The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
This 100% Chardonnay from TFV Vineyard in Carneros was aged 16 months in 67% new French oak. Lean and laser-focused, it carves out a precise, stony mineral profile balanced on a razor’s edge. Brimming with tart lime and bright lemon-driven acidity, it’s a quintessential pairing for oysters or fresh seafood. The bouquet reveals subtle richness, with hints of candied ginger and chamomile adding nuance. Dazzling in its purity and focus, the wine finishes long and mineral, accented by notes of crushed almond and lingering salinity. Founded in 2001, The Donum Estate farms five Regenerative Organic Certified® vineyards across Carneros, the Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma Coast.
This 100% Pinot Noir from the Donum Vineyard in Carneros was aged 16 months in 40% new French oak. It’s a striking, attention-commanding wine with heady aromas of white pepper, crushed eucalyptus, cassis, and a wild birch-bark nuance that sets it apart. On the palate, the tannins are firm and deeply structured—almost as if that birch-bark character has become part of the wine’s very foundation. Powerful and built for longevity, this is a Pinot Noir to cellar and revisit in the late 2020s, when its structure will have softened and its complexity fully unfurled. Founded in 2001, The Donum Estate farms five Regenerative Organic Certified® vineyards across Carneros, the Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma Coast.
The Hypersonic Pinot Noir, sourced from the Donum Vineyard in Carneros, is a 100% Pinot Noir aged 16 months in 83% new French oak. In contrast to the White Barn bottling, this wine is hyper–fruit-forward yet deeply dark and savory, showing remarkable intensity. Aromas of black truffle, charcuterie, dried red cherry, and cherry wood mingle with subtle hints of sage and bay leaf. On the palate, firm cocoa-powder tannins frame the fruit, while a dazzling streak of wet-slate minerality carries through the long, powerful finish. Founded in 2001, The Donum Estate farms five Regenerative Organic Certified® vineyards across Carneros, the Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma Coast.
This 100% Chardonnay from the Donum Vineyard in Carneros was aged 12 months in concrete (80%), 4 months in stainless steel, and 16 months in 20% new French oak. It opens with elegant mineral notes reminiscent of wet slate and petrichor, joined by jasmine and lime blossom aromatics. The medium-bodied palate builds with richness, revealing layers of quince, candied ginger, and lemon zest framed by scintillating acidity and grippy pear-skin tannins. A wine of striking focus and depth, it combines bony acidity with layered flavor and textural precision. Founded in 2001, The Donum Estate farms five Regenerative Organic Certified® vineyards across Carneros, the Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma Coast.
Sourced from the Earl Stephens Vineyard in the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley, this is a pretty, savory-driven Pinot Noir offering a mix of red cherry fruit, pine forest, crushed cocoa nibs, and elegant cedarwood. Medium-bodied, it’s balanced and finely textured, finishing with a tart cherry brightness. Founded in 2010 by David Warren Hejl, former CEO of Kosta Browne and Martinelli Winery & Vineyards, Domaine Della crafts limited-production Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from select Sonoma County vineyards.
Bright cherry and cedar-wood notes emerge from the glass, along with a wild kind of savage herb quality that is all at once smoky and mineral. This red’s flavors turn to sweet berry fruit on the medium bodied palate, finalizing into a long, spicy, smoked paprika finish. Founded in 2010 by David Warren Hejl, former CEO of Kosta Browne and Martinelli Winery & Vineyards, Domaine Della produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma County.
This Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is straightforward and juicy, offering a lively mix of red cherry and currant fruit layered with notes of spicy paprika and cedarwood. A subtle thread of saline minerality runs through the wine, balanced by blood-orange acidity and crisp, refreshing tannins. Founded in 2010 by David Warren Hejl, former CEO of Kosta Browne and Martinelli Winery & Vineyards, Domaine Della crafts limited-production Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from select Sonoma County vineyards.
A full-flavored, medium- to full-bodied Pinot Noir showing firm tannins and abundant richness. Layers of cherry and blackberry fruit mingle with spiced plum, elegant cherry wood smoke, and clove, all carried through a lengthy finish defined by saline acidity and refined balance. Founded in 2010 by David Warren Hejl, former CEO of Kosta Browne and Martinelli Winery & Vineyards, Domaine Della crafts limited-production Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from select Sonoma County vineyards.
