The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
This Merlot comes from a special block dedicated to Alain Raynaud and his family of Bordeaux and is blended with 11% Cabernet Franc. Aged 21 months in 20% new French oak barrels, it’s crafted in a focused, distinctly Bordelais style—restrained, balanced, and elegant rather than opulent. Subtle aromas of cherry and red currant mingle with cedarwood, sage, and bay laurel. The palate reveals plummy and raspberry fruit framed by firm, fine-grained tannins that build toward a dry, structured finish. This wine would benefit from another year of cellaring to soften its edges and will continue to evolve gracefully over the next 3–7 years. Founder and winemaker David Jeffrey established Calluna Vineyards in 2005, planting 12 acres of estate vineyards in Sonoma County’s Chalk Hill AVA, followed by an additional 5 acres in 2014. After earning his degree in viticulture and enology at Fresno State, Jeffrey apprenticed under Alain Raynaud at Château Quinault in Saint-Émilion.
In 2022, the Calluna Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted as a selection of the best lots from the winery’s hillside vineyards. Each of the 12 blocks was fermented separately and evaluated through blending trials after five months in barrel. The final blend comprises 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec. This is a structured, energetic, and finely focused red—nothing soft or loose here. It offers expressive blackberry and violet notes alongside hints of blue fruit and cedarwood spice. A dusting of cocoa powder frames the pure, vibrant fruit, giving the wine both texture and polish. The finish shows excellent length and tension, with subtle graphite and wood smoke. Founder and winemaker David Jeffrey established Calluna Vineyards in 2005, planting 12 acres of estate vineyards in Sonoma County’s Chalk Hill AVA, followed by an additional 5 acres in 2014. After earning his degree in viticulture and enology at Fresno State, Jeffrey apprenticed under Alain Raynaud at Château Quinault in Saint-Émilion.
A straightforward Chardonnay sourced from three vineyards spanning from just south of the Russian River to the Petaluma Gap. Picked on the early side, it was barrel-fermented and aged 10 months in 14% new French oak. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation, resulting in a soft, rounded expression of Chardonnay that still retains a bit of bite—thanks to what feels like apple or pear skin tannins. Layers of lemon, lemon curd, quince, and candied ginger unfold on the palate, accented by hints of buttered croissant drizzled with acacia honey. Bone dry and slightly tart on the finish. Produced by a small, family-run winery with a mostly Pinot-driven portfolio made at their winery and tasting room in downtown Petaluma.
Fragrant cedarwood notes mingle with bright cherry fruit and a hint of wild herbs. Tart, racy acidity gives the wine lift, while firm, fine-grained tannins guide it to a bone-dry, focused finish. This Pinot Noir is crafted from a mix of vineyards spanning the slopes of Sonoma Mountain to the cool, rolling hills west of Petaluma. The grapes were fermented with 15% whole clusters and aged 10 months in 25% new French oak. Produced by a small, family-run winery with a mostly Pinot-driven portfolio made at their winery and tasting room in downtown Petaluma.
Sourced from the organically farmed Sweet Family Vineyard, planted in a protected bowl at 750 feet on the southern end of Sonoma Mountain, the grapes for this Pinot were fermented with 15% whole clusters and aged 10 months in neutral oak. Bright aromatics of candied red berries mingle with cherry wood and apple blossom, leading into a palate bursting with raspberry and strawberry coulis. The tannins are firm, crisp, and crunchy, building toward a dry, spicy finish. Vibrant and expressive, this Pinot Noir would pair beautifully with spiced Mexican dishes or hearty braised meats. Produced by a small, family-run winery with a mostly Pinot-driven portfolio made at their winery and tasting room in downtown Petaluma.
This Pinot Noir is sourced from the biodynamically farmed and organically certified Panther Ridge Vineyard, perched at 900 feet on Sonoma Mountain. The grapes were fermented with 15% whole clusters and aged 10 months in 20% new French oak. The resulting wine shows excellent tension and energy, with a focused personality and subtle dark berry fruit framed by crunchy pomegranate-seed tannins. Notes of blood orange, allspice, and tangerine peel carry through a lively, gently spiced finish. Produced by a small, family-run winery with a mostly Pinot-driven portfolio made at their winery and tasting room in downtown Petaluma.
