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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

2023

Chenoweth

Rosé of Grenache/Pinot Noir

This Rosé is 70% Grenache and 30% Pinot Noir, fermented and aged in stainless steel. It’s bright, clean, crisp, and lightly salty — incredibly easy to drink. Subtle aromatics of baking spice and earthy minerality show on the nose, and the palate brings building richness and a pleasantly medium-weight feel. The Chenoweth family has farmed in Sonoma County for 170 years. Charlie and Amy Chenoweth launched their vineyard management company in 1999 and their wine brand in 2010. From 2010 to 2015, they produced just one Pinot Noir before shifting to vineyard-designate bottlings. In 2017, they expanded the lineup to include a Chardonnay and a Rosé.

2023

CHEV

CHEV Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2023

“We’re aiming for a Montrachet or Meursault style,” says Michael Browne—and this gets remarkably close. It’s electric on the palate, driven by terrific salinity and a fantastic, saline-acid grip. Lemony brightness cuts through layers of crushed Marcona almonds, green apple, and crunchy pear. There’s wonderful weight and richness, yet it stays precise, focused, and energetic throughout—totally vibrant and full of tension. That juicy acidity settles on the palate the way a good Montrachet does, but with its own lively edge. Wente clone; 12 months in concrete followed by 3 months in stainless steel, then 15 months in 38% new French oak barrels.

2023

CHEV

Pinot Noir

Hitting all the classic RRV markers, this opens with a deep baseline of dark berry fruit, cola spices, cocoa powder, and blood-orange richness. There’s wonderful freshness throughout, with juicy dark berry flavors and fine cedarwood spice. Crisp, crunchy red berry notes layer seamlessly with clove and warm baking spices. This is Michael Browne’s 29th vintage, and it’s one you’ll want to hold and revisit many times over. Clones: Pommard, 667, 777, 828, 115, Mt. Eden, 23, and Swan. Aged 15 months in 45% new French oak, 18% once-used French oak, and 33% neutral French oak.

2023

CHEV

Pinot Noir

From a high-elevation site with mixed aspects forming a bit of an amphitheater, rooted in diatomaceous earth and clay. Michael Browne loves the energy and movement of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir—“it travels the palate,” he says—and winemaker Cabell Coursey adds that “there’s a nervous energy to Sta. Rita Hills.” This wine has that in spades. It’s nervy, yet plush through the mid-palate, with crunchy, candied red berry fruit and warm baking spice. Juicy blood-orange acidity brings real tension and lift, carrying that signature nervy energy from start to finish. Clones: 667, 777, 115, Pommard. Aged 15 months in 41% new French oak, 17% once-used French oak, and 42% neutral French oak.

2023

CHEV

Pinot Noir

This is a wonderfully crunchy red- and black-fruited Pinot Noir. That texture carries onto the palate with a velvety, satiny quality, delivering a ripe, juicy, mineral-laced expression layered with dark forest pine, earth, and wet slate. The fruit is weighty yet pure—ripe, clean, and edged with crisp apple-skin tannins. Freshness drives the finish, accented by rich cedarwood and warm baking spices. Clones: Wadenswil, Pommard, 667. Aged 15 months in 38% new French oak, 28% once-used French oak, and 34% neutral French oak.

2023

CHEV

Pinot Noir

This wine is incredibly precise in 2023, showing that characteristic full-bodied, satiny palate feel with layers of cherry and plum fruit. A saline-acid freshness runs through it, accented by blood orange, tangerine peel, and cocoa-powder tannins that frame this classic Michael Browne expression. I’d hold it for a few years and start pulling corks in late 2026 or early 2027. Clones: Pisoni, Pommard, Calera, Mariafeld, 667. Aged 15 months in 40% new French oak, 15% once-used French oak, and 45% neutral French oak.

