NV – Cristaldi & Co

N/A

Champagne Piaff

Blanc de Blanc NV

This fifth-generation producer from Épernay crafts Champagnes that undergo full malolactic fermentation. Grapes are sourced from Vitryat, and the wine spends 28 months en tirage with a dosage of 7 g/L. The nose reveals gorgeous chalky mineral notes alongside white truffle and French pastry aromas. The palate delivers a luscious, creamy mousse with rich earthy undertones, pure apricot, and white peach character, complemented by nougat and Marcona almonds. The long, satisfying finish is elevated by a pop of hazelnut. This Champagne’s style is captivating and sure to delight.

White

N/A

Champagne Piaff

Brut Rosé NV

Grapes are sourced from the Vallée de la Marne, and the wine spends 24 months en tirage with a dosage of 7-8 g/L. The blend is composed of 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay. This rosé Champagne is richly layered, offering a beautiful balance of acidity and fruit ripeness. Notes of sweet baking spices, candied melon, apricot, strawberry, and cherry fruit intertwine with cherry pit and wet slate minerality. The wine finishes with a subtle hint of nougat, adding depth and elegance. This fifth-generation producer from Épernay crafts Champagnes that undergo full malolactic fermentation.

Rosé

NV

Altus Sol

Cabernet Sauvignon

A pleasant, medium-bodied, aromatic, fruit-forward red wine, offering up ripe cherry, cranberry, and blood orange fruit, warming graham cracker crust spices, and integrated cedarwood notes, all nicely expressive on the palate, with perfect sweetly ripe fruit framed by soft, supple tannins.

Red

NV

Altus Sol

Pinot Grigio

Tropical fruit lifts out of the glass, redolent of pineapple and white peach and jasmine florals. Lush, medium-bodied, with juicy acidity underscored by a chalky mineral character and crushed Marcona almond finish. Pinot grigio with less than a percent spalsh of Muscat for some aromatic lift.

White

NV

Brennan Vineyards

Winemaker's Choice / Red Blend

This non-vintage blend has no set formula or constraints from year to year, allowing the winemaker complete creative freedom—a refreshing approach that yields something unique with each release. Issued roughly every 18 months, the current bottling combines Tempranillo, Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Ruby Cabernet. The nose is bold and expressive, showing black tea, maple, toffee, espresso, a touch of meatiness, and dried violets. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate, it delivers flavors of chocolate-covered almonds and fig paste, supported by gritty tannins and a long, spicy finish marked by smoked paprika.

Red

NV

Buttonwood Grove Winery

The Farm White

The Farm White is a blend of 70% Cayuga White, 16% Melody, and 14% Grüner Veltliner. Each variety is fermented separately in stainless steel from direct press juice, then blended in early February or March before bottling. The nose is citrus-driven with orchard fruit and a hint of jasmine, while the palate delivers a rowdy, mouth-puckering acidity and vinous energy that fuels the wine’s length.

White

NV

Colloca Estate Winery

Colloca Estate Winery Mindy's Giggle Juice

The nose on this effervescent rosé is utterly beguiling—fragrant jasmine and honeysuckle waft alongside candied red berry fruit, leading into a creamy, frothy mousse that’s sweet but balanced. Flavours of dried peach rings and apricot carry through the finish, making this wine as joyful as it is quaffable. The only thing giggly about it is how happy you’ll feel after polishing off the bottle. Crafted using the saignée method for color extraction, this fresh and crisp sparkler blends Riesling from the estate’s Lake Effect Vineyard, Cabernet Franc and Traminette from Miles Vineyard (all in the Finger Lakes AVA), and Cayuga White sourced from nearby Burlee Farms in New York State.

Rosé

NV

Dow's

Ten Year Old Tawny Porto

This succulent, spicy 10-year is nothing if not consistent. Rich toffee and vanilla bean aromas entice, while the caramel, toasted nut, and dried fig and cherry flavors make it a perfect match for a slice of pecan pie. – J.R.

Red

N/A

Dragonette

XX Twentieth Anniversary Cuvee Syrah

A blend of Syrah from four vintages—2019 (20%), 2020 (20%), 2021 (40%), and 2022 (20%)—this wine brings together fruit from Stolpman, Kimsey, and Larner vineyards in Ballard Canyon and John Sebastiano in the Sta. Rita Hills. The final blend is 95% Syrah, 4% Grenache, and 1% Viognier. Aged for an extended period in barrel before careful blending, this bottling pays homage to Vega Sicilia’s famed Único Reserva Especial in Ribera del Duero. The label, a commissioned artwork by artist R. Anthony Askew, adds an extra layer of thoughtfulness to an already compelling bottle. I love this wine—and you will too—because it delivers a mouthful of Syrah deliciousness, done the Santa Barbara County way. Rich, supple dark fruits meet tangy blood orange acidity and mid-palate density. The wine builds with layers of black cherry, blackberry, violets, sandalwood, and robes of dark chocolate, all weaving into a satiny sheet that glides across the palate. The multi-vintage integration is so seamless and complete, it makes you wish Dragonette would craft a wine like this year after year.

