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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

2022

Uplift Vineyards

Sangiovese

Uplift Vineyard’s Texas Hill Country 2022 Sangiovese,sourced from vines planted on ancient granitic soils amidst surrounding mountain ranges, is a red-toned wine marked by vibrant currant fruit and brown baking spice notes. It features intense, fine-grained tannins that are beautifully balanced by a foundation of blood orange acidity. The finish is complex, with nuances of dried wild herbs, pomegranate seeds, and cherry pit, adding depth to its long, satisfying conclusion.

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.

2023

Steven Kent Winery

L'Autre Côte

The 2023 L’Autre Côte is a blend of 85% Cabernet Franc from the Ghielmetti Vineyard in the eastern foothills of the Livermore Valley, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Lux Block of Bates Ranch, and 5% Merlot from the Zayante Vineyard — the latter two situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is a bright, vivid and expressive wine, bursting with blue and red fruit notes laced with lovely espresso-bean and clove nuances, a refined tobacco character and spiced-plum fruit. Cocoa-powder tannins build on the mineral-rich, wild-herb finish. Superbly classy, with a firm spine of acidity, it is one of the most balanced, complex and approachable wines from the area, and should age gracefully for at least two decades or more.

2023

Uplift Vineyard

Badu

The Badu, only made in the best vintages, is a blend of 41% Sangiovese, 43% Aglianico, 11% Montepulciano, and 5% Merlot, offering a super attractive red-fruited profile with beautiful black tea nuances and fragrant cedarwood spice. Medium-bodied, it presents apple skin tannins, white pepper notes, and crunchy red fruit, all scented with fresh rose petals and violets that carry through the wine from start to finish. I first tasted this wine in November of 2024, and since then, it’s put on some real weight, depth of fruit flavor, and the finish is long with saline-minerality that is incredibly inviting. Winemaker Claire Richardson, along with her full-time vineyard crew, is doing a phenomenal job crafting bright, fresh, and energetic wines that truly capture the essence of this slice of Texan countryside. The consulting winemaker is Jean Hoefliger. This wine is available in late 2026. 

Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2022

Producer

Name

Uplift Vineyard’s Texas Hill Country 2022 Sangiovese,sourced from vines planted on ancient granitic soils amidst surrounding mountain ranges, is a red-toned wine marked by vibrant currant fruit and brown baking spice notes. It features intense, fine-grained tannins that are beautifully balanced by a foundation of blood orange acidity. The finish is complex, with nuances of dried wild herbs, pomegranate seeds, and cherry pit, adding depth to its long, satisfying conclusion.

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.

2023

Producer

Name

The 2023 L’Autre Côte is a blend of 85% Cabernet Franc from the Ghielmetti Vineyard in the eastern foothills of the Livermore Valley, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Lux Block of Bates Ranch, and 5% Merlot from the Zayante Vineyard — the latter two situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is a bright, vivid and expressive wine, bursting with blue and red fruit notes laced with lovely espresso-bean and clove nuances, a refined tobacco character and spiced-plum fruit. Cocoa-powder tannins build on the mineral-rich, wild-herb finish. Superbly classy, with a firm spine of acidity, it is one of the most balanced, complex and approachable wines from the area, and should age gracefully for at least two decades or more.

2023

Producer

Name

The Badu, only made in the best vintages, is a blend of 41% Sangiovese, 43% Aglianico, 11% Montepulciano, and 5% Merlot, offering a super attractive red-fruited profile with beautiful black tea nuances and fragrant cedarwood spice. Medium-bodied, it presents apple skin tannins, white pepper notes, and crunchy red fruit, all scented with fresh rose petals and violets that carry through the wine from start to finish. I first tasted this wine in November of 2024, and since then, it’s put on some real weight, depth of fruit flavor, and the finish is long with saline-minerality that is incredibly inviting. Winemaker Claire Richardson, along with her full-time vineyard crew, is doing a phenomenal job crafting bright, fresh, and energetic wines that truly capture the essence of this slice of Texan countryside. The consulting winemaker is Jean Hoefliger. This wine is available in late 2026. 

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2022

2022 Uplift Vineyards Sangiovese

Still

$$

2023

2023 Cuda Ridge Wines Cabernet Franc

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Steven Kent Winery L’Autre Côte

Still Wine

$$$$

2023

2023 Uplift Vineyard Badu

Still Wine

$

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