2023

CIRQ Estate

Pinot Noir

Michael Browne’s 2023 CIRQ is absolute dynamite. It’s super complex and ultra-delicious—about as satisfying as watching your kid’s soccer team crush the other side in penalty kicks to win the championship. It’s as electric as the first time you rode in someone’s Aston Martin—and as enviable as you felt toward the owner. If you own the Aston Martin, this wine deserves a permanent spot in the glove compartment. If you drive a Honda Insight Hybrid like me (my first car after leaving NYC, still going strong), you need this wine to remind you of the better things in life. Now, onto the wine: 2023 is a sleeper vintage. This is Sonoma perfection for Michael Browne—his ripe, lusher, full-flavored, fruit-forward style, but with the structure to age gracefully for years. It’s a high-wire act, balancing fabulously ripe, crunchy red berry fruit and spice with elegant cedarwood notes and a pine-forest freshness that glides across the palate like perfectly smooth wet slate. Coiled, energetic, and full of tension, it delivers gorgeous, pure red and black fruit character with plenty of structure to go the distance.

2023

Colloca Estate Winery

Colloca Cabernet Franc

Fruit sourced from Miles Vineyard in the Finger Lakes region. Aged for 12 months in a mix of stainless steel and French barriques. This is a savory-sweet, red-fruited wine with notes of dusty rose petals, loamy earth, and exotic brown spices like star anise and coriander cream. Tart apple skin tannins frame the palate, leading to a finish laced with black olive and dried herbs.

2023

Colloca Estate Winery

Colloca Casa Bianco

This white blend is composed of 80% Traminette sourced from Miles Vineyard in the Finger Lakes and 20% Cayuga White from nearby Burlee Farms. The wine was aged for one year in neutral oak barrels. It opens with a flinty mineral nose and citrus peel, followed by wildflower aromatics. The palate layers in apple, pear, and peach fruit, lifted by bright lemony acidity, lime zest, and a subtle chamomile note. Crisp, clean, and energetic.

2023

Comstock

Estate Sauvignon Blanc

This estate Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, vivid white that showcases fragrant stony minerality alongside notes of lemon-lime, lime zest, and seagrass, with a subtle hint of vanilla in the background. Focused and linear, it delivers expressive acidity and a tactile, apple-skin texture that gives grip and definition to the clean, refreshing finish.

2023

Comstock

Sangiacomo Vineyard Pinot Noir

This Sangiacomo Vineyard Pinot Noir is a spectacular wine, offering beautifully subtle red berry fruit—cherry and raspberry—interwoven with elegant cedarwood smoke and clove. Light to medium-bodied, it unfolds with layers of juicy red fruit, exotic Asian spice, and a sweet-salty minerality that adds both tension and allure. Graceful yet vibrant, it’s the kind of wine that’s nearly impossible to put down.

2023

Concannon Vineyard

Estate Cabernet Franc

Aged for 20 months in French oak and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit in Block 15 of the Concannon Vineyard and Lemmons Vineyard. The wine shows brighter fruit tones and warm baking spice, wrapped in elegant cedarwood notes that encompass the palate. Nuances of rose petal and rose stem emerge, along with a subtle hint of grilled red pepper—like a light pepper char—on the firm, satisfying finish. This is a structured Cabernet Franc with the depth and balance to cellar comfortably for a decade; keep enough on hand to enjoy its evolution over time.

2023

Concannon Vineyard

Reserve Assemblage Blanc

A blend of 58% Sémillon and 42% Sauvignon Blanc, this estate-grown white hails from Block 20 along the Arroyo Mocho, just east of Concannon Blvd and South Livermore Ave. The site’s well-drained, gravelly silt loam—formed from ancient river sediments—provide good conditions for stressing these Bordeaux variety vines. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, the wine offers an appealing nose of melon, citrus peel, just-ripe tropical fruit, and jasmine. The medium-bodied palate shows lovely breadth and balance. A real crowd-pleaser. -JR

2023

Concannon Vineyard

Reserve Cabernet Franc

The grapes are sourced entirely from Lemmons Vineyard, planted to French Clone 331, also known as Clone 5 at UC Davis. This clone is naturally dark-fruited and delivers classic Cabernet Franc character, with broad shoulders and excellent phenolic structure. Dark berry fruit lifts out of the glass, accented by juniper bush spice, wild bright sage, and smoked paprika. The tannins are supple yet firm and elliptical, carrying the dark berry profile through the palate and building toward a fresh, inviting finish marked by unsweetened cocoa powder richness.

