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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

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.

2023

Banshee

Cabernet Sauvignon

The Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon comes from estate fruit across Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Mountain, and Knights Valley. At its suggested retail price of $30, this is a fantastic value. It delivers a generous punch of savory Sonoma character—sagebrush, wild thyme, and bay laurel—wrapped around beautifully pure cassis and blackberry fruit. Elegant cedarwood spice adds lift, while fine tannins and earthy tension shape the palate. Super-pristine fruit and balanced structure make this a killer wine for the price.

2023

Chateau St Jean

Cinq Cepages

A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, 6% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 75% new French oak. Fruit is sourced from iconic sites including Vadasz in Sonoma Valley, Cherryblock, vineyards in Knights Valley and Alexander Valley, Lancaster, LookOut, Magnolia Ranch, the Chateau St. Jean Estate, and portions of Rancho Salina. The Foley family’s goal has been to restore this winery’s reputation, and with winemaker Mari Wells Coyle, it’s clearly on that path. I tasted the 2022 vintage and scored it 96 points—a remarkable wine from a challenging year. Here in 2023, a cooler and more forgiving growing season has produced another beautifully polished expression. The aromatics are classic Sonoma: bright, fresh red-cherry and forest-berry character, accented by fragrant sagebrush and white pepper. The wine is beautifully crafted and medium-bodied, with loads of energy. The tannins are refined and elegant, and the flavors are bright, lifted, and graceful. Such a delicious, high-toned, expressive wine.

2023

Cuda Ridge Wines

Cabernet Franc

A blend of 93% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, aged for 18 months in French oak (43% new). The Cabernet Franc is sourced from White Cat Vineyard in the Crane Ridge area on the eastern edge of Livermore Valley. Exceptionally bright and vivid, the wine shows crunchy red fruit alongside savory sage and tobacco notes, with Asian spices and white pepper shining on the palate. Medium-bodied with a creamy mid-palate, ripe currant fruit, and warming spice, it carries through to a savory, spiced, and floral finish. The frame is slightly lighter than the 2022, yet just as elegant and complex in flavor, with excellent length.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

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.

2023

Producer

Name

The Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon comes from estate fruit across Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Mountain, and Knights Valley. At its suggested retail price of $30, this is a fantastic value. It delivers a generous punch of savory Sonoma character—sagebrush, wild thyme, and bay laurel—wrapped around beautifully pure cassis and blackberry fruit. Elegant cedarwood spice adds lift, while fine tannins and earthy tension shape the palate. Super-pristine fruit and balanced structure make this a killer wine for the price.

2023

Producer

Name

A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, 6% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 75% new French oak. Fruit is sourced from iconic sites including Vadasz in Sonoma Valley, Cherryblock, vineyards in Knights Valley and Alexander Valley, Lancaster, LookOut, Magnolia Ranch, the Chateau St. Jean Estate, and portions of Rancho Salina. The Foley family’s goal has been to restore this winery’s reputation, and with winemaker Mari Wells Coyle, it’s clearly on that path. I tasted the 2022 vintage and scored it 96 points—a remarkable wine from a challenging year. Here in 2023, a cooler and more forgiving growing season has produced another beautifully polished expression. The aromatics are classic Sonoma: bright, fresh red-cherry and forest-berry character, accented by fragrant sagebrush and white pepper. The wine is beautifully crafted and medium-bodied, with loads of energy. The tannins are refined and elegant, and the flavors are bright, lifted, and graceful. Such a delicious, high-toned, expressive wine.

2023

Producer

Name

A blend of 93% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, aged for 18 months in French oak (43% new). The Cabernet Franc is sourced from White Cat Vineyard in the Crane Ridge area on the eastern edge of Livermore Valley. Exceptionally bright and vivid, the wine shows crunchy red fruit alongside savory sage and tobacco notes, with Asian spices and white pepper shining on the palate. Medium-bodied with a creamy mid-palate, ripe currant fruit, and warming spice, it carries through to a savory, spiced, and floral finish. The frame is slightly lighter than the 2022, yet just as elegant and complex in flavor, with excellent length.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2021

2021 Serres Ranch Buchanan Estate Grown Merlot

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Banshee Cabernet Sauvignon

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages

Still Wine

$$$

2023

2023 Cuda Ridge Wines Cabernet Franc

Still Wine

$

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