The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
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Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Always a lovely Chardonnay. Crisp lemon and lime notes, like blossoms. Lovely silky-satiny fruit and textured on the medium-bodied palate, framed by crystalline acidity and candied ginger and lemon peel notes. Crushed almonds and vanilla on the finish. Chardonnay lots are kept separate by clone and soil selection (alluvial, volcanic, and clay). Fermented with Montrachet yeasts and aged 11 months in French oak barrels. Vineyards were planted in 1970 and 1980. Celebrating 25 vintages in 2026, Karin and Justin Warnelius Miller are second-generation Swedish-American winegrowers and makers.
This wine is always so enticing and so delicious. Because it’s held back, your first experience reveals a sumptuously earthy red, here, offering the hallmarks of the 2019 vintage: Beautifully sweet and fine tannins frame loads of plush black fruit, nuanced with tobacco spices, black truffle, and wet slate. Positively addictive and long on the full-bodied finish. What a hedonistic and yet beautifully balanced wine.
Gorgeous aromatics of white pepper spice, dark berry fruit, and quite spicy with a lot of bright woodsy notes, black tea, and black truffle nuances. Medium-to-full-bodied, boasting loamy earth and a rich palate supported by chewy, earthy tannins. For all its richness, it builds with driving energy and tension.
Sourced from the Hyland Vineyard in Oregon. Native yeast, whole-cluster pressed, fermented, and aged sur lie in concrete. Malolactic conversion is inhibited. Aged eight months in concrete amphora, bottled unfined and unfiltered. Perfumed herbs recall Yellow Chartreuse, crushed dill, and even a touch of bacon fat, layered over a flinty mineral core and crushed sea salt. On the palate, silky and lush poached pear is balanced by mouth-puckering acidity and tension. Notes of oyster shell carry through the lengthy, savory-spiced finish. What a complex and thoroughly delicious wine. 125 cases produced, $60.
Sourced from the Hyland Vineyard in Oregon. Native yeast, whole-cluster pressed, fermented, and aged sur lie in concrete. Malolactic conversion is inhibited. Aged eight months in concrete amphora, bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2021 is right in the same pocket as the 2020, super expressive of fresh Kaffir Lime, white flowers and honeysuckle with flinty mineral character, resonating on the palate. Excellent fruit weight and depth of flavors, but about as bright and tension-filled as it gets with a pH of 3.02 and TA of 8.2 g/L. 117 cases produced ($60).
Sourced from the Hyland Vineyard in Oregon. Native yeast, whole-cluster pressed, fermented, and aged sur lie in concrete. Malolactic conversion is inhibited. Aged eight months in concrete amphora, bottled unfined and unfiltered. This own-rooted Riesling was planted in 1973 on red volcanic soils southwest of McMinnville, near the Van Duzer Corridor. Bob Cabrall notes that the vines now have trunks the size of small trees. “I walked the site myself and ended up buying a couple of tons.” The wine builds in the glass with classic petrol tones alongside white flowers, Kaffir lime, and lemon drop. The acidity is positively bracing, which makes sense given the numbers: pH 3.09 and TA of 8 g/L. A touch of residual sugar balances that electric brightness. Long and mouthwateringly crisp. 119 cases produced ($60).
Entirely from Bacigalupi Vineyard, native yeast fermented in barrel with malolactic prohibited. Barrel-aged sur lie in neural Marcel Cadet Barrels. The Acoustic Sunrise shows a juicy pear and peach-driven acidity, with plenty of pure fruit expression—apple and fresh pear at the core. A buttery, creamy leesy note adds textural silkiness, yet the wine remains vibrant and taut, thanks to scintillating acid tension from the lack of extended aging. The finish carries impressive fruit length and bright, energetic minerality. 93 cases made. ($75).