2023

Concannon Vineyard

Reserve Captain Joe's Petite Sirah

The old casks in the Concannon winery—large-format barrels from Demptos and Seguin Moreau dating back to the early 1970s—were originally intended for ageing Petite Sirah. This wine was aged for 16 months in French and Hungarian oak and comes entirely from Concannon’s estate: Block 11 and the head-trained vines of Block 1. It’s a power-packed wine with a real freshness factor. All that classic Petite Sirah character is here—earthy, rich, and plummy fruit layered with mocha and warm Indian spice. The tannins are big, rich, and hearty, with a granular, brambly quality that builds across the mineral-driven finish. Notes of violets, graphite, and pressed florals burst through, giving the wine lift and dimension.

2023

Concannon Vineyard

Reserve Chardonnay

Sourced from Block 16 of the Concannon estate, this Chardonnay was crafted under the direction of winemaker Brett Fikse—who officially stepped into the role in 2023 after more than a decade working in the cellar and lab since 2012. Fermentations were split between barrel and stainless steel: the barrel lots underwent malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging for about 3 months, while the stainless steel lots did not. The components were blended after 9 months. The result is a vibrant, well-balanced Chardonnay with bright citrus fruit and rich, toasty caramel aromas. Medium-bodied on the palate, it delivers silky baked apple and pear flavors, accented by a hint of candied ginger on the long, refreshing finish.

2023

Concannon Vineyard

Reserve Mother Vine Cabernet Sauvignon

Aged for 20 months in French and American oak, this wine is sourced entirely from estate fruit in Block 7, Clone 7, drawn from the Mother Vine blocks that include both iconic old vines and some younger plantings. The Mother Vine itself is now in its fifth decade. Originally brought to California from Château Margaux in 1893, it was re-propagated across the region in the 1970s and later became the foundational material used to replant much of Napa Valley in the latter half of the 1990s. The 2023 growing season in Livermore was notably cool, with no significant heat spikes, and the wine reflects the precision of the vintage. It’s bold and robust, beautifully constructed, with mixed berry fruit—raspberry, black cherry, spiced plum, and blackberry—wrapped in a velvety texture. Rich tannins frame a ripe, plush center, while dark-fruited depth mingles with espresso-bean spice, mocha richness, and graphite nuances on the finish. Profoundly layered in this vintage—one of the best examples I’ve tasted from Concannon.

2023

Concannon Vineyard

Reserve Stampmaker's GSM

Named in honor of James Concannon, a first-generation family member and former stampmaker, the 2023 Stampmaker was aged for 16 months in 26% French oak and sourced from Carter Vineyard, Blocks 3 and 17. The wine is wonderfully ripe and vibrant, offering white pepper spice and beautifully candied red berry fruit. A layered mix of mixed berry fruit, espresso bean, and clove unfolds across the palate, lifted by blood orange–tinged acidity. Rich, velvety tannins are caressing and seamless, carrying the wine to a long, generously fruited finish.

2023

Convene

Convene Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Dan Kosta describes what he loves about Russian River Valley Pinot Noir as its unmistakable typicity. “If I like raspberry and baking spice, that’s great,” he says, “but I don’t want raspberry jam.” Warmer vineyard sites can push the wines in that direction, so his aim is to capture the essence of RRV fruit without excessive extraction. In 2023, this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir achieves that balance beautifully. It’s an exquisite wine with rich notes of baking spice, unsweetened cocoa powder, and vanilla bean, grounded by wonderfully aromatic bay laurel that adds a savory layer. Full and rounded on the palate, it’s framed by firm, apple-skin tannins that lend a gentle grip, yet the wine remains fruit-driven, carrying that classic RRV baking spice character from start to finish.

2023

Convene

Convene Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

This vintage of Convene’s Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands is sourced from Escolle Vineyard, and it’s so unmistakably SLH in character: lush, supple, and boldly fruited. The nose reveals dark tones of blue and black fruit, layered with briary undertones and rich Asian spice. On the palate, it’s full and generous, with ripe dark fruit and velvety tannins that melt seamlessly into subtle notes of cocoa powder and black truffle on the finish.