Notes from the winery on how this wine was made:

“We harvested each block in the cold morning hours, personally hand sorting in the field. The grapes were destemmed within hours then cold soaked for 2-7 days, before fermentation with native yeasts. Pumpovers, punchdowns and delestage were used to gently extract flavor, while managing tannins. At dryness, the wines were transferred to French oak barrels of various formats (500L puncheon, 400L, and 228L barrique) of which a portion is new. Each vintage included in this blend was itself a blend of the best barrels for that given season. Each component vintage was aged separately with a range from 26 to 62 months in barrel, with an average age of 42.8 months in barrel. In honor of our 20th Anniversary, the wine was bottled in January of 2025.”

Red

NV

Hermann J Wiemer Vineyard

Extra Brut

Non-vintage méthode traditionnelle sparkling made from 100% Riesling, riddled and disgorged by hand after 18 months en tirage. Dosage is 5 g/L. This is razor-sharp and brilliantly focused, driven by crystalline acidity and ripe, succulent orchard fruit. The rich, frothy mousse fills the palate, resolving into a stark, mineral finish brimming with energy and tension. Delicious.

White

NV

Hosmer Winery

Hosmer Winery Sparkling Wine

Made from 100% Cayuga White grapes sourced from the southwestern-most block of Patrician Verona Vineyard (a 70-acre, sustainably certified estate vineyard in the Cayuga Lake AVA, with plantings dating back to 1979), this spent four years en tirage. It is a vivid, saline-mineral-driven sparkler with a frothy, creamy mousse and loads of lemon, lime, grapefruit pith, and French pastry notes emerging on the long finish. The dosage is well-balanced, adding a subtle sweetness that resonates throughout.

White

NV

HV Vineyards

Right Bank Blanc De Blanc

Super expressive from the start, this 100% Chardonnay opens with a lifted nose of baking spice, oyster shell minerality, and lemon pastry. The palate builds in intensity with a focused, assertive mousse and fine beading, resolving into a stunning, saline-rich finish layered with salted lemon peel and French pastry notes. Bright, focused, and precise throughout. Aged 24 months on the lees with some time in neutral oak post-primary fermentation; no malolactic conversion. Dosage is 7 g/L. Crafted under the direction of General Manager Russell Moss.

White

NV

HV Vineyards

Right Bank Brut Cuvée

Bright, stony minerality and subtle oyster shell notes rise from the glass, layered with citrus and lime. The mousse is super frothy, carrying a salty-chalky core that builds with grippy apple skin texture and golden cherry fruit. The finish is long, floral, and mineral-rich. A sparkling wine of impressive quality.

White

NV

Kerrville Hills

White Wine

This non-vintage white shows impressive character and texture, with a grippy mid-palate and a long, nutty richness that carries through the medium-bodied finish. The palate offers generous fruit weight, featuring layers of apricot and white peach alongside toasted almonds and buttered croissant. There’s real depth and intensity here, complemented by notes of wild herbs and dried honeycomb on the nose.

White

NV

Knapp Winery

Brut

Sourced from Knapp Vineyards, this sparkling wine underwent primary fermentation in stainless steel, followed by bottle fermentation and 12 months on the lees before disgorging. A modest 1.5% residual sugar dosage rounds out the palate. Simple and enjoyable, it offers crisp green apple, green Jolly Rancher candy, and steely minerality, all wrapped in a vinous-like character. A supple, creamy mousse gives way to a bone-dry finish marked by mineral tension.

White

NV

Mazza Wines

The Perfect Bubbly

Sourced from several vineyards within the Lake Erie AVA, this blend of hybrid varieties saw cool stainless steel fermentation to help preserve vibrant aromatics and acidity. Expressive notes of apple and pear lead the way, joined by white flowers and honeysuckle. A rich, creamy, and frothy mousse lifts the palate, resolving with a subtly sweet finish.

White

NV

Piper Sonoma

Brut

Vivacious, with lively and lovely green apple aromas and flavors, and impressive length for the asking price. With Méthode Traditionnelle production and 7% aged reserve added, this sparkler is an easy and affordable way to upscale your weekday sipping. – J.R.