This Zinfandel is beautifully composed and wonderfully balanced. Pure black cherry and black raspberry aromas rise from the glass, nuanced by elegant cedarwood and subtle vanilla tones. Medium-bodied, it reveals expressive red rose floral notes woven through layers of cinnamon-spiced red berry fruit. Firm tannins provide structure and grip, gradually resolving into a long, fruit- and spice-driven finish. Sourced from the Petrini Vineyard in Rockpile, the wine was aged 10 months in 25% new Slavonian oak, which adds depth and refinement without overshadowing the vibrant fruit. Produced by a small, family-run winery with a mostly Pinot-driven portfolio made at their winery and tasting room in downtown Petaluma.
Fresh and zesty, with a touch of grape-skin tannin and an intriguing, heady mix of white Rainier cherry, apricot and white peach, accented by subtle almond undertones. There’s also a gentle pop of tarragon or wild fennel and a super-salty core of crunchy orchard fruit and dried white-floral notes. Exotic, enticing and genuinely fun to drink. I’d pair this with a selection of farmers’ market hard cheeses and charcuterie.
This is a light, bright, zippy Chardonnay, boasting Sonoma Coast sea-spray minerality, subtle lemon and lime citrus, white flowers, and unsalted, unroasted almonds with a touch of almond-skin grip. There’s plenty of tension to carry this medium-bodied white well into the night or through a long meal, while a hint of sea grass and vanilla rounds it all out.
Meanwhile, the Riverbed Estate wine — also in Carneros, near the Farmhouse Estate — boasts a similar wet-slate freshness, mineral drive, and red-berry lift, only here the textures are more supple, the generosity greater, and the tannins noticeably gentler. The dried-herb nuances give way to forest-floor and pine-forest tones, creating a quieter, earthier complexity. The finish caresses the mid-palate with a softer core, yet still carries a bright, spicy snap that keeps the wine lively and engaging.
The Farmhouse Estate Pinot lifts from the glass with a fragrant wet-slate character, followed by cherry and raspberry fruit. Firm tannins anchor a deep mineral core redolent of iron and salt, while dried thyme and rosemary add intrigue. A subtle sappy quality threads through the palate, making the wine quietly thought-provoking. The finish is spicy and insistent — the kind that makes you pause and wonder what’s going on in the glass, in the world, in your own life. And honestly? That’s a fine way to spend an evening, especially with a glass of this nearby.
Anne Moller-Racke was the vineyard manager at Chateau Buena Vista from the early 1980s until 2001, when she helped establish Donum and remained there until 2019. During that time, she planted the Anne Katherina Vineyard in Carneros and, in 2013, began producing wine under her own label, Blue Farm. Total production is around 2,500 cases. The Sonoma Coast bottling is a blend of Anne’s vineyard sources and is poured mainly by the glass in local restaurants. She self-distributes in California. Once the fruit arrives at the winery, it’s sorted, given a light saignée, then cold-soaked for 3–5 days. As the must warms, fermentation kicks off in tank at cool temperatures for up to 19 days. Once dry, it’s pressed, and only the free run is used. The wine is aged in one-third new French oak for up to 17 months. This Pinot Noir is a bit coiled and very youthful, showing crunchy red berry fruit, chalky minerality, and a real earthiness—perhaps from the Wadenswil clone. Black tea–like tannins frame the palate as darker fruit emerges on the mid-palate and finish. There’s plenty of tension and freshness throughout.
What a wonderfully pure Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, bursting with juicy, ripe red cherry, cranberry and strawberry fruit. It leans into cherry compote and warm baking spices, yet all that lush, creamy Russian River fruit is kept beautifully in check by cool acid tension. Textural grip—like biting into a ripe red apple and feeling the pull of the skin—adds dimension, underscored by slick espresso-bean oil, blood-orange or tangerine peel and a touch of smoky, flinty minerality. Super complex and inviting.