Sources for this wine are El Diablo and Star Ridge, planted to Pommard and Vosne Romanée selections. Star Ridge is the older site and was originally part of the Gary Farrell estate. The Pommard here is Clones 4 and 5, with Clone 5 being the cleaned-up selection. At this stage, the fruit profile leans a touch baked, but it’s still quite delicious—think strawberry and cherry pie with classic cherry-pie spice. The palate is rich, satiny and velvety, driving a long, creamy and inviting finish.
From the “Heritage Block” of the estate’s Vineyard Eleven comes this native-yeast-fermented Pinot Noir, a blend of Mt. Eden and Swan clones. Aged 11.5 months in 35% new French oak barrels, it offers refined aromatics of candied red berry fruit, warm baking spices of clove and cinnamon, and subtle undertones of black truffle and redwood bark. The palate is framed by fine, savory tannins that guide the wine to a smooth, medium-bodied finish. The Mt. Eden Clone layers in a bit of energy and tension. Domaine de la Rivière is a family-owned winery nestled in the renowned Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley. Growers since 2011, they released their first vintage in 2017.
Sourced entirely from Ritchie Vineyard and crafted from Old Wente Clone Chardonnay, this wine is fermented with native yeast and aged 11 months in 27% new French oak, followed by two months in stainless steel barrels before bottling. The bouquet is stunning—bursting from the glass with expressive aromas of baked citrus, orchard fruit, honeysuckle, and jasmine, all layered with the richness of buttery French pastry and crème brûlée. On the palate, all that opulence comes together beautifully, with lemon laced in wildflower honey and toasty wood tones building to a crescendo on the long, candied-mineral finish. Domaine de la Rivière is a family-owned winery nestled in the renowned Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley. Growers since 2011, they released their first vintage in 2017.
This wine is wonderfully rich and layered, with lovely textures drawn from each of the sites that feed into the blend. The Middle Reach Vineyard contributes Pommard, Vosne-Romanée, Swan, and Mt. Eden clones, while additional fruit comes from Starr Ridge, El Diablo, and the estate Vineyard Eleven. Winemaker Kale Anderson harvests at night, bringing the fruit into the winery cold and fermenting in open-top tanks. He uses as much whole cluster as the vintage allows, gives the fruit a five-day cold soak, then ferments fairly warm with a combination of punchdowns before pressing at dryness to barrel for malolactic fermentation. The wine ages 11 months in roughly 25% new French oak before bottling. The result is bright, crunchy red fruit layered with clove and warm spice. The purity of the fruit really comes through, building richness across the palate with strawberry and raspberry tones, touches of leather, tobacco, and blood orange, and a thread of brown baking spices that linger on the finish. Velvety, satiny textures frame this wonderfully tasty wine, which is considered the entry-level offering.
The Two Forces Pinot Noir is sourced from both the estate’s Vineyard Eleven site and the high-elevation El Diablo Vineyard. Fermented with native yeast, the blend comprises 74% Pommard (54% from the estate) and 26% Swan Clone (100% estate fruit). The wine was aged 11.5 months in 37% new French oak barrels. Perhaps the most complete of the five Domaine de la Rivière wines tasted, this Pinot Noir reveals a quiet intensity that deepens with each sip. It opens with notes of cherry fruit and white pepper, followed by a medium-bodied palate framed by stony mineral tension and fine, apple-skin tannins. A solidly built and thoroughly delicious wine. Domaine de la Rivière is a family-owned winery nestled in the renowned Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley. Growers since 2011, they released their first vintage in 2017.
The Next Door Neighbor Chardonnay, tasted alongside the Ritchie Vineyard bottling, is an engaging study in contrast. While the Ritchie leans into rich, toasty oak, this wine highlights a more fruit-driven and textural style. Supple orchard fruit, buttered croissant, and quince define the aromatics, carrying seamlessly onto the medium- to full-bodied palate. Layers of crushed almond, a touch of honey, and ripe pear-skin tannins extend through a long, graceful finish. Sourced from Lone Oak (65%) and Flora Marie (35%) vineyards, this Chardonnay is composed of 65% Old Wente and 35% Montrachet clones, fermented with native yeast. The wine was aged 11 months in 37% new French oak and one stainless-steel barrel. Domaine de la Rivière is a family-owned winery nestled in the renowned Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley. Growers since 2011, they released their first vintage in 2017.
