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Cristaldi Scores

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Wine

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Vintage

Wine

Color

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2022

Darcie Kent Estate Winery

East Hill Caberent Sauvignon

Aged for 20 months in French oak and made entirely from estate-grown fruit, with only 224 cases produced. East Hill receives less sunlight and experiences cooler temperatures compared to its West Hill sibling, and years of significant erosion have caused these vines to struggle since planting. For me, East Hill versus West Hill is like tasting midnight versus midday—one brooding and shadowed, the other warm and expressive. Here, East Hill delivers a deeply dark profile: black cherry, elegant cedarwood, black currants, and cigar box accents. The finish lifts with powerful, soaring tannins and deeper notes of mulberry and violets.

2022

Darcie Kent Estate Winery

West Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

Aged for 20 months in French oak and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit; just 229 cases produced. East Hill receives less sunlight and experiences cooler temperatures than its West Hill sibling, and years of significant erosion have challenged the vines since planting. For me, East Hill versus West Hill is like tasting midnight versus midday—one brooding and shadowed, the other warm and expressive. Here, West Hill benefits from afternoon sun, ensuring ample ripeness. The profile leans toward currant-driven fruit, with raspberry and cherry nuances, warm Asian and Indian spices, and a long, penetrating tannic finish that resolves beautifully with fig and dried red floral notes.

2023

Darcie Kent Estate Winery

Crown Block Merlot

Aged for 20 months in French oak and made entirely from estate-grown fruit; 235 cases produced. Crown Block is the original estate vineyard on Crane Ridge, planted on rocky clay bench soils with north–south–oriented vines and natural drainage on all four sides. Hungarian-born winemaker Julian Halasz notes that this is Clone 5 Merlot, which he prefers because it’s “more tannic and has great color and has a kind of Cabernet structure.” The team performs extensive sorting to ensure stems are almost entirely excluded. On the nose, it shows a distinctly Cabernet-like profile—dark fruit, rich spice, and cedarwood. Yet the palate reveals beautifully velvety Merlot tannins supporting bold, generous fruit, all carried by a racy spine of acidity.

2023

Darcie Kent Estate Winery

Crown Block Petit Verdot

Aged for 20 months in French oak and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit; just 210 cases produced. Crown Block is the original estate vineyard block on Crane Ridge, planted north–south, with drainage on all four sides and rocky clay bench soils. The wine opens with a ripe, lifted cassis and black currant nose, layered with spiced plum fruit and subtle cola nut notes, interwoven with violets. Soaring, ripe tannins frame the palate, carrying savory wild herb, spice, and tobacco nuances, all grounded by rich, loamy earth tones.

2023

Darcie Kent Estate Winery

Stone Patch Cabernet Franc

Aged for 19 months in 50% new French oak and entirely estate grown from the Stone Patch block in the Crane Ridge area—an upland site that sits along a fault line and is known for the quartz-rich boulders that push up through the soil. Just 178 cases were produced. The wine is elegant, with red berry fruit, dusty mineral tones, sage, juniper, rose stem, and a touch of fennel. The tannins are precise and refined. Medium-bodied with excellent fruit concentration, yet carried by real energy and pristine clarity of fruit.

2024

Darcie Kent Estate Winery

Wine Without Borders Grüner Veltliner

The grapes are night-picked and fermented mostly in stainless steel, with a portion in neutral barrels. This is a bold, rich, and savory wine, showing a warming spice character through the mid-palate. Apricot jam notes are layered with orchard fruit, additional stone fruit, and white floral accents, all building toward a cantaloupe-tinged finish. A long, lingering orange oil sweetness carries through the finish, yet the wine remains bone dry. It’s a crowd favorite and a wine everyone should try, especially at the table—it stands up beautifully to acidity, fat, and spice, with excellent length and tension.

2025

Darcie Kent Estate Winery

Triska Sauvignon Blanc

This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc (Musqué clone) from Triska Vineyard, aged for three months in stainless steel. Amanda Kent explained that they decided to plant this more coastal-leaning Musqué clone—rather than Clone 1—because the region is, in fact, cooling. The clone was first planted in 2018 at Triska and has since been added to Lemmons Vineyard as well. At Triska, the block faces north at a ten-degree angle, tilted away from the sun, and the team grows the canopies tall to create additional shade. I tasted the 2025 in December 2025—the first wine I tried from the vintage. It was fermented in tank with a portion in acacia wood, not for flavour but to add mid-palate appeal. Harvested in mid-September, it was aged on the lees for about six weeks and bottled a few months later. Super aromatic, with bright white pepper, green apple, honeycomb, jasmine, and even a touch of fresh-sliced jalapeño. Light, bright, and zesty on the mid-palate, with crunchy acidity and a bone-dry, wet-slate mineral finish. Super inviting and enticing.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2022

Producer

Name

Aged for 20 months in French oak and made entirely from estate-grown fruit, with only 224 cases produced. East Hill receives less sunlight and experiences cooler temperatures compared to its West Hill sibling, and years of significant erosion have caused these vines to struggle since planting. For me, East Hill versus West Hill is like tasting midnight versus midday—one brooding and shadowed, the other warm and expressive. Here, East Hill delivers a deeply dark profile: black cherry, elegant cedarwood, black currants, and cigar box accents. The finish lifts with powerful, soaring tannins and deeper notes of mulberry and violets.