Sourced from Bell Summe Vineyard and Martinelli Zia Gia Vineyard. Native ferments, aged 12 months sur lie in 30% new French oak from Marcel Cadet, Tonnellerie Ô, and François Frères. Unfined and Unfiltered. The Bell Summe vineyard is pronounced like “Yummy”, and this wine blends Old Wente Clone with Montrachet Clone from Martinelli’s Zio Gia Vineyard. In the glass, it shows a bold, yummy richness and a sleek texture. Ripe orchard fruit mingles with candied lemon peel, while slick tangerine oil is brightened by oyster shell minerality. A firm spine of acidity helps support all that generous character, coming into focus on the leaner, focused finish. 107 cases produced ($100)
Sourced from Heintz Vineyard and Bootleggers Hill Vineyard. Aged 12 months sur lie in 30% new Marcel Cadet, Tonnellerie Ô, and François Frères barrels. Unfined and Unfiltered. 263 cases produced. The wine is lifted and bright, offering wildflowers and crushed almonds with a subtle hint of vanilla. Fleshy orchard fruit brings generosity to the mid-palate, while saline acidity and wet river-rock minerality frame a taut, energetic wine. The long, cool growing season proved challenging for Chardonnay, though it favored Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. I’d suggest enjoying the hell out of the 2023 Chardonnay now, while holding the 2022 and 2021—begin pulling corks on those starting in 2027 or 2028. ($100)
The depth of flavor in the 2022 is off-the-charts impressive—rich and expansive, bursting with wildflower honey, tangerine oil, buttered brioche, and crème brûlée notes. Enticing crushed almonds and hazelnuts add breadth and texture without heaviness. Citrus and orchard fruit mingle with slate-like minerality. Complex and downright delicious. Vineyard sources include: Heintz and Bootleggers Hill. Native yeast fermented, with full malolactic, aged for 12 months in fine French oak, including in Marcel Cadet barrels. 272 cases produced. ($100)
Super-perfumed with candied ginger and lemon peel, underscored by oyster shell minerality. There is a medium-bodied richness that may well stem from the Montrachet clone at Bootleggers Hill Vineyard, lending the wine added depth and a velvety suaveness. Crisp acidity carries through to a long, lemon-bright finish with excellent persistence. Vineyard sources include: Heintz and Bootleggers Hill. Native yeast fermented, with full malolactic, aged for 15 months in fine French oak, including in Marcel Cadet barrels. ($100) 14.3% alcohol. 220 cases produced.
This wine shows a beautifully unctuous character, with salted lemon peel and bright, fragrant lemon oil leading the way. Crushed Marcona almonds add a savory-salty nuance, while a hint of buttered brioche builds richness. The texture is velvety and sleek, balanced by a firm spine of acidity. Zesty and gently spicy. Vineyard sources include: Heintz and Lancel Creek Vineyards (Mark Aubert leases some of this). Native yeast fermented, aged for 15 months in fine French oak, including in Marcel Cadet barrels. ($100) 14.2% alcohol. 135 cases produced.
Compared to 2018, the 2019 release is crisper and more focused, showing lifted wet-stone and flinty-mineral character. White floral notes and tangerine oil add further lift while the medium-bodied palate is entirely fresh with grippy acid tension. Crushed Marcona almonds add nuance to the lengthy pressed-wildflower finish. Vineyard sources include: Heintz and Freestone. Native yeast fermented, aged for 15 months in fine French oak, including in Marcel Cadet barrels. ($100) 14.1% alcohol. 183 cases produced.
Sourced from Heintz and Freestone vineyards. Heintz Vineyard was planted in 1982 to Clone 4 on AXR1—the large-berried selection developed by Harold Olmo at UC Davis. It forms the backbone of this wine. A distinctive element of the élevage is the barrels crafted by Marcel Cadet, who produces roughly 2,000 each year. Each barrel is submerged in water for about 20 minutes before toasting, effectively steaming and toasting simultaneously. This technique encourages greater expression of vanillin and crème brûlée notes, while the harsher tannins are leached out early in the toasting process. The result is a more perfumed, refined oak profile. Winemaker Bob Cabrall also ages some of the wine in heavier-toast François Frères barrels, adding depth and a marked contrast. In the glass, the wine is super-expressive, with oyster-shell minerality, ripe orchard fruit, and nuances of wildflowers, with a subtle beeswax note. It builds with impressive mouthfeel, yet finishes focused, carried by salty acidity and lingering baking-spice complexity. A pop of salted French butter on warm brioche is about as far as the oak character goes, and is perfectly integrated. Vineyard sources include: Goldrock Estate, Campbell, and Heintz. Native yeast fermented, aged for 15 months in that fancy French oak. ($100) 14.4% alcohol. 183 cases produced.