A blend of owner Jeff Bedrosian’s two favorite clones, Pommard and Swan. I love the concentration and freshness here—it’s packed with lush fruit and velvety textures, and it’s absolutely delicious on its own, full-flavored and generous. The wine was aged 11 months in 37% new French oak before bottling. The name refers to the two clones and the forces they represent: Pommard, with its darker fruit and earth-driven depth, and Swan, which brings a more feminine profile of spice and brighter fruit tones. Think of them as yin and yang. They complement each other beautifully in this blend, which shows lovely high-toned spice and that wonderful Pommard richness on the palate. I’d happily drink this on its own, but it would also pair well with braised meats or a salad scattered with pomegranate seeds to echo its juicy, earthy pop.
Ulysses Valdez, the late and legendary grape grower, is the reason the Bedrosians have access to this fruit. Valdez replanted the site and was adamant that they take Block D—the steepest section of the vineyard. It’s a two-acre parcel they began working with in 2018, located 3.4 miles north of East Side Road on uplifted riverbed soils composed of rocky, gravelly silt. The block is entirely planted to the Montrachet clone. Winemaker Kale Anderson explains that the clone holds its acidity regardless of ripeness. It’s also susceptible to shatter, much like Old Wente, and is naturally low-yielding. The selection was isolated from a remarkable site in Montrachet in Burgundy. At Flora Marie Vineyard, this block sits at the very top of the hillside with excellent row orientation. Grapes are picked at night, whole-cluster pressed, and sent straight to a mix of barrel and stainless steel, with one-third new French oak. Fermentation is native, and in this vintage the wine went through full malolactic with lees stirring. It was aged 11 months before bottling. The wine is super bright, marked by a lovely sea-spray minerality and subtle citrus and orchard-fruit tones. A silky texture carries elegant baking-spice notes that linger across the mid-palate, offering warmth, generosity, and a clean, vibrant finish.
A blend of Mt. Eden and Swan clones, this is the second release from the Heritage Block. These clones yield very little, says winemaker Kale Anderson. He loves the Mt. Eden clone in particular, noting that it takes time to evolve because of its perfumed character. The wine shows gorgeous violet and rose-petal aromas—white rose and purple-blue violets—supported by a firm spine of generous acidity and wonderful black-tea notes, bergamot, and orange peel. Delicate cherry and raspberry fruit carry through alongside rich baking spice, white pepper, smoked paprika, loamy earth, and a wet-stone minerality on the finish. A beautifully constructed wine with the structure and detail to age for many years.
In 2021, this marked the first year the estate produced this wine. The fruit is wonderfully bright, pure, and crunchy, with lifted white-pepper aromatics and a burst of rose-petal fragrance. It builds across the palate with juicy blood-orange acidity and perfectly integrated cocoa-powder tannins. The blend is 49% UV-VR clone, 34% Pommard, and 17% Swan. It’s an absolutely fabulous wine—the kind you want to enjoy throughout an entire meal for its bright acidity and tension supporting such beautifully pure fruit. Aged 11 months in roughly one-third new French oak.
Fuller and broader than the Heritage Block Pinot Noir, this wine shows impressive depth and presence. Darker berry fruit takes the lead, supported by bright saline acidity that provides tension and lift. The mid-palate is sumptuous and succulent, with cinnamon-spiced tannins and a beautifully integrated sweet-savory-salty finish. Among the Domaine de la Rivière wines tasted during my visit with Sonoma County Vintners, this was a clear standout—one that was hard to move on from. Sourced from the “Red Barn Block” of the estate’s Vineyard Eleven, this Pinot Noir was fermented with native yeast and composed of 47% Pommard, 40% UV-VR, and 13% Swan clones. It was aged 11.5 months in 37% new French oak barrels. The steeply sloped site features a mix of gravel, sandy loam, and clay soils. Domaine de la Rivière is a family-owned winery nestled in the renowned Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley. Growers since 2011, they released their first vintage in 2017.
Ripe red cherry fruit, pleasant cedarwood, and a touch of vanilla rise from the glass, reappearing on the medium-bodied palate where tart cherry and tangy blood-orange acidity sweep across with vibrant energy. The finish carries a wave of warm brown baking spices and stony minerality, adding both depth and precision. Winemaker Simone Sequeira ages this wine for 14 months in 20% new French oak. Founded in 2006 by Dennis Patton and Andrea Silverstein, DNA Vineyards estate is located in the Laguna Ridge neighborhood of the Russian River Valley.
