Mountain

Myrna Chardonnay

A powerful, succulent, and well-built white, brimming with aromas and flavors of grilled citrus and peaches, a bit of cream, and plenty of spice and power. It feels relatively big, but a beautiful example of the style. – J.R.

2021

Serres Ranch

Buchanan Estate Grown Merlot

Named after Taylor Serres’ younger brother, Buchanan, this is a Merlot-heavy blend and always has been. Their Merlot has historically been sold to producers like St. Francis and Gundlach Bundschu. It’s a bold, robust expression with super-rich dark berry fruit, plenty of intensity and power, and generous toasty oak spice. This is no wimpy Merlot. Ripe mulberry notes unfold on the palate alongside warm brown and Asian spices, leading to a lengthy, full-bodied finish.

2021

Serres Ranch

Marshall Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon

Named after Proprietor Taylor Serres’ older brother, Marshall, this blend is composed of 76.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Malbec, and 3.5% Petit Verdot. All the fruit comes from a seven-acre block replanted in 2016 to multiple clones and rootstocks; each small lot is fermented separately before final blending. It’s a fantastic, full-bodied and robust Cabernet-based red, opening with rich cigar-box and dark-chocolate notes, toasty oak spice, and gobs of inky dark fruit. The palate is powerful, with muscular tannins and a righteous, indulgent, full-bodied finish. The most potent and forceful wine in the lineup, yet it still carries a polished edge to all that unctuous richness.

2021

Serres Ranch

Watriss Estate Grown Bordeaux

The Watriss is a Bordeaux-style blend named for the Watriss family, who owned the Serres Ranch in the 1800s. The composition shifts vintage to vintage; in 2021, it’s 30.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Malbec, 21% Cabernet Franc, and 21% Petit Verdot. This is a bold, full-bodied red with a rich nose of dark berry fruit and toasty oak that leans into cigar-box spice. The palate shows firm, building tannins and a cool, polished character to the dark berry fruit, layered with loamy earth that carries through the long finish.

2022

Saxon Brown

Fighting Brothers Zinfandel

Holy Zinfandel—this is honestly one of the tastiest Zins I’ve sampled in years. Kudos to Jeff Gaffner (winemaker and dad to Jason and Tyler, the ‘Fighting Brothers’), though the real triumph here is the internal balancing act: blending the many personalities of Zinfandel into a wine that feels wholly complete and seamless. Even at 15% alcohol, it tastes cool, balanced and refined. Classic red-berry Zin fruit lifts from the glass, while the core delivers fantastic concentration of mixed-berry and brambly-spiced flavors. Suave, seductive and silky, it envelops the palate and finishes with savory-spice nuances. A joyful, soulful wine.

2022

Saxon Brown

GMS Red Blend

Beautifully refined, filled with baking-spice and cedarwood accents, and lifted by floral notes that cascade through the wine. Juicy cherry and blackberry mingle with plum and pluot, creating a fragrant, flavor-packed profile. Medium- to full-bodied, with gentle tannins that support all that juicy fruit and warm spice, and a lingering wet-slate minerality. Just lovely.

2023

Auteur

Durell Vineyard Chardonnay

With Durell Vineyard, Kenneth Juhasz works with the flatter section of the site near the riverbed, close to the town of Sonoma. He began working with Durell in 2008, initially producing Pinot Noir from the vineyard. This wine is whole-cluster pressed, allowing for gentler extraction from the intact clusters and resulting in greater finesse. Fermentations are native and carried out cold, with no malolactic fermentation, followed by 15 months of ageing in neutral, tight-grained, light-toast French oak. The nose is supremely elegant, offering notes of lemon, anise, and sea-spray minerality. On the palate, a lovely creamy mid-palate is supported by a core of citrus-kissed acid tension, finishing with crushed-rock minerality. The wine is both generous and refined, yet remains focused, vibrant, and precise. It is a beautiful expression of this exceptional site, owned by Three Sticks Wines founder Bill Price.

2023

Ridge Vineyards

Pagani Ranch Zinfandel

Ridge’s Pagani Ranch Zinfandel was aged in air-dried American oak barrels, mostly used. The grapes were destemmed and crushed, with natural primary and malolactic fermentations, and pumped over a floating cap. The result is a savory, aromatic red offering mixed berry fruit, cedarwood, and sagebrush notes. On the palate, crunchy red fruit and apple-skin tannins mingle with underbrush and zesty blood orange acidity that’s lively, even slightly prickly, leading to a finish marked by building tannins and red-toned fruit nuanced by crushed cocoa nibs. Since 1991, Ridge has produced Zinfandel from the historic Pagani Vineyard on the western side of Sonoma Valley, where the majority of vines are between 90 and 120 years old, with some blocks replanted between 2013 and 2018. Ridge has been a Sonoma institution since 1962, known for its single-vineyard winemaking. COO & Head Winemaker John Olney is accompanied in the cellar by Shauna Rosenblum (formerly of Rock Wall Wine Company and daughter of iconic winemaker Kent Rosenblum), focusing on Lytton Springs.

