Cristaldi Scores

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Sourced from Crater View Vineyard, just across the street from DANCIN, this Syrah was native fermented in 1.5-ton macro bins and aged for 17 months in 40% new French oak. It’s a beautifully multidimensional wine, showcasing pure blackberry and blue fruit nuances, candied violets, and white pepper. Medium-bodied on the palate with building tannins, exceptional length, and velvet-textured structure, it’s framed by Indian spices and layered with floral intensity on the long, energetic finish. An excellent wine.

Native fermented in 1.5-ton macro bins and aged for 10 months in 25% new French oak, this 100% Pommard clone Pinot Noir is spicy and expressive, with cocoa nib nuances and dusty cherry notes. Medium-bodied on the palate, it delivers juicy cherry and blackberry fruit, pomegranate seeds, and a touch of grapefruit zest. Rose petal florals and a hint of honeysuckle linger on the long finish. The wine has excellent grip and tension, offering both structure and elegance.

Native fermented in 1.5-ton macro bins and aged for 10 months in 25% new French oak, this Dijon 777 Pinot Noir offers cherry and strawberry fruit layered with fragrant Indian spices and sandalwood. Medium-bodied with a long, expressive finish, it’s both aromatic and finely structured.

Sourced from the Oregon State Extension Center in Jacksonville, OR, this Pinot Noir is made from fruit grown to support research efforts. It’s a more rustic expression, offering notes of black tea, black truffle, and candied cherry, with a savory wild herb finish.

Here’s a clonal soup for the true wine geeks: this Pinot Noir blend brings together Wadenswil 2A, Dijon clones 115, 667, 828, 777, 114, and Pommard, all aged in 30% new French oak. It’s bright and spicy, with red cherry fruit, bold tannins, and notes of underbrush and pine forest. The tannins build through the long finish, gradually softening as blood orange acidity emerges and mingles with elegant cedarwood character and deeper layers of dark cherry fruit.

This Dijon 777 Pinot Noir was whole cluster fermented and aged for 10 months in 25% new French oak. Bold, rich, and spicy—yet light on its feet—it delivers black cherry, clove, blood orange, and grapefruit zest. The tannins are ripe and grippy, and the finish reveals crushed stone and wet slate minerality. A fantastically structured Pinot Noir with impressive grip and tension—give it another year or two in bottle and enjoy over the next decade.

A wonderfully fragrant and balanced Viognier with impressive complexity, excellent weight and density, and layers of expressive orchard and tropical fruit. Notes of honeysuckle and jasmine weave through the profile, making it both beautifully aromatic and effortlessly drinkable.
What an enticing and satisfying white this is—from the first whiff of creamy, luscious stone and tropical fruit layered with wildflowers to the vibrant palate, it delivers richness balanced by a scintillating spine of acidity that keeps all that lush fruit buoyant and energized.
Everything Zinfandel ever promised is right here in this glass from Long Walk Vineyard—bursting at the seams with strawberry and raspberry fruit drizzled in vanilla cream. Bright and expressive, with a sturdy framework of tannins and plenty of baking spice, clove, and cardamom to carry the day.