2022

Producer

Name

Aged for 20 months in French oak and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit; just 229 cases produced. East Hill receives less sunlight and experiences cooler temperatures than its West Hill sibling, and years of significant erosion have challenged the vines since planting. For me, East Hill versus West Hill is like tasting midnight versus midday—one brooding and shadowed, the other warm and expressive. Here, West Hill benefits from afternoon sun, ensuring ample ripeness. The profile leans toward currant-driven fruit, with raspberry and cherry nuances, warm Asian and Indian spices, and a long, penetrating tannic finish that resolves beautifully with fig and dried red floral notes.

2023

Producer

Name

Aged for 20 months in French oak and made entirely from estate-grown fruit; 235 cases produced. Crown Block is the original estate vineyard on Crane Ridge, planted on rocky clay bench soils with north–south–oriented vines and natural drainage on all four sides. Hungarian-born winemaker Julian Halasz notes that this is Clone 5 Merlot, which he prefers because it’s “more tannic and has great color and has a kind of Cabernet structure.” The team performs extensive sorting to ensure stems are almost entirely excluded. On the nose, it shows a distinctly Cabernet-like profile—dark fruit, rich spice, and cedarwood. Yet the palate reveals beautifully velvety Merlot tannins supporting bold, generous fruit, all carried by a racy spine of acidity.

2023

Producer

Name

Aged for 20 months in French oak and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit; just 210 cases produced. Crown Block is the original estate vineyard block on Crane Ridge, planted north–south, with drainage on all four sides and rocky clay bench soils. The wine opens with a ripe, lifted cassis and black currant nose, layered with spiced plum fruit and subtle cola nut notes, interwoven with violets. Soaring, ripe tannins frame the palate, carrying savory wild herb, spice, and tobacco nuances, all grounded by rich, loamy earth tones.

2023

Producer

Name

Aged for 19 months in 50% new French oak and entirely estate grown from the Stone Patch block in the Crane Ridge area—an upland site that sits along a fault line and is known for the quartz-rich boulders that push up through the soil. Just 178 cases were produced. The wine is elegant, with red berry fruit, dusty mineral tones, sage, juniper, rose stem, and a touch of fennel. The tannins are precise and refined. Medium-bodied with excellent fruit concentration, yet carried by real energy and pristine clarity of fruit.

2024

Producer

Name

The grapes are night-picked and fermented mostly in stainless steel, with a portion in neutral barrels. This is a bold, rich, and savory wine, showing a warming spice character through the mid-palate. Apricot jam notes are layered with orchard fruit, additional stone fruit, and white floral accents, all building toward a cantaloupe-tinged finish. A long, lingering orange oil sweetness carries through the finish, yet the wine remains bone dry. It’s a crowd favorite and a wine everyone should try, especially at the table—it stands up beautifully to acidity, fat, and spice, with excellent length and tension.

2025

Producer

Name

This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc (Musqué clone) from Triska Vineyard, aged for three months in stainless steel. Amanda Kent explained that they decided to plant this more coastal-leaning Musqué clone—rather than Clone 1—because the region is, in fact, cooling. The clone was first planted in 2018 at Triska and has since been added to Lemmons Vineyard as well. At Triska, the block faces north at a ten-degree angle, tilted away from the sun, and the team grows the canopies tall to create additional shade. I tasted the 2025 in December 2025—the first wine I tried from the vintage. It was fermented in tank with a portion in acacia wood, not for flavour but to add mid-palate appeal. Harvested in mid-September, it was aged on the lees for about six weeks and bottled a few months later. Super aromatic, with bright white pepper, green apple, honeycomb, jasmine, and even a touch of fresh-sliced jalapeño. Light, bright, and zesty on the mid-palate, with crunchy acidity and a bone-dry, wet-slate mineral finish. Super inviting and enticing.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2022

2022 Darcie Kent Estate Winery East Hill Caberent Sauvignon

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Darcie Kent Estate Winery West Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Darcie Kent Estate Winery Crown Block Merlot

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Darcie Kent Estate Winery Crown Block Petit Verdot

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Darcie Kent Estate Winery Stone Patch Cabernet Franc

Still Wine

$$

2024

2024 Darcie Kent Estate Winery Wine Without Borders Grüner Veltliner

Still Wine

$

2025

2025 Darcie Kent Estate Winery Triska Sauvignon Blanc

Still Wine

$

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