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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

2020

Rodrigue Molyneaux

Nebbiolo

A blend of 94% Nebbiolo, 3% Barbera, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, all sourced from the Tabby Cat Vineyard. The nose is a striking homage to Piedmont, with classic notes of sour cherry, dried herbs, tobacco leaf, and dried blood orange. That vibrant sour cherry character carries through to the full-bodied palate, where it meets lively acidity, a meaty texture, wood spice, and a delicate flourish of dried rose petals. -JR

2022

Aperture

Proterra

The Proterra (formerly known as Nomad) is a blend of 82% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. The name changed with the 2022 vintage. Aged 22 months in 85% new French oak. The wine is dark-fruited and savory-spiced, with notes of fig paste, blackberry, cherry, and cherry pie, along with salted dark chocolate and black-tea tannins that are substantial — almost chunky — underscored by good acid tension. Fragrant sagebrush and bay laurel add layers of complexity and spice. It’s a long, full-flavored wine with full-bodied richness that finds balance in its acid backbone, an impressive feat given the vintage.

2022

Calluna Vineyards

Calluna Vineyards Cuvée CVC

This Bordeaux blend is composed of 37% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. Aged 21 months in French oak barrels, 20% of which were new, it’s a bold, full-bodied, and generously structured red. The nose and palate are layered with dark berry fruit and warm cedar spice, offering both richness and comfort. Notes of dark chocolate complement juicy, spiced plum and a hint of tart raspberry, all framed by firm yet polished tannins. The finish lingers with a touch of dried fig, adding depth and a satisfying sense of warmth. Founder and winemaker David Jeffrey established Calluna Vineyards in 2005, planting 12 acres of estate vineyards in Sonoma County’s Chalk Hill AVA, followed by an additional 5 acres in 2014. After earning his degree in viticulture and enology at Fresno State, Jeffrey apprenticed under Alain Raynaud at Château Quinault in Saint-Émilion.

2023

Aperture

Cabernet Sauvignon

The Cabernet is aged 18 months in 55% new French oak and 10% concrete. This is an ultra-delicious wine in 2023, with super expressive aromatics: dark berry fruit, tobacco spice, violet, graphite, and little pops of blue fruit. There’s a cocoa-powder tannin quality on the rich, layered palate, along with a chalky mineral complexity that drives the lengthy finish, all fueled by bright baking-spice notes and wild herbs. Sourced from SJ Ranch, Del Rio, Oliver, Farrow, and Aperture Estate. That freshness factor in this wine is partly the vintage, but also the highly technical winemaking going on here, and time spent in concrete. Just wow.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2020

Producer

Name

A blend of 94% Nebbiolo, 3% Barbera, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, all sourced from the Tabby Cat Vineyard. The nose is a striking homage to Piedmont, with classic notes of sour cherry, dried herbs, tobacco leaf, and dried blood orange. That vibrant sour cherry character carries through to the full-bodied palate, where it meets lively acidity, a meaty texture, wood spice, and a delicate flourish of dried rose petals. -JR

2022

Producer

Name

The Proterra (formerly known as Nomad) is a blend of 82% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. The name changed with the 2022 vintage. Aged 22 months in 85% new French oak. The wine is dark-fruited and savory-spiced, with notes of fig paste, blackberry, cherry, and cherry pie, along with salted dark chocolate and black-tea tannins that are substantial — almost chunky — underscored by good acid tension. Fragrant sagebrush and bay laurel add layers of complexity and spice. It’s a long, full-flavored wine with full-bodied richness that finds balance in its acid backbone, an impressive feat given the vintage.

2022

Producer

Name

This Bordeaux blend is composed of 37% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. Aged 21 months in French oak barrels, 20% of which were new, it’s a bold, full-bodied, and generously structured red. The nose and palate are layered with dark berry fruit and warm cedar spice, offering both richness and comfort. Notes of dark chocolate complement juicy, spiced plum and a hint of tart raspberry, all framed by firm yet polished tannins. The finish lingers with a touch of dried fig, adding depth and a satisfying sense of warmth. Founder and winemaker David Jeffrey established Calluna Vineyards in 2005, planting 12 acres of estate vineyards in Sonoma County’s Chalk Hill AVA, followed by an additional 5 acres in 2014. After earning his degree in viticulture and enology at Fresno State, Jeffrey apprenticed under Alain Raynaud at Château Quinault in Saint-Émilion.

2023

Producer

Name

The Cabernet is aged 18 months in 55% new French oak and 10% concrete. This is an ultra-delicious wine in 2023, with super expressive aromatics: dark berry fruit, tobacco spice, violet, graphite, and little pops of blue fruit. There’s a cocoa-powder tannin quality on the rich, layered palate, along with a chalky mineral complexity that drives the lengthy finish, all fueled by bright baking-spice notes and wild herbs. Sourced from SJ Ranch, Del Rio, Oliver, Farrow, and Aperture Estate. That freshness factor in this wine is partly the vintage, but also the highly technical winemaking going on here, and time spent in concrete. Just wow.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2020

2020 Rodrigue Molyneaux Nebbiolo

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Aperture Proterra

Still Wine

$$$$

2022

2022 Calluna Vineyards Calluna Vineyards Cuvée CVC

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon

Still Wine

$$

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