Gorgeous aromas of white flowers, jasmine, honeysuckle, and apricot. The palate offers lush fruit expression, with lemon-lime, white peach, chalky minerals, and a hint of mango on the long, savory, spiced finish. Fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel for 5 to 6 months on the lees, which adds a touch of richness.
The 2023 Plaisance Ranch Chardonnay is a classic. Bursting with citrus fruit and toasty oak spice, it’s medium-bodied with supple fruit and rich oak layers balanced by crisp acidity. The finish lingers with notes of salted Marcona almonds and mouthwatering salinity.
From Mae’s Vineyard in the Applegate Valley AVA, this Viognier from Herb Quady is dynamic, focused, and irresistibly fresh. White peach, white flowers, and a hint of honeysuckle lead the way, all grounded by a medium-bodied palate with racy mineral tension. Stock up by the case if you can—this one’s a standout.
Super expressive on the nose, with a decidedly vinous character—white peach, apricot, and jasmine flowers. The palate shows balanced fruit sweetness, carrying through that grapey, vinous quality—like biting into a crunchy green grape that’s both juicy and sweet, with a gentle phenolic grip. The wine finishes effortlessly, with a satiny kiss of sweetness.
Orange oil, tangerine, and grapefruit zest lead the way, followed by a fruit salad of diced mango and green papaya, finished with a touch of crushed almonds. This Sauvignon Blanc offers great textural grip and a beautifully focused mid-palate of chalky minerality. Long, layered, and savory—it’s best paired with hard or medium-soft, grassy goat’s milk cheeses.
This rosé has evolved from bright, ripe fruit into a more savory expression, offering red cherry nuances layered with toasty oak, smoked paprika, and charcuterie. On the palate, it delivers notes of crispy, flaky almond croissant and cherry jam. Serve well chilled and enjoy now.
From the north end of the Rogue Valley, this White Pinot Noir from Table Rock Vineyard is an intriguing take on the variety. A subtle kiss of oak on the nose mingles with fresh cherry and wood smoke. The palate is clean and focused, featuring a juicy core of blood orange and pear fruit with a tingly spine of acidity. Light and easygoing, it’s a fantastic alternative to reds alongside smoked brisket, braised meats, or chipotle tacos.
The Harvest Moon White from Wanderlust—a blend of Roussanne and Viognier—is a simple, easy-drinking white with bright citrus fruit and flinty aromatics. Crisp, crunchy, and zippy on the palate, it’s a perfect match for fried oysters.
Quite the savory rosé, it sports a structured, grippy palate feel framing a host of cherry fruit, cherry blossoms, dried mediterranean herbs, and wet stone minerality. At just 12.7% alcohol, it’s bone dry, and has enough structure and grit to carry a meal from cheese and charcuterie through the end of dinner, but you’d want to cut it short of pairing with dessert, unless you’re serving savory rosemarry infused olive oil cake.
Fermented in a single stainless steel barrel and neutral French oak for up to six months before bottling, this wine is an absolute standout. It offers fragrant citrus, apricot, pear, and yellow apple, layered with aromatic wild herbs. The fruit is lush and silky, backed by a spine of racy acidity and a spicy ginger and saline mineral finish.

A steely, mineral character lifts out of the glass with green apple, watermelon and green joly rancher. MB with a juiyc mid palate and all that candied berry fruit a bit toned down on the more savory driven palate finishing with more complex salty crushed stone minerality and cherry pit nuances.
A crisp, tangy rosé featuring tart cherry and apple fruit, lime blossoms, and the zest of yellow grapefruit. Focused, lean, and crunchy, it’s best enjoyed with baked oysters or fried chicken—whether from Chicken Shanty in Oregon’s Rogue Valley or your favorite local spot.
This subtle rosé delivers heady stone fruit notes, sea spray minerality, and tart red berry fruit, all framed by expressive, bracing acidity. It’s a pink-hued acid trip—perfect for pairing with salads dressed in bright vinaigrette or an impressive cheese and charcuterie platter.
A lemon-lime-bright Sauvignon Blanc with notes of mango and papaya, this wine is light- to medium-bodied with crisp, crunchy acidity. A fine, classic example of Rogue Valley Sauvignon Blanc, it delivers easygoing citrus fruit and vivid acid tension that keeps it lively and refreshing.
Super expressive, with honeyed richness. Fermented in both tank and barrel, then aged on the lees for 5 to 6 months before bottling. The palate shows bracing lemon-lime acidity and crushed white flowers. Intensely fragrant and an ideal match for oysters. Winemaker Kelsey Evans uses multiple picks to build complexity.
Striking a balance between Grenache’s juicy, succulent red berry fruit and the savory wild herb nuances of the Applegate Valley, this wine pulls off a remarkable tightrope act. Juicy peach and apricot notes are lifted by stony minerality and candied fennel, leading to a long, satisfyingly bone-dry finish. Serve well chilled while grilling all summer long—and plan on more than one bottle, thanks to its modest 12.9% alcohol. Well done.
A true crowd-pleaser, this rosé offers ripe apricot, white peach, nectarine, and jasmine floral notes, all building into a wave of passion fruit character. The palate is silky and satiny, finishing with grippy mineral tension that adds structure and lift.
A dark-hued rosé with rich, expressive fruit—watermelon, strawberries, and candied peach rings—framed by a lush mouthfeel. The finish is intriguing, marked by crushed Himalayan pink sea salt and Mediterranean herbs. Drink now.
Expressive and vivid, this wine showcases notes of sea grass, sea spray minerality, mango, and white peach. Medium-bodied with focused acidity and bracing acid tension, it’s both refreshing and finely structured.
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This Pinot Noir is in its perfect drinking window, having evolved beyond bright red cherry fruit into more savory territory—think red currant, tobacco leaf, and black tea–like tannins. All of that builds on the medium-bodied palate, layered with crunchy currant fruit, espresso bean nuances, bay laurel, and sage, leading to a long, satisfying, smoky-savor finish. If you’re drawn to Pinot in its secondary and tertiary phase, this one’s for you. I highly recommend enjoying it over the course of a meal—ideally, a couple of bottles at a time—now through 2030.

