The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Nightwing is super silky and luscious, built around a core of dark berry fruit and rich brown baking spices. The palate is wonderfully broad — velvety and silky at the same time — filling in all the gaps and finishing with a fabulous, laser-like line of complexity. It’s classic Venge style: hitting all the broad-palate markers yet finishing with lift, lightness, and brightness.
What a luscious, lovely, rich, and creamy Chardonnay — with plenty of acid verve. Delicious vanilla shows on the back palate alongside well-integrated cedarwood spice. There’s ample crunchy acidity to keep it fresh, bright, and classy. From Calesa Vineyard, all night-picked, whole-cluster pressed, given a two-day settle, then treated with a small sulfur adjustment before native-yeast fermentation. Some lots underwent native malolactic fermentation. Bâtonnage starts with more frequent stirring and tapers off as the wines age in roughly 35% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.
Wow — this is all acid. Candied mineral freshness, citrus fruit, bone-dry, crisp, vivid, clean, and bright. Wet chalk and slate, with a brightness that’s hard to beat. “These grapes hold their acid like a railroad track,” says winemaker Kirk Venge. Some honeyed notes and jasmine flowers linger on the finish. You need a pecorino drizzled in honey with this.
There’s a gravelly freshness that lifts out of the glass, carrying ultra–dark berry fruit with an impressively dense core — so pure, clean, and fresh that the wine is genuinely refreshing, yet still endowed with the depth and tannic intensity you want in a long-lived Cabernet. Tobacco spice, dried violets, and black fruit layer in alongside cool wet-slate tones on the impressively long finish. Del Rio Vineyard is a steep site straddling the highest reaches of Chalk Hill Road in the southeast corner of Alexander Valley, rooted in chalky volcanic soils. This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Wow — this is something. Positively stellar, full-bodied, with chewy tannins that are perfectly framed, elongated and almost sensual in the way they caress the palate. The wine is rich, full-bodied, generous and complexly layered with mixed-berry fruit, yet it is overwhelmingly mineral and tension-filled. A distinctly gravelly complexity is evident, thanks to the vineyard’s soils — gravelly clay and gravelly volcanic deposits spread across the site — and the result is a wine of unimaginable freshness. It is spectacular. The SJ Ranch in Alexander Valley is a 7.9-acre vineyard of volcanic soils adjacent to Verité off Thomas Road. Cabernet Sauvignon Clones 337 and 7 are blended and aged for 22 months in 90% new French oak, then bottled unfined and unfiltered.
A beautifully full and expressive red wine, offering red cherry and blackberry fruit with graphite, fleshy new-wood cedar, and a savory olive-tapenade character. The palate is super creamy and richly textured, driven by pristine dark-berry fruit that leads into mulberry and blueberry. The tannins are gorgeous — cedar-kissed, full-framed, elongated, almost beam-like — and the finish carries a seductive mineral intensity that stretches out over lingering fruit and stone. Just splendid in 2023. Aperture’s Oliver Ranch surrounds the Michelin-starred restaurant Cyrus in Alexander Valley. Winemaker Jesse Katz has worked with this fruit since 2010 and produced his first single-vineyard bottling from the site in 2014. Designed by famed viticulturist Phil Freese in the 1980s on an old riverbed of polished stones, much of the 3.6-acre ranch is dry-farmed.
The Proterra (formerly known as Nomad) is a blend of 82% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. The name changed with the 2022 vintage. Aged 22 months in 85% new French oak. The wine is dark-fruited and savory-spiced, with notes of fig paste, blackberry, cherry, and cherry pie, along with salted dark chocolate and black-tea tannins that are substantial — almost chunky — underscored by good acid tension. Fragrant sagebrush and bay laurel add layers of complexity and spice. It’s a long, full-flavored wine with full-bodied richness that finds balance in its acid backbone, an impressive feat given the vintage.
