The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Expressive red berry fruit and white peach notes find their stride on the medium-bodied palate, supported by a rich, frothy, and airy mousse that finishes bone dry yet fruit-laden. Made méthode champenoise style from hand-picked Pinot Noir grown on the estate’s 4.5-acre vineyard, planted about 12 years ago on 3309 rootstock. A blend of Clone 777 and Précoce, the fruit underwent a slightly firmer pressing to extract more color, with one year of bottle aging prior to release.
Hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes from 12-year-old vines grown on their 4.5-acre estate vineyard, only free-run juice is used to craft this méthode champenoise style bubbly, which sees a minimum of 3 years of bottle aging. On the palate, baked orchard fruit and kumquat notes mingle with a gentle sweetness reminiscent of French pastry and toasted Marcona almonds, layered with nutty undertones. A vivid steely, saline minerality frames the frothy mousse.
Wow—aromatics of white flowers, honeysuckle, and jasmine lift from the glass, building into a subtly sweet richness and creamy, frothy mousse that finishes with a gentle kiss of floral sweetness and lift. This méthode champenoise-style sparkling Traminette is made from two acres of estate-grown vines planted in 2000. A French-American hybrid developed by Cornell University, Traminette is known for its intense rose-like character.
Two acres of own-rooted Chambourcin are grown on the estate, planted in the late 1990s, which source this wine. Fermented on the skins for seven days, the wine was then aged in French and Hungarian oak, with 75% new oak used for extraction. Perfumed aromas of red fruit, rose petals, and espresso bean lead into a medium-bodied palate that layers sweet strawberry and raspberry with hints of passion fruit. Brown baking spices emerge on the long finish.
A super interesting Vidal Blanc, bursting with aromatic sweetness that evokes spiced cinnamon wood around the holidays and intensely perfumed notes of sweet woodruff flower. Inspired by Germany’s traditional Maiwein Bowle—a sparkling white wine infused with strawberries and bundles of sweet woodruff—this cuvée is made from estate-grown Vidal Blanc, planted over 35 years ago across four and a half acres. After cold fermentation with multiple yeast strains, the wine is infused with dried sweet woodruff, lightly sweetened, and spritzed with carbonation. The result is layered, bright, and delightfully eccentric, with just enough sweetness and energetic lift to carry its fascinating floral complexity across the palate.
This wild pét-nat has been thoughtfully disgorged—so it won’t erupt and ruin your dress, but it will give you a reason to jump up and down with excitement (just set the bottle down first before showing off your joie de vivre). The mousse is bright, airy, and creamy, delivering terrific texture along with red berry fruit, baking spices, and a savory wild herb finish. Bone dry, with great acid grip.
From the challenging 2021 vintage, winemaker Phil Plummer added a 2% splash of Cabernet Franc for lift. Fermented in open-top bins with twice-daily punchdowns and pumpovers, then pressed to stainless steel for malolactic conversion before aging in a mix of new and used American oak and used French oak for about 12 months. The result is an expressive, tart, juicy, red-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon, with notes of cassis, currant, olive tapenade, and a salty-saline minerality.
I had this with a mortadella dish from The Park Inn in Hammondsport, NY—a glorious stack served on grilled focaccia with olives and orange mustard—and the pairing absolutely soared. It has a nutty, brown-spice depth that turns into cherry-almond marzipan on the palate. Paired with that mortadella, it draws out all the savory, nutty nuance and then rinses the fat clean with precision and lift. Do yourself a favor: recreate this pairing, or you’re missing out. Winemaker Phil Plummer is like a modern-day Icarus, flying just a little too close to the sun with his experiments—but the results are golden. Keep flying, Phil.
This wine opens with a wild, almost savage nose reminiscent of green or yellow Chartreuse—fennel, licorice, and savory herbs. Then it takes all the fruit you expect from Riesling and, as winemaker Phil Plummer puts it, “puts it on the grill.” The result is a smoky, almost incense-like character on the palate, with crisp, medium-bodied texture and a crunchy mineral core. The finish is long, smoky, and laced with stony intensity.