2023

Croix Estate

12 Rows Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay

Kirk Venge started working with Kent Ritchie in 2016. The site is composed of volcanic and Goldridge soils, and Kirk tells me Kent believes the volcanic striations are what make it unique. It sits farther from the coast, so there’s less of the ancient ocean-bed sediment you find in other pockets of the region. The vines are now a couple of decades old, and there’s a lovely balance in both aromatics and flavor — thanks in part to the “hens and chicks” berries (large and small berries together), which bring higher-toned lift balanced by richer skin-tannin texture. The result is a seamless, complete expression of Chardonnay with bright, pure fruit and a smooth, mouthcoating, velvety profile. It’s simply delicious. You don’t have to think about this wine; you just drink it. So make sure you have plenty on hand. All night-picked, whole-cluster pressed, given a two-day settle, then treated with a small sulfur adjustment before native-yeast fermentation. Some lots underwent native malolactic fermentation. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and tapers off as the wines age in roughly 40% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

Croix Estate

1904 Estate Zinfandel

Sourced entirely from the property surrounding the winery, these vines were planted by Swiss-Italian farmers in 1904. In addition to Zinfandel, there’s Alicante Bouschet and Petite Sirah (the latter planted around 2018). Venge’s team farms the heck out of this site to suppress the wild yields Zinfandel naturally wants to give. Farming is organic. The wine is incredibly dark-fruited and sweet-spiced, with dried strawberry, layers of fruit leather, and warm sweet spices enhanced by the one-third American oak aging. Vanilla and chocolate notes weave through the palate, joined by more Asian-spice complexity. The finish is long and fruit-driven, supported by velvety tannins.

2023

Croix Estate

5-Wells Vineyard Pinot Noir

From the 5 Wells Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills, this Pinot Noir is entirely Pommard clone and fermented with native yeast. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and gradually tapers off, after which the wine is racked into roughly 35–45% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. It’s bursting with Asian spices, black cherry, blackberry, and dried strawberry. There’s a bright, ripe fruit sweetness woven through the palate, along with black tea notes, tangerine peel, and a brown-sugar–maple-syrup richness. Excellent, balanced tension carries into a long, lingering, umami-driven finish with plenty of deep-fruited fig paste concentration on the full-bodied close.

2023

Croix Estate

Chardonnay

Sourced from Sun Chase Vineyard, typically the last pick of the season because it’s a cool site with morning dew and pockets of cloud that brush the west-facing slope. This wine is incredibly bright, with a sumptuous mouthfeel: tangerine oil, lemon oil, white flowers, rich candied ginger, apricot, and lemon zest. Beautiful, toasty oak spices add multidimensional personality, exceptional fruit weight, and concentration, all finishing with gorgeous saline-acid richness. A real pleasure-packed wine with exceptional length. All night-picked, whole-cluster pressed, given a two-day settle, then treated with a small sulfur adjustment before native-yeast fermentation. Some lots underwent native malolactic fermentation. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and tapers off as the wines age in roughly 40% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

Croix Estate

Cinghiale GSM Red Wine Blend

Sourced entirely from the Kick Ranch Vineyard, this wine is native-fermented in open-top fermenters after a five-day cold soak, with 100% carbonic maceration and hand punch-downs, then aged 18 months in 65% new French oak. This is the Cabernet lover’s Sonoma County wine — rich, dark-fruited, and pure, with deep berry fruit and warm baking spices, toffee and caramel, tobacco, and flashes of blue fruit emerging on the palate. Molasses notes and firm, structured, elongated tannins give it power and presence. This is a baby, with plenty of baby fat, stuffing, and raw energy; it will benefit from a few years to unwind and mellow, and it should cellar quite nicely. A real crowd-pleaser.