Sourced from the Egan Vineyard in the Rogue Valley, this Malbec is yet another compelling reason why the region should hang its hat on the variety. Dark berry fruit mingles on the nose with a wonderfully expressive mix of dried wild herbs—a panoply of sage, thyme, rosemary, fennel, and straw. These savory elements build on the medium-bodied palate, framed by rose-petal-scented tannins that are firm yet graceful, resolving into chocolaty nuances and saline-mineral tension. A juicy spine of acidity ties it all together. A lovely wine, and a natural match for smoked or braised meats.

From the Egan Vineyard, this 2022 Viognier is a stunning wine, offering lifted aromas of honeysuckle and jasmine, salted Marcona almonds, and a burst of expressive lemon-lime citrus, poached apple, and pear. There’s impressive mid-palate weight and fruit density, all balanced by zippy acid tension.
The Italian city of Alba is a sister city to Medford, Oregon, and Sorella—the Italian word for sister—honors that connection. This 100% Barbera Clone 6 was aged in 28% new French oak and delivers a bold, dark-fruited profile, laced with cherry, cherrywood, raspberry, and spiced plums. Robust, chocolaty tannins and tangy blood orange acidity carry through to the finish, giving this wine both power and vibrancy.

The 2022 Del Rio Estate Syrah is bold and dark-fruited, with violet aromas and cherry-laced intensity. It shows impressive concentration, supported by a bulwark of velvety tannins that frame all that juicy fruit. Expressive and powerful, yet elegant, it finishes with tremendous length as the violet notes turn candied and are dusted with fragrant Indian spices. A long and deeply satisfying Syrah.

Absolutely fantastic, this Chardonnay shows Chablis-like minerality and lemon-lime freshness with tremendous tension. Medium-bodied, it features a satiny core of apple and pear fruit layered with crushed almond, all leading to a long, saline-acid finish. Bright, fresh, and assertive—a standout. Winemaker Brian Gruber explains that they work with 10 different clones of Chardonnay, most of which are planted on granitic soils. He prioritizes acidity at harvest, often doing multiple picks within the same block to build complexity and ensure he never needs to add acid. After settling overnight, the juice is racked to barrel and inoculated with native yeast in-barrel. The wine is aged for up to 15 months in one-third new French oak and goes through full malolactic fermentation. Lots are kept separate throughout aging, lees stirring is minimal, and blending occurs just before bottling. Of the three estate Chardonnays Winemaker Brian Gruber produces, Ascendance is the top cuvée and the first blend assembled—focused on precision and structure. Convergence follows, crafted for more roundness and ripeness, while the Estate Chardonnay is blended last, offering an expression that reflects the broader vineyard character.
Total elegance—this Pinot Noir weaves conifer notes around bright red berry, cherry, and pomegranate fruit, accented by flinty minerality and gorgeous cedarwood. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers cherry, blood orange, and cranberry, all lifted by crunchy cranberry acidity. The tannins are fine, firm, and taut—beautifully elongated and persistent through the long, spicy finish. A superbly built and absolutely delicious Pinot Noir. Winemaker Brian Gruber explains that this Pinot Noir is a blend of older plantings and newer vines established in 2018. Grapes are mostly destemmed, though select lots are fermented with whole clusters for blending flexibility. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel, with individual blocks vinified separately. After a short cold soak, native fermentations begin, accompanied by a regimen of pumpovers and punchdowns. Following primary fermentation, an extended maceration of up to 28 days builds mouthfeel, mid-palate weight, and structure. The wine is gently pressed, with primarily free-run juice selected for the final blend. It is aged in roughly one-third new French oak for up to 18 months before blending and bottling.

