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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

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Champagne Victor Charlot

Les Terres de la Grève Brut

Leads with oyster shells, brine, apricot, and melon. A richness envelops the palate, layering briny salt crystals with cascading notes of pithy lime, cherry pit, and savory spices. Layered, long, and absolutely intriguing

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Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2022

Producer

Name

Expressive red berry fruit and white peach notes find their stride on the medium-bodied palate, supported by a rich, frothy, and airy mousse that finishes bone dry yet fruit-laden. Made méthode champenoise style from hand-picked Pinot Noir grown on the estate’s 4.5-acre vineyard, planted about 12 years ago on 3309 rootstock. A blend of Clone 777 and Précoce, the fruit underwent a slightly firmer pressing to extract more color, with one year of bottle aging prior to release.

2022

Producer

Name

A small-batch production of just 20 cases and 5 bottles, this wine was aged for 16 months in neutral oak, filtered, and estate bottled. It’s bracing and focused on the palate, showing lifted citrus peel and baking spice notes with subtle hints of tropical fruit. Medium-bodied with a lengthy, warming spice finish, it’s beautifully balanced and fresh, maintaining focus even with its broad fruit character. Excellent work by father and son duo Dan and Blake McLaughlin. Robert Clay Vineyards released its first official vintage in 2015 after farming a local vineyard since 2012 and honing their craft through home winemaking in Mason, Texas.

2023

Producer

Name

Aged entirely in stainless steel, this is a crisp, lemon-driven white with aromas of yellow apple and white flowers. On the palate, it’s bright, zippy, and zesty, with lemon oil and a steely mineral intensity that lingers through the finish. A subtle kiss of vivid dried wild herbs—so emblematic of the area during peak growing season—adds regional character and complexity.

2023

Producer

Name

No malolactic fermentation here—this wine is bright, juicy, and citrus-driven, with creamy apricot unfolding on the mid-palate. Subtle notes of Marcona almond add nuance to the steely finish.

2023

Producer

Name

This 2023 vintage was aged for 11 months in neutral oak, unfiltered, and estate bottled, with just 22 cases made. The wine is incredibly coiled and tense, showing subtle citrus notes of lemon and lime alongside white flowers and crushed Marcona almonds. The finish is long and saline, marked by a sharp mineral streak. Super crisp and tightly wound, it’s the kind of wine that demands food—think Alfredo, cacio e pepe, carbonara, or aged hard cheeses.

2024

Producer

Name

This is a lemon-bright white with seaspray minerality and a kiss of vanilla and baking spice that carries through on the medium-bodied palate. The flavors build with intensity, finishing with notes of toasty, flaky croissant and chalky minerality. An inviting and delicious Chardonnay. Sourced from own-rooted vines in two blocks of Fiddlestix Vineyard—Block 2A (massal) and Block 2B (Clone 76)—the wine was barrel-fermented with no stirring and aged on the lees for 10 months in 40% new French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered under DIAM 30 closure. Founded in 2024 by winemaker Adam Edelman, Nisi Wines is dedicated to crafting minimal-intervention Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from top sites across the Sta. Rita Hills.

2024

Producer

Name

A small-batch production of just 69 cases—three barrels total—this wine was aged for 14 months in neutral oak, unfiltered, and estate bottled. It’s a dynamic white with a slightly richer expression than the laser-focused 2023 vintage, showing broader mid-palate appeal with riper orchard fruit taking the place of citrus. Bright wildflower notes and subtle baking spice add complexity. Exceptionally detailed for a Texas-grown Chardonnay, crafted by some of the most meticulous winemakers in the state—these guys literally analyze cluster by cluster and pick off berries they don’t want, and you can taste the precision.

N/A

Producer

Name

70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, disgorged in June of 2023. At 4g/L, it’s a taut, racy, electric with oyster shell minerality and a touch of pastry cream, bruised yellow apples, underripe pears, and a bone-dry finish.

N/A

Producer

Name

Equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Round and rich with a creaminess balanced by bracing acidity. Baked apple and buttery brioche notes. Intense mineral underpinnings. Voluptuous, succulent, and beckoning.

N/A

Producer

Name

100% Chardonnay from Avize Grand Cru. Flinty minerals, lime blossoms, and sea spray. Round, rich, and creamy with a persistent mousse. Kiwi, key lime, and candied ginger emerge with sous bois notes. Dried apricots laced with vanilla cream add intrigue.

N/A

Producer

Name

Full-flavored, nuanced, complex, and deliciously expressive Ambonnay Grand Cru with terrific intensity balanced by fine-boned acidity. Lemon pastry, toasted almonds, and river stones meld together seamlessly.

N/A

Producer

Name

100% Chardonnay from a 16-acre parcel in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, adjacent to ‘Clos de Mesnil’ (a source for Krug and Salon). Zesty, energetic, leading with lemon and lime peel, dried apricots, and a beautiful earthy intensity. Voluminous with persistent bubbles, white florals, chalky minerality, and a spicy, candied ginger finish. Utterly irresistible

N/A

Producer

Name

100% Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Half 2019 harvest, half Launois reserves. Lively and elegant. Rich lemon-pastry notes, traces of vanilla and caramel, underpinnings of savory earth and spices. Fresh, forward, and inviting with remarkable depth and a bone-dry, zesty, mineral-rich finish.

N/A

Producer

Name

Intensely savory, with a briny richness balanced by honeydew melon. Expansive with a voluminous, creamy mousse. Intriguingly bright earthen notes, smoky minerals, and bracing acid tension

N/A

Producer

Name

Leads with oyster shells, brine, apricot, and melon. A richness envelops the palate, layering briny salt crystals with cascading notes of pithy lime, cherry pit, and savory spices. Layered, long, and absolutely intriguing

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2022

2022 Johnson Estate Winery Freelings Creek Reserve Brut Rosé

Sparkling Wine

$

2022

2022 Robert Clay Vineyards B 22 00 RCV CHA, Robert Clay Vineyards, Chardonnay

-

$$$$

2023

2023 Lincourt Rancho Santa Rosa Chardonnay Steel

Still Wine

N/A

2023

2023 Macari Vineyards Breakwater Chardonnay

Still Wine

N/A

2023

2023 Robert Clay Vineyards B 23 01 RCV CHA, Robert Clay Vineyards, Chardonnay

-

$$$$

2024

2024 Nisi Wines Fiddlestix Vineyard Chardonnay

-

$

2024

2024 Robert Clay Vineyards B 24 00 RCV CHA, Robert Clay Vineyards, Chardonnay

-

$$$$

N/A

Champagne Fluteau Retrospective Extra Brut

Sparkling Wine

$$

N/A

Champagne Goulin-Roulet Cuvée d’Or Brut Premier Cru

Sparkling Wine

$$

N/A

Champagne Odyssée Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru

Sparkling Wine

$$

N/A

Champagne Paul Déthune Brut Grand Cru

Sparkling Wine

$$

N/A

Champagne Paul Launois Blanc de Blancs Monochrome #5 Extra Brut Grand Cru

Sparkling Wine

$$

N/A

Champagne Paul Launois Illustration #3 Brut Nature

Sparkling Wine

$$

N/A

Champagne Victor Charlot Instinct Premier 75/25 Brut

Sparkling Wine

$$

N/A

Champagne Victor Charlot Les Terres de la Grève Brut

Sparkling Wine

$$

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