2023

Croix Estate

Floodgate Pinot Noir

Floodgate is the entry-level Pinot, sourced from several sites, including Starscape Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. A portion of this vineyard floods each winter due to its proximity to the Russian River, and fruit from additional RRV sites rounds out the blend. The wine is impressively rich, with dark cherry fruit, brown baking spices, caramel richness, allspice, and clove. It shows fabulous fruit weight and concentration, balanced by a gorgeous pink–Himalayan–sea–salt note on the extended, medium-bodied finish and cocoa powder tannins. All night-picked with 5–20% whole cluster, given a two-day settle, then treated with a small sulfur adjustment before native-yeast fermentation. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and gradually tapers off, after which the wine is racked into roughly 35–45% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

Croix Estate

Kings Ridge Pinot Noir

Kings Ridge sits near Hirsch, Flowers, and Martinelli’s Blue Slide Ridge — basically a stellar neighborhood. It lifts out of the glass with bright white-pepper spice, black–sea-salt aromatics, and warm brown baking spices. The palate is medium-bodied and creamy, with dark cherry fruit and an attractive, sumptuous richness. Wonderful earth and brown-spice notes thread through the mid-palate, carrying into a long, lingering finish. All night-picked with 5–20% whole cluster, given a two-day settle, then treated with a small sulfur adjustment before native-yeast fermentation. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and gradually tapers off, after which the wine is racked into roughly 35–45% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

Croix Estate

Narrow Gauge Chardonnay

Such a bright, saline-driven wine, showing citrus fruit, brown baking spices, chalky minerality, and exotic stone-fruit tones, with lemon meringue and apricot on the rich, succulent palate. It finishes with medium-bodied richness and laser-focused acidity. A fantastic entry-level wine for Croix Estate. Mostly sourced from cool sites in the Russian River Valley, including parcels in Green Valley, Sebastopol Hills, and pockets of the Petaluma Gap. All night-picked, whole-cluster pressed, given a two-day settle, then treated with a small sulfur adjustment before native-yeast fermentation. Some lots underwent native malolactic fermentation. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and tapers off as the wines age in roughly 30% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

Croix Estate

Nightwing Vineyard Pinot Noir

Nightwing sits right next door to Sun Chase Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap. This is a bold, fragrant, dark-fruited Pinot Noir packed with Asian spices and deep umami richness — black truffle, tobacco, soy — with super-youthful fruit pulsing beneath all that savory depth. Positively full-bodied, with a creamy, mouth-coating palate that carries this wine all day and all night. Bring it to your favorite steakhouse and go to town. All night-picked, native-yeast fermentation. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and gradually tapers off, after which the wine is racked into roughly 35–45% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

Croix Estate

Old Manzana Vineyard Pinot Noir

From Manzana Vineyard, planted to Clones 777 and 828 and blended together. The site sits off Occidental Road, a hillside parcel close to Kanzler. This is a very classy, bright, crunchy, red-fruited Pinot with grapefruit zest and orange-peel essence on the fleshier mid-palate, yet it remains focused and precise throughout. There’s a lovely undercurrent of loamy earth and apple-skin tannins that tighten into a laser-focused finish. All night-picked with native-yeast fermentation. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and gradually tapers off, after which the wine is racked into roughly 35–45% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

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Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2023

Producer

Name

100% Albariño from Sawmill Creek Vineyards. Still a rarity in the Finger Lakes, this wine showcases lime-bright aromatics and a zesty spine of acidity. Light-bodied and energetic, it delivers a core of citrus fruit wrapped in chalky minerality, finishing with a persistent lime zest snap.

2023

Producer

Name

100% Vignoles from Hunt Country Vineyards in Branchport, NY. A lush, tropical white with ripe mango and papaya aromas, lifted by honeysuckle florals. The palate is generous and juicy, finishing with impressive length.

2023

Producer

Name

100% Cabernet Franc from Sawmill Creek Vineyards in Hector, NY. Aged for nine months in 4–5-year-old French oak barrels. This is an elegant, red-fruited expression of Cabernet Franc, layered with notes of espresso bean, brown spice, and a zesty infusion of tangerine and grapefruit. A stony minerality anchors the palate.

2023

Producer

Name

65% Grüner Veltliner and 35% Cayuga White. Filtered and force-carbonated the week before bottling on May 2, 2024. Crisp, clean, and refreshing with crunchy green apple, citrusy lift, and a saline-acid tension that makes it an ideal match for charcuterie and cheese.