The 2023 Electric Hippy is robust and richly styled, bold and generous yet framed by zippy, zesty acidity. A pop of cocoa powder freshness lifts the darker fruit tones, while earthy black tea tannins and fresh morel notes add savory depth, but the overall impression remains focused and precise. Vineyard sources include: Goldrock Estate, Campbell, and Heintz. Native yeast fermented, one-third whole cluster, aged for 16 months in fine French oak. ($125) 13.9% alcohol.
The base of this wine largely comes from Paul Hobbs’ Goldrock Estate, perched on the first ridge rising off the Pacific Ocean. It opens with dark fruit and sassafras notes, backed by zippy, zingy, electric acidity that will mellow with time. Incredibly perfumed, it offers wild berry fruits layered with violets, wild herbs, white and black pepper. There is building tannic tension through the mid-palate, supported by a saline thread of acidity that carries the wine to a firm, lasting finish. Vineyard sources include: Goldrock Estate, Campbell, and Heintz. Roughly one-third is whole-cluster fermented with native yeast in open-top tanks, aged for 16 months in fine French oak. ($125) 13.9% alcohol.
This wine carries the energy and finesse of the 2023 vintage. Bright and expressive with a coiled-up sense of energy. Pure black cherry and blackberry fruit are dusted with cocoa powder. Wound up, exuberant, and in need of some time in the bottle for the tannin to fully knit together. So, best to pop corks after 2027 when the wine exhibits its more unctuous self. Vineyard sources include: Kanzler, Schell Estate, Little Boot, and Heintz. Roughly one-third is whole-cluster fermented with native yeast in open-top tanks, aged for 16 months in fine French oak. ($125) 14.2% alcohol.
The 2022 builds in the glass, with blackberry and cherry nuanced by incense and English Breakfast tea notes. Bold and expressive, it carries red and black licorice tones, a touch of tar, and wet slate minerality. Medium-bodied with a supple richness and softer tannins, a reflection of the warmer vintage, making this an unusually early-drinking expression of Troubadour. That approachability will be welcome for consumers, as several of the surrounding vintages still require time for their structures to fully settle. Vineyard sources include: Kanzler, Schell Estate, Little Boot, and Heintz. Roughly one-third is whole-cluster fermented with native yeast in open-top tanks, aged for 16 months in fine French oak. ($125) 14.1% alcohol.
The 2021 Troubadour is bright with a vivid carbonic character that gives the aromatics lift. Whole-cluster fermentation brings structure, shaping tea-like tannins with nuances of white pepper and fresh morels. As in previous releases, a consistent thread of saline acidity runs throughout, framed by compact, ripe tannins. Delicious upfront, it nonetheless needs time for those tannins to fully settle. Vineyard sources include: Kanzler, Schell Estate, Little Boot, and Bush Crispo Vineyards. Roughly one-third is whole-cluster fermented with native yeast in open-top tanks, aged for 16 months in fine French oak. ($125) 13.9% alcohol.
The 2020 is bold, offering ripe darkberry fruit, Hibiscus, dried fennel, and black licorice, layered over rich cherry fruit. Deeply concentrated mid-palate, with ultra-fine tannins framing a focused, acid-driven and mineral-scented finish. Vineyard sources include: Kanzler, Schell Estate, Little Boot, and Bush Crispo Vineyards. Roughly one-third is whole-cluster fermented with native yeast in open-top tanks, aged for 16 months in fine French oak. ($125) 13.8% alcohol.