The nose is beautifully fragrant, with savory conifer and dried pine tips layered with incense and underbrush, interwoven with bright red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, framed by gentle tannins and lifted by vivid blood orange acidity. The long, lingering finish offers a delicate kiss of sweetness balanced by a subtle, amaro-like bitterness. Bright, vivid, and wonderfully complex. Winemaker Brian Gruber explains that this Pinot Noir is a blend of older plantings and newer vines established in 2018. Grapes are mostly destemmed, though select lots are fermented with whole clusters for blending flexibility. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel, with individual blocks vinified separately. After a short cold soak, native fermentations begin, accompanied by a regimen of pumpovers and punchdowns. Following primary fermentation, an extended maceration of up to 28 days builds mouthfeel, mid-palate weight, and structure. The wine is gently pressed, with primarily free-run juice selected for the final blend. It is aged in roughly one-third new French oak for up to 18 months before blending and bottling.

A blue-fruited, cherry-infused, cedarwood laced and wild herb dusted red wine with soaring tannins and white truffle charcuterire balanced by loamy earth notes, and crushed rusty red rocks mienralty through the bone dry finish. This is a zippy, zesty Malbec with good grip and demanding of salty braised meats or hard cheeses.

This Sangiovese explodes out of the glass with tart cherry fruit interlaced with espresso bean and salted dark cacao. On the palate, it’s juicy and vibrant, with tart cherry framed by rustic tannins that build to a bold, dry finish. There’s plenty to love in the upfront juiciness, and with those powerful back-end tannins and soaring acid grip, you’ll want salty cheeses or cured meats alongside this expressive red.

A juicy, easy-drinkign Grenache that dlivers the goods as juicy red berry fruit, brown baking spices, a hint of sagebrush, and satiny tannins that bild on the dry finish.

Just like the MAREN White, the label on this OCTO Pinot Noir states that it’s a medium-bodied wine bursting with cherry, blackberry, and cocoa notes—and I’m happy to confirm my tasting aligns with that. Of course, I’ll add a few flourishes: enticing cedarwood notes weave around and beneath the cherry and blackberry fruit, joined by darker forest berries framed by firm, tense tannins. The finish offers a cool, wet-slate minerality and a crunchy apple-skin aftertaste.

The nice thing about the OTTO Line is that the tasting notes are right there on the label. It’s a medium-bodied wine offering juicy pear, a squeeze of lemon zest, and crushed almonds—at least according to the front label, and I’d agree wholeheartedly, though I’d also add white flowers to the mix. There’s a touch of candied ginger and a wonderfully warm, saline mineral quality. The label also notes that the wine is made from sustainably grown grapes and contains no added sugar, which is perhaps more a nod to consumer misunderstanding—most wines are dry and don’t contain added sugar to begin with, but that’s a whole other conversation for another time.
A beautifully spicy, structured, earthy expression of a distinct place and time. Deftly balancing savory, dark cherry flavors with pepper and bramble notes, with a palate that is equal parts depth and nuance. This one should stand the test of time. – J.R.

This Malbec is savory and muscular, with notes of black cherry, black truffle, and charcuterie layered with pressed wildflowers, dried thyme, and black olive. Medium- to full-bodied, the palate mirrors the aromatics, framed by velvety, fine-grained tannins. Crushed stone minerality anchors the finish, along with a touch of clove and smoky, loamy earth. Aged up to 28 months in 65% new French oak.

A deliciously rich Viognier with excellent mid-palate density, offering ripe white and yellow peach, apricot, and lemon oil character. Crisp, mouthwatering acidity provides balance, leading to a long finish marked by pressed wildflowers and almonds. It’s the kind of white you’ll want alongside Dover sole in a caper butter sauce with mashed potatoes.

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