2023

Sebastiani

Cherry Block Cabernet Sauvignon

This is the iconic wine of the winery. It includes fruit from their legendary old vines—massive, head-trained plants—along with some newer plantings. The blend is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot, aged 18 months in 70% new French oak. Mari Wells Coyle, VP of winemaking, says they aim to preserve the wine’s Italian heritage by maintaining bright acidity, which means embracing a slightly more gravelly tannin structure, a lower pH, and keeping that fresh cherry character front and center. And the wine delivers exactly that: vivid cherry fruit in spades, supported by a firm spine of crisp acidity and a gravelly, loamy earth character. Layers of leather, tobacco, and earth unfold across the palate, with a pop of English toffee on the long finish. The site is right on the way into the town of Sonoma, right at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains on the Sonoma side.

2024

Anaba

Picpoul Blanc

A vibrant, alluring, white crafted by Katy Wilson, this low production (140 cases) delight shows a fantastic middle palate of zippy acidity and floral tones. Vibrant citrus, lemon zest, melon, and white blossoms all make appearances on the nose and the palate. This is begging to be matched up with delicate seafood. – J.R.

2024

Sean Minor

Invited Series Denmark St. Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from Denmark Street Vineyard and pressed directly into locally crafted clay amphorae, where it completes both primary and secondary fermentation and ages for six months. The result is a lemony-bright, lime-zesty, white-floral, and high-toned aromatic wine with a lovely richness on the palate. Crisp, clean, and vibrant, it delivers acidity reminiscent of biting into ripe grapefruit. Intriguing baking spice notes—likely imparted by the amphorae—add layers of mineral iron and subtle Indian spice. Utterly fascinating. 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.

2024

Serres Ranch

Toots Estate Grown Aleatico Rosé

The Toots Rosé is made entirely from Aleatico—a grape variety most common in Italy, typically blended into red wines, yet thriving on the Serres Ranch, where just six acres are planted. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, it’s an exceptionally expressive rosé with a rich, luscious quality and a satiny texture. Ripe strawberry and cherry tones lead the way, lifted by a fresh pop of grapefruit or blood orange and a zippy, mouthwatering finish. Super refreshing. The Serres family launched the brand in 2018, with the inaugural vintage released in 2022; they currently produce about 500 cases each year. Tim Milos and Derek Irwin are the winemakers.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2021

Producer

Name

A powerful, succulent, and well-built white, brimming with aromas and flavors of grilled citrus and peaches, a bit of cream, and plenty of spice and power. It feels relatively big, but a beautiful example of the style. – J.R.

2021

Producer

Name

Named after Taylor Serres’ younger brother, Buchanan, this is a Merlot-heavy blend and always has been. Their Merlot has historically been sold to producers like St. Francis and Gundlach Bundschu. It’s a bold, robust expression with super-rich dark berry fruit, plenty of intensity and power, and generous toasty oak spice. This is no wimpy Merlot. Ripe mulberry notes unfold on the palate alongside warm brown and Asian spices, leading to a lengthy, full-bodied finish.

2021

Producer

Name

Named after Proprietor Taylor Serres’ older brother, Marshall, this blend is composed of 76.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Malbec, and 3.5% Petit Verdot. All the fruit comes from a seven-acre block replanted in 2016 to multiple clones and rootstocks; each small lot is fermented separately before final blending. It’s a fantastic, full-bodied and robust Cabernet-based red, opening with rich cigar-box and dark-chocolate notes, toasty oak spice, and gobs of inky dark fruit. The palate is powerful, with muscular tannins and a righteous, indulgent, full-bodied finish. The most potent and forceful wine in the lineup, yet it still carries a polished edge to all that unctuous richness.

2021

Producer

Name

The Watriss is a Bordeaux-style blend named for the Watriss family, who owned the Serres Ranch in the 1800s. The composition shifts vintage to vintage; in 2021, it’s 30.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Malbec, 21% Cabernet Franc, and 21% Petit Verdot. This is a bold, full-bodied red with a rich nose of dark berry fruit and toasty oak that leans into cigar-box spice. The palate shows firm, building tannins and a cool, polished character to the dark berry fruit, layered with loamy earth that carries through the long finish.

2022

Producer

Name

Holy Zinfandel—this is honestly one of the tastiest Zins I’ve sampled in years. Kudos to Jeff Gaffner (winemaker and dad to Jason and Tyler, the ‘Fighting Brothers’), though the real triumph here is the internal balancing act: blending the many personalities of Zinfandel into a wine that feels wholly complete and seamless. Even at 15% alcohol, it tastes cool, balanced and refined. Classic red-berry Zin fruit lifts from the glass, while the core delivers fantastic concentration of mixed-berry and brambly-spiced flavors. Suave, seductive and silky, it envelops the palate and finishes with savory-spice nuances. A joyful, soulful wine.

2022

Producer

Name

Beautifully refined, filled with baking-spice and cedarwood accents, and lifted by floral notes that cascade through the wine. Juicy cherry and blackberry mingle with plum and pluot, creating a fragrant, flavor-packed profile. Medium- to full-bodied, with gentle tannins that support all that juicy fruit and warm spice, and a lingering wet-slate minerality. Just lovely.