Rosé

NV

Sparkling Pointe

Brut Nature

Disgorged on 10.16.24 after more than three years aging sur lie, this is a multi-vintage Brut Nature made from 51% 2020 and 49% 2019 fruit. And let me say—it’s absolutely my kind of wine. Gorgeously rich, with spectacular nutty complexity and an ultra-fine, creamy mousse. Winemaker Andrew Rockwell explains that the oak aging adds just a bit of grip, which helps frame the wine’s generous mid-palate and lingering, toasty finish. It’s stunning—elegant yet powerful, and just plain gorgeous.

White

NV

Usonia

West! West!! West!!!

50% Chancellor (Plane’s Block, west side Cayuga Lake), 30% Verdelet (Arrowhead Vineyard, west side Seneca Lake), and 20% Cayuga White (Plane’s Block), all hand-harvested in 2023 and vinified separately. In 2024, fermenting non-vinifera Diamond—a native variety—was added to the still wine before it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Hand-disgorged over the winter, this sparkling wine is wild, rustic, and utterly compelling. It channels tar and roses with deep loamy earth—like a red from Chinon—before unfurling with intensely tarry minerality, frizzante energy, and a creamy, assertive mousse. Red berry fruit mingles with savory notes of star anise, black olive, and crushed walnuts drizzled with paprika-laced honey.

White

NV

W&J Graham's

Six Grapes Special Vila Velha Edition Reserve Port

This is a Reserve with the “seriousness” factor dialed up a notch. The fruit is sourced from Quinta da Vila Velha, purchased by James Yumington in the late 1980s. Deep, dark, and downright brooding, this shows hints of resin, mint, dried black figs, mocha, and succulent blackcurrants. The palate carries both power and refinement, almost like a young Vintage Port. – J.R.

Red

NV

Whitecliff

Awosting White

A blend of Seyval Blanc and Vignoles, this semi-dry white is named after Lake Awosting in the Shawangunk Mountains. Medium-bodied, with floral lift and ripe orchard fruit, it shows a touch of sweetness balanced by incredibly bright, saline-laced acidity. The finish is marked by a wet stone minerality.

White

NV

Whitecliff

North River Methode Champenoise Rose

Traditional method rosé. This is a vividly red-fruited sparkling wine with a bright, frothy mousse and crunchy red berry, plum, and white cherry notes. A subtle salinity and touch of baking spice carry through the lengthy finish. Composed mostly of free-run juice, the wine spends up to two years en tirage, with a dosage of approximately 4.5 g/L.

Rosé

N/A

Whitecliff

North River Petillant (Traminette)

From Whitecliff Vineyard’s home estate-grown Traminette, this is pressed into stainless steel and fermented with native yeasts, then is allowed to ferment slowly until it hits the numbers winemaker Brad Martz is targeting—leaving enough residual sugar to complete fermentation in bottle. Disgorged to remove heavy lees, then recapped. It opens with bright apple and lifted baking spice, followed by a super frothy, assertive mousse that resolves through layers of white rose, orange oil, lychee, and a touch of grapefruit zest. Clean, zippy, and zingy.

White

N/A

Whitecliff

North River Petillant (Vidal Blanc)

Sourced from estate-grown Vidal Blanc from the Whitecliff Vineyard home estate. Pressed into stainless steel and fermented with native yeasts, the wine is allowed to ferment as long as needed to reach the numbers winemaker Brad Martz targets—leaving enough residual sugar to complete fermentation in bottle. It’s then disgorged to remove the heavy lees and recapped. The result is a clean, bright pét-nat with notes of chamomile, yellow apple, and white flowers. The mousse is rich, creamy, and finely textured, leading to a bone-dry, acid-driven finish. Easy-drinking and elegant—really lovely.

Cristaldi Scores

Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

Champagne Piaff

Blanc de Blanc NV

Champagne Piaff

Brut Rosé NV

Altus Sol

Cabernet Sauvignon

Altus Sol

Pinot Grigio

Brennan Vineyards

Winemaker's Choice / Red Blend

Buttonwood Grove Winery

The Farm White

Colloca Estate Winery

Colloca Estate Winery Mindy's Giggle Juice

Dow's

Ten Year Old Tawny Porto

Dragonette

XX Twentieth Anniversary Cuvee Syrah

Hermann J Wiemer Vineyard

Extra Brut

Hosmer Winery

Hosmer Winery Sparkling Wine

HV Vineyards

Right Bank Blanc De Blanc

HV Vineyards

Right Bank Brut Cuvée

Kerrville Hills

White Wine

Knapp Winery

Brut

Mazza Wines

The Perfect Bubbly

Piper Sonoma

Brut

Sparkling Pointe

Brut Nature

Usonia

West! West!! West!!!

W&J Graham's

Six Grapes Special Vila Velha Edition Reserve Port

Whitecliff

Awosting White

Whitecliff

North River Methode Champenoise Rose

Whitecliff

North River Petillant (Traminette)

Whitecliff

North River Petillant (Vidal Blanc)

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