Gap’s Crown is fermented in stainless steel and aged in up to 50% new French oak for as long as 17 months. Anne Moller-Racke buys from two blocks: Block 13, planted to Clone 777 on the lower, gravelly portion of the site where it’s cooler with some clay and dense spacing, and the vines are now over 20 years old; and Block 8, planted to Clone 667 at a higher elevation in a smaller parcel. There are wonderfully cool aromas coming off this wine — bright cherry, cranberry, and a white-plum note, with a touch of white pepper spice. The palate is quite delicious, packed with juicy dark berry fruit, Asian spices, clove, and cocoa powder, framed by crisp tannins. It carries real generosity and elegance, all supported by a powerful framework and some lingering cedarwood spice. Super youthful now, and poised to deliver beautifully over the next 5–15 years.
From the Zio Tony Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. A combination of the Elite Clone selection and Clone 667 planted on Goldridge soils, which impart naturally low pH and help the wines retain their freshness. Anne Moller-Racke believes the Elite Clone, in particular, holds its natural acidity beautifully — and this wine proves the point. This is an acid-driven Pinot Noir with a sea-spray minerality on the nose, ripe red berry fruit, warm baking spices, and a touch of strawberry compote mingling with elegant cedarwood spice. Very dry, focused, and precise — not the typical lush RRV style, but a more linear, tension-filled expression.
Anne Moller-Racke planted this vineyard with the intention of making one wine — and she produces just over 300 cases of this estate bottling. Clone 115 brings lift and perfume, Swan Clone contributes texture, and Clone 667 layers in tannin and structure. The site itself is flat, and the wine’s dimension comes from the interplay of these clones. It sits on an old riverbed with abundant gravel, and that drainage, Moller-Racke says, gives the wine its added structure and tannic frame. The wine is dense and powerful, with ripe cherry and strawberry fruit that’s very pure and beautifully delineated. A mineral intensity runs straight through it, and the tannins are crisp and robust, building across the floral and earthy finish. Quite a wine.
From Laceroni Vineyard—situated in the far-southwestern reaches of the Russian River Valley near Graton and spanning roughly 45 acres on classic, well-draining Goldridge sandy loam—comes a more structured and grippier expression of RRV Pinot Noir. The site’s softly rolling hills and coastal influence help produce fruit of refined ripeness: crisp, crunchy and beautifully poised. That energy carries straight onto the palate, where apple-skin tannins and notable textural grip give the wine tension and shape. Subtle brown baking spices and flinty wet-stone minerality add further dimension, supporting the elegant red-berry profile without overwhelming it. Quite a lovely wine with genuine cellar-worthy capability.
Winemaker Anne Moller-Racke has worked with this fruit since 2013. She doesn’t put it through malolactic fermentation—she likes acid. She gets around four tons of a single clone and uses Montrachet plus another yeast to layer in freshness and a touch of reductive edge, with partial fermentation in concrete and one-third in new French oak. Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Chardonnay. It’s bright, vivid, electric—full of sea-spray minerality, cool wet river stones, crushed Marcona almonds, and white-flower notes, lifted by tangerine peel and lemon verbena freshness. It’s so layered and captivating. The wine is stirred early and left on primary lees until bottling, adding fantastic baking-spice depth framed by crisp, crunchy acidity.
This site sits at 1,000 feet of elevation, across from the Failla Vineyard, with vines rooted in Goldridge soils. The wine is incredibly beautiful — the aromatics are gorgeous, with dark blackberry and plum, plus flashes of blue fruit. It’s immensely generous. Made from two clones, Bacigalupi and the Hyde/Calera selection, it shows brilliant lift and clarity. On the palate, there’s great wet-slate minerality, fragrant cocoa-nib notes, and a real saline–acid freshness. All that ripe, juicy, complex fruit stains the palate and drives into a full-bodied finish with exacting, building tannins. Super intensity.
Fruit sourced mostly from Trenton Vineyard in the heart of the Russian River Valley in the Laguna Ridge neighborhood. It bursts from the glass with watermelon, watermelon rind, and white peach. The wine has a creamy mid-palate balanced by zesty acid tension on the medium-bodied frame, layered with red florals and stony minerality. Fresh, clean, bright, and refreshing.