The Cabernet is aged 18 months in 55% new French oak and 10% concrete. This is an ultra-delicious wine in 2023, with super expressive aromatics: dark berry fruit, tobacco spice, violet, graphite, and little pops of blue fruit. There’s a cocoa-powder tannin quality on the rich, layered palate, along with a chalky mineral complexity that drives the lengthy finish, all fueled by bright baking-spice notes and wild herbs. Sourced from SJ Ranch, Del Rio, Oliver, Farrow, and Aperture Estate. That freshness factor in this wine is partly the vintage, but also the highly technical winemaking going on here, and time spent in concrete. Just wow.
This is a co-fermented field blend of 11 different varieties from the two 1921 blocks planted at Aperture Estate — small blocks totaling under 8 acres. It’s treated like a Burgundian variety, picked early to accentuate ripeness and given a large saignée (30%) to concentrate the tannins. Aged 16 months in 30% new French oak, all in large 70-gallon barrels. There’s something wonderfully savory happening here. There’s Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Carignan, some mixed whites, and cross-bred Petite Sirah selections (Pellier/Syrah), all coming together to build a meaty richness in the glass. Dark berry fruit, rich herbal-spice notes, violets, saddle leather, and black olive drive the aromatics. The tannins are firm yet velvety, supporting a full-bodied richness that finishes with creamy caramel accents and a stony mineral edge.
This is only the second vintage Katz has made of this wine, first produced in 2021. Sourced from old vines on a north-facing hillside at Farrow Ranch, it’s a vibrating, electric, wildly exciting wine — so flavor-packed and intensely mineral-focused, with a gorgeous wet-slate quality underscored by lemon-bright and lime-zest fruit. Green apple, apricot, and lychee drive the fruity core, and then that stony minerality kicks in. The oak work is beautifully delicate, framing the wine rather than weighing it down. It was aged 16 months in 70% new French oak, and with time in bottle it will continue to build complexity from that élevage. You can hold this wine in the cellar — and you should — as it will only grow richer and more savory with time. Farrow Ranch lies within the Alexander Valley AVA, in a site that sits inside a proposed new sub-AVA called Pocket Peak.
The 2024 is electric and vibrant, with incredible tension and length. It’s one of my favorite wines from Jesse Katz since I began tasting his lineup, and it’s hands down the best barrel-fermented white he’s made. Pretty beeswax notes and white flowers open the nose, followed by a squeeze of lime and bright, crunchy apple richness. Stony minerality drives the lengthy finish. Super dynamic. I want to drink this all holiday season while prepping big meals — this is my mise-en-place wine. This white was sourced entirely from estate fruit pulled from some of Aperture’s coolest sites, including plantings of d’Yquem clones, and includes 18% Semillon (all barrel-fermented) from the Dry Stack Vineyard — the highest proportion since the first vintage of their Sauvignon Blanc in 2016. While a small portion was fermented in cement, the 2023 was primarily barrel-fermented, including lots aged in Haut-Brion barrels with Acacia-wood toasted heads.
This is such a bright, lively wine, and it seems to get better with each vintage. It’s wonderfully expressive, marked by saline-acid tension, white flowers, and crushed almonds, with a generous richness on the palate that layers citrus and stone fruit into a long, mineral-driven finish. The 2024 Aperture Chenin Blanc comes from the Clarksburg AVA near California’s Sierra Foothills. Winemaker Jesse Katz notes that the 40-year-old, dry-farmed vines there benefit from cooling breezes funneled in from the San Joaquin River Valley. Fermentations were carried out in a mix of 30% new French oak, 30% once-used French oak, 25% neutral French oak, and 15% concrete tank. The season began with some hydric stress, as rains tapered off around March, leaving berries and clusters on the smaller side; late-season heat helped push ripeness. Katz discovered this grape on a challenge from a restaurateur who needed a white wine by the glass for oysters. He knew he wanted to work with old-vine Chenin Blanc—much of which is planted in Clarksburg near Sacramento—and, following a tip, he found this site and produced the first vintage in 2016.
