The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Flat-out stunning. The wine boasts beautifully silky textures balanced by brisk acidity. Vibrant black fruit builds alongside crunchy red plums, candied violets, rich earth, and rose dusted with white pepper, nuanced by pastille candies. Medium- to full-bodied, it’s gracious yet structured, with palate-etching tannins that are nicely integrated even at this young stage. Youthfully exuberant and impeccably built.
This sparkling is made entirely from the Blanc du Bois grape, sourced from Mound Prairie Vineyards outside of College Station Texas. The vineyard was planted by Bob Hensz and his daughter, Elisa Jones, the winemaker at Elisa Christopher Wines in 2007. The Blanc du Bois was aged six months on lees and offers up fragrant honeysuckle and tropical fruit notes with a kind of bright vinous character, all balanced by a rich, frothy and creamy mousse, finishing with nice chalky minerality and baking spice. Elisa Christopher Wines is owned by husband-and-wife duo Elisa and Chris, with Elisa also serving as the winemaker. Passionate about sparkling wine and their red wine program, they plan to begin planting their 43-acre estate in 2026.
This Cabernet from Alisa Jacobson, known around the Santa Ynez Valley as ‘AJ’, is sourced from her top sites in Paso Robles and the Santa Ynez Valley, with a splash of Santa Ynez Valley Merlot. Medium to full bodied and well balanced, it offers juicy, ripe red and black fruit layered with sweet baking spices. Plush tannins frame the palate, leading to a pleasing finish accented by sagebrush and crushed cocoa nibs. Aged primarily in neutral French oak (10% new).
In 2020, winemaker Roman Roth believed the vintage was so exceptional, it warranted a single-vineyard Pinot Noir—and he’s repeated that decision again this year. This is a terrific, bracing, coiled-up wine with impressive depth of red and black fruit concentration, clove spice, savoury herbs, and unsmoked tobacco. Medium-bodied but muscular, the tannins bring power and drive, framing a deeply flavoured, juicy Pinot Noir that finishes with gorgeous saline-acid tension. That salty edge really pops on the long finish, scented with blood orange, cocoa powder, and pressed wildflowers.
Absolutely stunning. This wine strikes a remarkable balance of richness and freshness, layered with savoury depth. Super-fine tannins carry notes of leather, tobacco, and black tea—think Earl Grey—wrapped around cassis and blackcurrant fruit. It’s long, fresh, and vibrant from the pull of the cork, evolving beautifully with air to reveal sumptuous waves of rich earth, spice, smoked paprika, and undeniable elegance.
Expressive, focused, complex, and superbly balanced. The wine opens with flinty minerality and bright citrus—Meyer lemon and grapefruit—before unfolding into a silky, weighty mid-palate layered with creamy lemon curd, apricot, crushed almonds, and white flowers. The finish is long, driven by saline-acid tension that’s nearly impossible to beat. It feels like a brilliant cross between the best of Chablis and the far western Sonoma Coast—yet remains unmistakably Long Island, with its sea spray lift, lime-bright acidity, and mouth-puckering grip that beautifully balances the wine’s fleshy mid-palate. Wonderful energy and exceptional precision. “This wine follows in the footsteps of our best 1994 Chardonnay, which launched the fine wine reputation of Wölffer Estate,” says winemaker Roman Roth. Twenty percent of the wine underwent natural malolactic fermentation, and it remained sur lie on whole lees for eight months with minimal bâtonnage.
This is a full-bodied, fleshy Merlot framed by structured acidity that grips the palate with intent. Juicy plum and black cherry lead the charge, followed by notes of leather, tobacco, and walnut husk. The mid-palate is plush with ripe berry fruit, cocoa powder, and accents of blood orange and a flicker of grapefruit zest. Bold, expressive, and focused, this wine shows impressive width, depth, and energy. Sourced from the Lesley Alexander Vineyard, Christian’s Cuvée is named in honor of founder Christian Wölffer and produced only in exceptional vintages. The fruit comes from the estate’s oldest Merlot block. Aged for 20 months in barrel, racked off the lees three times, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 379 cases produced.
This Pinot Noir is compact, expressive, and focused, with a vivid savoury note reminiscent of Hermès leather, layered with espresso bean and crunchy cranberry and cherry fruit. Firm, mineral-laced tannins frame the medium-bodied palate, leading to a long, vivid finish of dried herbs and wet slate. Aged for 22.5 months in French oak barrels (22% new), where it completed malolactic fermentation. Only 482 cases produced.
