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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

2021

Rodrigue Molyneaux

Barbera

This 100% Barbera comes from the Rodrigue Molyneaux estate and was aged in 16.5% new French oak, with the remainder in neutral barrels. It’s like the Italian countryside you’ve seen from your car window but never stepped out to explore—until now. Red berry fruit is interlaced with minty nuances and eucalyptus character, building with intensity on the medium-bodied palate. It’s framed by iron-scented minerality and salty, firm tannins with a subtle cherry wood polish. An intriguing and transportive wine from the Livermore Valley; you don’t have to go to Italy to *feel* like you’re there.

2022

Augusta Vin

Vino Forte

This non-vintage dessert wine is blended in a solera style, with fortification occurring in tank midway through fermentation. Fortified with brandy distilled from wine, it’s a truly delicious and well-balanced example of the style. Aromas of candied cinnamon and red berry fruit lead to a palate brimming with luscious dark fig jam, licorice, and a touch of green olive, all accented by savoury Christmas spice. Despite its richness, the wine maintains a lifted freshness and finishes with crisp tension. A dessert wine you can confidently cellar, as it will develop added volume, intensity, and nutty complexity over time.

2022

Cuda Ridge Wines

Cabernet Franc

A blend of 92% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot, sourced from two blocks in the White Cat Vineyard (Clones 01 and 05), and aged for 18 months in French oak (45% new). This wine leaps from the glass—even without a swirl—with expressive notes of dried straw and Livermore Valley prairie grass, interwoven with black currant and subtle blueberry. Polished, silky tannins flood the mid-palate, where blue and black fruit show both weight and elegance. The finish is savory and scented, with building tannins, cocoa powder, and pressed wildflowers. There’s density, freshness, and energy throughout this expertly crafted Cabernet Franc.

2022

Cuda Ridge Wines

Melange d' Amis Red Wine

This blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec from White Cat Vineyard, along with Merlot from Thatcher Bay, was aged for 17 months in 60% new French oak. It’s a dark-fruited, velvety wine with graphite minerality layered with dried sage, scrub brush, and powerful tannins that lay a solid foundation for juicy dark fruit. The palate glides to a savory, mineral-driven finish. It’s a cool wine—in every sense: cooling in its supple dark berry expression, cool in its herbal lift, and just plain cool to drink for its enticing texture.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2021

Producer

Name

This 100% Barbera comes from the Rodrigue Molyneaux estate and was aged in 16.5% new French oak, with the remainder in neutral barrels. It’s like the Italian countryside you’ve seen from your car window but never stepped out to explore—until now. Red berry fruit is interlaced with minty nuances and eucalyptus character, building with intensity on the medium-bodied palate. It’s framed by iron-scented minerality and salty, firm tannins with a subtle cherry wood polish. An intriguing and transportive wine from the Livermore Valley; you don’t have to go to Italy to *feel* like you’re there.

2022

Producer

Name

This non-vintage dessert wine is blended in a solera style, with fortification occurring in tank midway through fermentation. Fortified with brandy distilled from wine, it’s a truly delicious and well-balanced example of the style. Aromas of candied cinnamon and red berry fruit lead to a palate brimming with luscious dark fig jam, licorice, and a touch of green olive, all accented by savoury Christmas spice. Despite its richness, the wine maintains a lifted freshness and finishes with crisp tension. A dessert wine you can confidently cellar, as it will develop added volume, intensity, and nutty complexity over time.

2022

Producer

Name

A blend of 92% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot, sourced from two blocks in the White Cat Vineyard (Clones 01 and 05), and aged for 18 months in French oak (45% new). This wine leaps from the glass—even without a swirl—with expressive notes of dried straw and Livermore Valley prairie grass, interwoven with black currant and subtle blueberry. Polished, silky tannins flood the mid-palate, where blue and black fruit show both weight and elegance. The finish is savory and scented, with building tannins, cocoa powder, and pressed wildflowers. There’s density, freshness, and energy throughout this expertly crafted Cabernet Franc.

2022

Producer

Name

This blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec from White Cat Vineyard, along with Merlot from Thatcher Bay, was aged for 17 months in 60% new French oak. It’s a dark-fruited, velvety wine with graphite minerality layered with dried sage, scrub brush, and powerful tannins that lay a solid foundation for juicy dark fruit. The palate glides to a savory, mineral-driven finish. It’s a cool wine—in every sense: cooling in its supple dark berry expression, cool in its herbal lift, and just plain cool to drink for its enticing texture.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2021

2021 Rodrigue Molyneaux Barbera

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Augusta Vin Vino Forte

-

$

2022

2022 Cuda Ridge Wines Cabernet Franc

Still Wine

$

2022

2022 Cuda Ridge Wines Melange d’ Amis Red Wine

Still Wine

$$

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