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.
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.
Entirely barrel fermented in neutral oak with partial native fermentation and extended lees contact, including bâtonnage for roughly 10 months prior to bottling. The wine offers tropical aromas of pineapple and lemon, accented by subtle vanilla. On the palate, it’s rich and creamy yet silky in texture, framed by chalky minerality and finishing with fragrant wild herbs.
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.
Made from 100% Cabernet Franc sourced from Patrician Verona Vineyards—a 70-acre, sustainably certified estate in the Cayuga Lake AVA—this is a pretty and complex wine. The fruit was racked into a mix of neutral French and American oak barrels, and aged for eight months. With source vines dating back to 1990 and the youngest planted in 2017, the resulting wine showcases elegant red berry fruit layered with brown baking spices, earth, and rose petal nuances. Juicy notes of blood orange and cranberry brighten the mid-palate, while lithe, sinewy tannins frame the supple texture of this medium-bodied expression.
A lean, mean Riesling machine, bristling with vivid, savoury saline-acid tension that frames delicate orchard fruit and floral aromatics. Fermented and aged in Austrian oak foudres, it’s utterly delicious—every flavour and aroma in perfect harmony, elevated by remarkable texture and depth that begs further exploration. This purity and precision is a direct reflection of the shale soils and Biodynamic farming at this Demeter-certified estate.
The first wine from the estate to bear the Demeter Certified seal (sourced from just two blocks), this Riesling channels pure orchard fruit layered with delicate notes of pink Himalayan sea salt. Expressive apple-skin tannins and deeply etched salinity build alongside bracing acid tension, delivering both exuberance and energy. The finish is racy, crystalline, and deeply mineral.
This is a striking example of Cabernet Franc, offering chalky minerality and tart red berry fruit layered with violets, rose petals, and a subtle hint of rose stem. Delicate nuances of well-integrated used oak add quiet complexity without overshadowing the purity of fruit. Bright, vivid, and finely layered, it showcases expressive acidity and minerality. Sourced from a 2.5-acre block at Magdalena Vineyard—considered the ripest site in their portfolio—it was aged entirely in a mix of neutral French (225L) and Hungarian (500L) oak barrels. One of the top Cabernet Francs tasted during my time in New York.
This single-vineyard Riesling from the Magdalena site benefits from the moderating effect of Seneca Lake, allowing for extended hang time and greater ripeness. Multiple selective harvest passes through the same blocks build aromatic intensity and palate weight while preserving balance. It shows generous orchard fruit and citrus zest, underpinned by a deep vein of saline minerality and smoky, stony tension. There’s a sense of drive and energy here, with remarkable length and purity that carries on for minutes. A stunning wine.
Aged 53 months en tirage, this estate-grown méthode traditionnelle blend of 65% Chardonnay and 35% Pinot Noir hails from the Standing Stone Timeline and Magdalena vineyards. It opens with aromas of just-picked orchard fruit warmed in the sun, underpinned by subtle French pastry notes. The palate is driven by crystalline acidity and bracing tension, finishing with a vivid streak of wet slate minerality.
From the experimental Julia Vineyard—a nursery site cultivating an eclectic mix of European varieties—this red blend (Cabernet Franc 35%, Blaufränkisch 33%, Zweigelt 13%, Affentaler 8%, Lagrein 4%, Schioppettino 2%, Merlot 2%, Cabernet Sauvignon 2%) is hand-picked, hand-sorted, and aged in 500L neutral Hungarian oak. It’s a hearty, meaty wine with Old World gravitas and unmistakable Finger Lakes character. Notes of leather, cured meat, black olive, and tobacco wrap around a core of dark blue-toned fruit and wet stone minerality, with lithe, dusty tannins and a finish that evokes cold river rock and brooding earth.