2023

Producer

Name

The 2023 Windmill from Bingham Family Vineyards is crafted entirely from Texas High Plains grapes and aged for six months in French oak. This intriguing wine begins with subtle stone and orchard fruit notes, accompanied by a delicate hint of nuttiness.On the palate, it evolves with a medium- to full-bodied presence, offering lush fruit character and a touch of sweetness. Its unique profile makes it a versatile choice, pairing beautifully with peach cobbler or enjoyed on its own with a good chill.

2023

Producer

Name

Anne Moller-Racke planted this vineyard with the intention of making one wine — and she produces just over 300 cases of this estate bottling. Clone 115 brings lift and perfume, Swan Clone contributes texture, and Clone 667 layers in tannin and structure. The site itself is flat, and the wine’s dimension comes from the interplay of these clones. It sits on an old riverbed with abundant gravel, and that drainage, Moller-Racke says, gives the wine its added structure and tannic frame. The wine is dense and powerful, with ripe cherry and strawberry fruit that’s very pure and beautifully delineated. A mineral intensity runs straight through it, and the tannins are crisp and robust, building across the floral and earthy finish. Quite a wine.

2023

Producer

Name

This is a light, bright, zippy Chardonnay, boasting Sonoma Coast sea-spray minerality, subtle lemon and lime citrus, white flowers, and unsalted, unroasted almonds with a touch of almond-skin grip. There’s plenty of tension to carry this medium-bodied white well into the night or through a long meal, while a hint of sea grass and vanilla rounds it all out.

2023

Producer

Name

The Farmhouse Estate Pinot lifts from the glass with a fragrant wet-slate character, followed by cherry and raspberry fruit. Firm tannins anchor a deep mineral core redolent of iron and salt, while dried thyme and rosemary add intrigue. A subtle sappy quality threads through the palate, making the wine quietly thought-provoking. The finish is spicy and insistent — the kind that makes you pause and wonder what’s going on in the glass, in the world, in your own life. And honestly? That’s a fine way to spend an evening, especially with a glass of this nearby.

2023

Producer

Name

Gap’s Crown is fermented in stainless steel and aged in up to 50% new French oak for as long as 17 months. Anne Moller-Racke buys from two blocks: Block 13, planted to Clone 777 on the lower, gravelly portion of the site where it’s cooler with some clay and dense spacing, and the vines are now over 20 years old; and Block 8, planted to Clone 667 at a higher elevation in a smaller parcel. There are wonderfully cool aromas coming off this wine — bright cherry, cranberry, and a white-plum note, with a touch of white pepper spice. The palate is quite delicious, packed with juicy dark berry fruit, Asian spices, clove, and cocoa powder, framed by crisp tannins. It carries real generosity and elegance, all supported by a powerful framework and some lingering cedarwood spice. Super youthful now, and poised to deliver beautifully over the next 5–15 years.

2023

Producer

Name

This site sits at 1,000 feet of elevation, across from the Failla Vineyard, with vines rooted in Goldridge soils. The wine is incredibly beautiful — the aromatics are gorgeous, with dark blackberry and plum, plus flashes of blue fruit. It’s immensely generous. Made from two clones, Bacigalupi and the Hyde/Calera selection, it shows brilliant lift and clarity. On the palate, there’s great wet-slate minerality, fragrant cocoa-nib notes, and a real saline–acid freshness. All that ripe, juicy, complex fruit stains the palate and drives into a full-bodied finish with exacting, building tannins. Super intensity.

2023

Producer

Name

Winemaker Anne Moller-Racke has worked with this fruit since 2013. She doesn’t put it through malolactic fermentation—she likes acid. She gets around four tons of a single clone and uses Montrachet plus another yeast to layer in freshness and a touch of reductive edge, with partial fermentation in concrete and one-third in new French oak. Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Chardonnay. It’s bright, vivid, electric—full of sea-spray minerality, cool wet river stones, crushed Marcona almonds, and white-flower notes, lifted by tangerine peel and lemon verbena freshness. It’s so layered and captivating. The wine is stirred early and left on primary lees until bottling, adding fantastic baking-spice depth framed by crisp, crunchy acidity.