2023

Producer

Name

With Durell Vineyard, Kenneth Juhasz works with the flatter section of the site near the riverbed, close to the town of Sonoma. He began working with Durell in 2008, initially producing Pinot Noir from the vineyard. This wine is whole-cluster pressed, allowing for gentler extraction from the intact clusters and resulting in greater finesse. Fermentations are native and carried out cold, with no malolactic fermentation, followed by 15 months of ageing in neutral, tight-grained, light-toast French oak. The nose is supremely elegant, offering notes of lemon, anise, and sea-spray minerality. On the palate, a lovely creamy mid-palate is supported by a core of citrus-kissed acid tension, finishing with crushed-rock minerality. The wine is both generous and refined, yet remains focused, vibrant, and precise. It is a beautiful expression of this exceptional site, owned by Three Sticks Wines founder Bill Price.

2023

Producer

Name

Ridge’s Pagani Ranch Zinfandel was aged in air-dried American oak barrels, mostly used. The grapes were destemmed and crushed, with natural primary and malolactic fermentations, and pumped over a floating cap. The result is a savory, aromatic red offering mixed berry fruit, cedarwood, and sagebrush notes. On the palate, crunchy red fruit and apple-skin tannins mingle with underbrush and zesty blood orange acidity that’s lively, even slightly prickly, leading to a finish marked by building tannins and red-toned fruit nuanced by crushed cocoa nibs. Since 1991, Ridge has produced Zinfandel from the historic Pagani Vineyard on the western side of Sonoma Valley, where the majority of vines are between 90 and 120 years old, with some blocks replanted between 2013 and 2018. Ridge has been a Sonoma institution since 1962, known for its single-vineyard winemaking. COO & Head Winemaker John Olney is accompanied in the cellar by Shauna Rosenblum (formerly of Rock Wall Wine Company and daughter of iconic winemaker Kent Rosenblum), focusing on Lytton Springs.

2023

Producer

Name

This is the iconic wine of the winery. It includes fruit from their legendary old vines—massive, head-trained plants—along with some newer plantings. The blend is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot, aged 18 months in 70% new French oak. Mari Wells Coyle, VP of winemaking, says they aim to preserve the wine’s Italian heritage by maintaining bright acidity, which means embracing a slightly more gravelly tannin structure, a lower pH, and keeping that fresh cherry character front and center. And the wine delivers exactly that: vivid cherry fruit in spades, supported by a firm spine of crisp acidity and a gravelly, loamy earth character. Layers of leather, tobacco, and earth unfold across the palate, with a pop of English toffee on the long finish. The site is right on the way into the town of Sonoma, right at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains on the Sonoma side.

2024

Producer

Name

A vibrant, alluring, white crafted by Katy Wilson, this low production (140 cases) delight shows a fantastic middle palate of zippy acidity and floral tones. Vibrant citrus, lemon zest, melon, and white blossoms all make appearances on the nose and the palate. This is begging to be matched up with delicate seafood. – J.R.

2024

Producer

Name

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from Denmark Street Vineyard and pressed directly into locally crafted clay amphorae, where it completes both primary and secondary fermentation and ages for six months. The result is a lemony-bright, lime-zesty, white-floral, and high-toned aromatic wine with a lovely richness on the palate. Crisp, clean, and vibrant, it delivers acidity reminiscent of biting into ripe grapefruit. Intriguing baking spice notes—likely imparted by the amphorae—add layers of mineral iron and subtle Indian spice. Utterly fascinating. 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.

2024

Producer

Name

The Toots Rosé is made entirely from Aleatico—a grape variety most common in Italy, typically blended into red wines, yet thriving on the Serres Ranch, where just six acres are planted. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, it’s an exceptionally expressive rosé with a rich, luscious quality and a satiny texture. Ripe strawberry and cherry tones lead the way, lifted by a fresh pop of grapefruit or blood orange and a zippy, mouthwatering finish. Super refreshing. The Serres family launched the brand in 2018, with the inaugural vintage released in 2022; they currently produce about 500 cases each year. Tim Milos and Derek Irwin are the winemakers.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2021

2021 Far Mountain Myrna Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2021

2021 Serres Ranch Buchanan Estate Grown Merlot

Still Wine

$

2021

2021 Serres Ranch Marshall Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon

Still Wine

$

2021

2021 Serres Ranch Watriss Estate Grown Bordeaux

Still Wine

$

2022

2022 Saxon Brown Fighting Brothers Zinfandel

Still Wine

$

2022

2022 Saxon Brown GMS Red Blend

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Auteur Durell Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Ridge Vineyards Pagani Ranch Zinfandel

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Sebastiani Cherry Block Cabernet Sauvignon

Still Wine

$$$

2024

2024 Anaba Picpoul Blanc

Still Wine

$

2024

2024 Sean Minor Invited Series Denmark St. Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

Still Wine

$

2024

2024 Serres Ranch Toots Estate Grown Aleatico Rosé

Still Wine

$

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