The Wildcat Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from vines planted in 1998, situated at 800 feet above sea level within both the Sonoma Coast and Carneros AVAs. Composed entirely of Clone 115, it was aged for 20 months in 40% new French oak. Aromas of wood smoke and redwood forest floor mingle with dark cherry and warm brown baking spices, growing more savory as the wine opens. The palate is framed by rich, round, and supple tannins with subtle notes of vanilla, clove, and cedarwood. There’s a notable influence of barrel spice for those who enjoy a toasty style, while the elevated vineyard—bathed in abundant sunlight—ensures beautifully ripe, juicy fruit that imparts a supple, almost sweet impression.Founded in 2006 by proprietor John Sweazey, and guided by winemaker Katy Wilson since 2014, Anaba produces limited-production Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Rhône-style wines, many from exclusive vineyard partnerships.
The Sangiacomo Roberts Road Vineyard Chardonnay was aged 19 months in 33% new French oak, resulting in a slightly riper fruit profile than the Westlands bottling. Tropical and stone fruit lead the way, with notes of white peach, apricot, and candied citrus peel. Rich, toasty baking spices wrap around layers of charred pineapple, while a long, saline-driven finish brings energy and focus. A dazzling, beautifully balanced wine. Founded in 2006 by proprietor John Sweazey, and guided by winemaker Katy Wilson since 2014, Anaba produces limited-production Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Rhône-style wines, many from exclusive vineyard partnerships.
I love this Chardonnay’s focus and precision. Highly aromatic, it opens with hints of salted lemon peel, lime blossom, and crushed Marcona almonds. Medium-bodied yet rich in character, it offers impressive depth of fruit alongside a long, salt-stone mineral finish that keeps the wine light, bright, and full of energy. Notes of candied ginger and quince linger gracefully after the first sip. Chardonnay barrels are hand-selected each vintage for this bottling, with the wine aged 17 months in 40% new French oak. Founded in 2006 by proprietor John Sweazey, and guided by winemaker Katy Wilson since 2014, Anaba produces limited-production Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Rhône-style wines, many from exclusive vineyard partnerships.
Felix Hunter Vineyard lies west of the town of Sebastopol, straddling both the Green Valley and Sonoma Coast AVAs. This 100% Pinot Noir, a blend of Clones 828, Calera, Pommard, and 115, was aged for 20 months in 33% new French oak. The wine is beautifully balanced and generous, offering a heady mix of juicy red berry fruit, warm brown spices, star anise, clove, and rose petal. The palate is supple and vibrant, with ripe, juicy fruit floating over fine, firm tannins. Notes of blood orange acidity, loamy earth, and a touch of vanillin-charred tobacco bring depth and lift to the finish. Long and satisfying, it’s a Pinot Noir well suited to heartier fare. Founded in 2006 by proprietor John Sweazey, and guided by winemaker Katy Wilson since 2014, Anaba produces limited-production Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Rhône-style wines, many from exclusive vineyard partnerships.
This Cabernet Franc comes from two vineyards—Rossi Vineyard and Camp Four Vineyard—and includes 20% whole-cluster fermentation. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was pressed and aged for 20 months in French oak barrels. It’s a meaty, herbaceous, full-throttle Cabernet Franc with chunky tannins and chalky minerality. The palate has real grit. I’m convinced this would be the perfect pairing for the burger at Charter Oak in St. Helena—a smash burger with two patties, jalapeño relish, and white American cheese. That’s exactly where you want to go with this wine.
Kærskov Vineyard, located in the center of the Los Olivos District AVA, is a high-density site planted 6’ x 3’ on clay-loam and river-stone soils. Ryan Carr planted the vineyard in 2014 and continues to farm it today. This Syrah was aged for 20 months in one-year-old French oak. Dark berry fruit is interwoven with anise, fennel seed, and cedarwood spice, all building across the full-bodied palate with chalky tannins and a lingering charcuterie-and-dried-violet finish.
This Sangiovese comes from two vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley—Woodstock Vineyard and Open Gate Vineyard—both farmed by Carr’s winemaker and owner, Ryan Carr. The wine was aged for 20 months in French oak barrels. It’s an immensely pleasing, full-flavored, and fairly robust Sangiovese, with powerful, crisp tannins and plenty of inky dark fruit, loamy earth, black truffle umami, and tobacco notes leading to a long, earthy, and spicy finish.