2023

Producer

Name

From Laceroni Vineyard—situated in the far-southwestern reaches of the Russian River Valley near Graton and spanning roughly 45 acres on classic, well-draining Goldridge sandy loam—comes a more structured and grippier expression of RRV Pinot Noir. The site’s softly rolling hills and coastal influence help produce fruit of refined ripeness: crisp, crunchy and beautifully poised. That energy carries straight onto the palate, where apple-skin tannins and notable textural grip give the wine tension and shape. Subtle brown baking spices and flinty wet-stone minerality add further dimension, supporting the elegant red-berry profile without overwhelming it. Quite a lovely wine with genuine cellar-worthy capability.

2023

Producer

Name

What a wonderfully pure Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, bursting with juicy, ripe red cherry, cranberry and strawberry fruit. It leans into cherry compote and warm baking spices, yet all that lush, creamy Russian River fruit is kept beautifully in check by cool acid tension. Textural grip—like biting into a ripe red apple and feeling the pull of the skin—adds dimension, underscored by slick espresso-bean oil, blood-orange or tangerine peel and a touch of smoky, flinty minerality. Super complex and inviting.

2023

Producer

Name

Anne Moller-Racke was the vineyard manager at Chateau Buena Vista from the early 1980s until 2001, when she helped establish Donum and remained there until 2019. During that time, she planted the Anne Katherina Vineyard in Carneros and, in 2013, began producing wine under her own label, Blue Farm. Total production is around 2,500 cases. The Sonoma Coast bottling is a blend of Anne’s vineyard sources and is poured mainly by the glass in local restaurants. She self-distributes in California. Once the fruit arrives at the winery, it’s sorted, given a light saignée, then cold-soaked for 3–5 days. As the must warms, fermentation kicks off in tank at cool temperatures for up to 19 days. Once dry, it’s pressed, and only the free run is used. The wine is aged in one-third new French oak for up to 17 months. This Pinot Noir is a bit coiled and very youthful, showing crunchy red berry fruit, chalky minerality, and a real earthiness—perhaps from the Wadenswil clone. Black tea–like tannins frame the palate as darker fruit emerges on the mid-palate and finish. There’s plenty of tension and freshness throughout.

2023

Producer

Name

Meanwhile, the Riverbed Estate wine — also in Carneros, near the Farmhouse Estate — boasts a similar wet-slate freshness, mineral drive, and red-berry lift, only here the textures are more supple, the generosity greater, and the tannins noticeably gentler. The dried-herb nuances give way to forest-floor and pine-forest tones, creating a quieter, earthier complexity. The finish caresses the mid-palate with a softer core, yet still carries a bright, spicy snap that keeps the wine lively and engaging.

2023

Producer

Name

Fresh and zesty, with a touch of grape-skin tannin and an intriguing, heady mix of white Rainier cherry, apricot and white peach, accented by subtle almond undertones. There’s also a gentle pop of tarragon or wild fennel and a super-salty core of crunchy orchard fruit and dried white-floral notes. Exotic, enticing and genuinely fun to drink. I’d pair this with a selection of farmers’ market hard cheeses and charcuterie.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2023

2023 JONATA Tierra

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 JONATA Todos

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 K Estate Estate Tempranillo

-

$$

2023

2023 K Estate The Bridge Red Blend

-

$$

2023

2023 Kalasi Cellars Malvasia Bianca, Narra Vineyards

Still

$

2023

2023 Kalasi Cellars Narra Vineyards, Sangiovese Rosé

Still

$

2023

2023 Kerrville Hills Cinsault Rosé

-

$

2023

2023 Kerrville Hills Rustic Spur Vineyards Tannat

-

$

2023

2023 Kerrville Hills Viognier

-

$

2023

2023 Kerrville Hills Winery Alta Loma Vineyard, Picpoul Blanc

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Knapp Winery Baco Noir

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Knapp Winery Dry Vidal Blanc

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Kobler Estate Winery Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Kobler Estate Winery Estate Reserve Syrah

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Koehler Winery Hinnrichs Vineyard Syrah

Still Wine

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2023

2023 Koehler Winery John Sebastiano Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

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