This is a dynamic and expressive Cabernet Franc—super clean, laser-focused, and structured with firm, mineral-laced tannins. A core of red berry and dark cherry fruit anchors the wine, layered with espresso bean, leather, and tobacco notes. There’s a brooding energy here, like the slow-build intensity of a Hitchcock film—compelling, suspenseful, and impossible to turn away from. Composed of 87% Cabernet Franc and 13% Merlot from the estate’s oldest Merlot vines planted in 1990. Aged for 20 months in 40% new and 60% 1- to 3-year-old French oak barriques. 1,286 cases produced.
Dazzling. Absolutely delicious, with pure apricot and tangerine fruit shining through—vivid, bright, and bursting with flavour, yet never cloying. There’s impressive depth and precision to this ice wine, with the promise of long ageing potential as it evolves into layers of truffled and honeyed complexity. A stunning pairing for roast chicken in white wine sauce. This wine exemplifies why Long Island belongs in the conversation about world-class wine. Crafted from three distinct handpicked lots, with just 312 cases produced.
From Musqué clones of Sauvignon Blanc, this wine was aged six months sur lie in barrel. It’s lean and focused, bursting with lemon and lime brightness, white floral lift, and a fine beam of flinty, stony minerality that carries from the aromatics through the long finish. The mid-palate brings a fleshy, green melon-like generosity that softens the wine’s taut frame, adding balance and depth. There’s excellent tension and energy throughout, putting a fine point on this expressive Sauvignon Blanc.
This is a bright, focused wine with sea spray aromatics and delicate red berry fruit. On the palate, it’s charged with salty, chalky minerality, notes of grapefruit zest and kumquat, and a gorgeous lift of florals that fuel a lengthy, energetic finish. There’s plenty of tension and vibrancy throughout. 2024 is regarded as a fantastic vintage in the region, and that’s on dissplay with this wine. Aged on fine lees for two months to build texture, and malolactic fermentation was avoided to preserve acidity.
What a wine. Sourced from small, hand-picked blocks within the Harbes and Soloviev vineyards on Long Island’s North Fork, and aged on fine lees for two months, this is a fantastic and weighty expression of Chenin Blanc. Vibrant citrus and apricot notes lead the way, followed by a subtle honeyed richness that emerges at the core. A firm spine of lime-bright acidity drives the wine, finishing with vivid saline-mineral tension and a building, mouthwatering spice. Clean, crisp, energetic, and laser-focused.
This Cabernet Franc is a blend of multiple handpicked lots, matured in a mix of barrique barrels, upright oak tank, and stainless steel. Elegant red berry fruit mingles with rich spice and savoury complexity. On the palate, soaring tannins and medium-bodied intensity are lifted by a wet slate mineral edge and a hint of sweet cedarwood that balances the wine’s savoury core.
This is a bright, zesty white driven by tropical fruit, with notes of papaya and mango building toward a fleshy mid-palate. But just as it settles into richness, laser-focused acidity kicks in—crisp, crunchy, and cleansing—making this the ideal food wine. It’s your go-to with oysters or roast chicken and potatoes, cutting through fat with razor-sharp tension. This is 100% Trebbiano, a variety well suited to the growing conditions of Long Island’s East End, aged on fine lees for three months, with malolactic fermentation entirely avoided. Just 442 cases produced.
This Pineau de Charentes–style wine is made from Cabernet Franc, originally fermented as a rosé before being fortified with grape brandy and aged in neutral American oak for seven years. The result is reminiscent of a Tawny Port, with bright hazelnut and red cherry notes, lifted by a vivid spine of acidity. Lush and complex, it also shows layers of bruised and baked apples, apricots, and honeycomb. Delcious—and rather exceiting.
A white Port-style wine made from Vignoles, aged in “wet” used bourbon barrels from Tuthilltown. It offers gorgeous aromas of toasted hazelnuts, orange blossom, poached apples and pears, with a touch of honeyed maple sweetness. Rich and warming, it’s a perfect pairing for Fall desserts—think apples, flan, cheese, or a slice of apple pie.
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.
Sourced from three acres of Cabernet Franc at Olana Vineyard, planted in 2015–2016 on steep, gravelly Knickerbocker soils along the Hudson River. Two clones (317 and 214) are fermented separately with partial stem inclusion in open-top fermenters, then aged for 16 months in Hungarian oak barrels and puncheons. The wine is polished and structured, delivering concentrated dark berry fruit, cedar-laced tannins, and tangy blood orange acidity. Medium- to full-bodied, it finishes with satiny richness, layered baking spices, and a wet slate minerality.
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.
