The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Gorgeous and full-flavored. Violets. White pepper and mulberry. Dusty red rock minerality. Stunning concentration. Blue-black fruit notes, warm Asian spices. Ultra-fine tannins with some mineral intensity. Ultra compact. Wet slate and petrichor. Impressive length. Fresh and lifted from a firm spine of acid tension. This 100% Malbec was made by Winemaker Shane Finley from grapes grown in a Certified California Sustainable vineyard, located in the Petaluma Gap AVA on the rolling hillsides of southern Sonoma County and overlooking the north shore of San Francisco Bay. It was aged for 20 months in 100% new French oak.
A delicate, yet delicious Pinot framed by cherry, raspberry, and strawberry panna cotta notes, luscious and creamy with warm pie spice notes layering complexity into this otherwise pure-fruited, bright, and decadent wine. This 100% Pinot Noir was made by Winemaker Shane Finley from grapes grown in a Certified California Sustainable vineyard, located in the Petaluma Gap AVA on the rolling hillsides of southern Sonoma County and overlooking the north shore of San Francisco Bay. It was aged for 15 months in 100% French oak (50% new).
A full-flavored and expressive Grenache with real gorgeous perfumed violet interlaced with raspberries and vanilla. Red fruit leather. Brown spices and super fine velvety tannins. Long and lovely. This 100% Grenache was made by Winemaker Shane Finley from grapes grown in a Certified California Sustainable vineyard, located in the Petaluma Gap AVA on the rolling hillsides of southern Sonoma County and overlooking the north shore of San Francisco Bay. It was aged for 15 months in 33% new French oak.
Wonderfully bright and medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir with a fabulously creamy texture. Wet river stone. Rose petals, cherry, and cherry pit. Beautiful fine tannins that are polished and infused with cedar wood spices and a dusting of cocoa powder. Juicy, fragrant, and with an irresistibly succulent finish that is so perfumed. This 100% Pinot Noir was made by Winemaker Shane Finley from grapes grown in a Certified California Sustainable vineyard, located in the Petaluma Gap AVA on the rolling hillsides of southern Sonoma County and overlooking the north shore of San Francisco Bay. It was aged for 10 months in 100% neutral French oak.
Lemon, limes, sea spray, and lime blossoms. Medium bodied with luscious citrus and orchard fruit. Positively vibrant acidity that is saline-laced, finishing with beeswax and apple blossoms. Fragrant, energetic, silky, and focused with scintillating tension. All the things! This 100% Albariño was made by Winemaker Shane Finley from grapes grown in a Certified California Sustainable vineyard, located in the Petaluma Gap AVA on the rolling hillsides of southern Sonoma County, overlooking the north shore of San Francisco Bay. It was aged for 10 months in 60% concrete egg, 40% neutral French oak.
Beautifully expressive, layered, richly textured, yet vibrant and mineral-rich. Super fresh aromatics of citrus peel, lime blossoms, jasmine, and honeysuckle find their footing on the palate, as slick, lemon-oil, balanced by oyster shell minerality and richer notes of apricot, candied ginger, and quince. This 100% Chardonnay was made by Winemaker Shane Finley from grapes grown in a Certified California Sustainable vineyard, located in the Petaluma Gap AVA on the rolling hillsides of southern Sonoma County and overlooking the north shore of San Francisco Bay. It was aged for 15 months in 100% new French Oak.
Beautifully lean and focused in this vintage, with chalky mineral notes underscoring honeysuckle, a hint of vanilla, and notes of green apple, apricot, white peach, and finishing with fragrant white florals. From the Five Tails Vineyard in Oregon’s Applegate Valley. Stainless fermentation, limited skin contact. About 500 bottles were produced.
This single clone of Tempranillo underwent a gentle maceration and was aged 18 months in French Oak. It’s downright delicious. Great velvety texture, fine-grained tannins, loads of cherry and dried strawberry fruits, dark chocolate, fragrant and sweet-spiced oak notes, great mid-palate concentration, and a long, balanced, satisfying finish.
Farmed by Brian Gruber, the Grenache produces small berries with loose clusters, leading to excellent concentration in 2021. Aged 18 months in French Oak. Two barrels produced. Quite spicy on the nose, filling the senses with sagebrush, cinnamon, and black tea. Great fruit weight with a velvety texture, dark-berry fruit is rich and succulent, and the finish is long, earthy, and enticing.
Such an interesting rendition of Zinfandel, and unlikely to be re-created. The fruit was left on vine, due to fire evacuation, and winemaker Ben Grable ended up harvesting ‘raisins’, which, with careful work in the cellar, led to this 126-case production of deeply-concentrated red, with dried cherry, fig, and plum fruits, sweet brown spices, and a spicy finish. It’s a bold, full-flavored, full-bodied red at 16.7% alcohol, so I suggest enjoying a glass chilled, and marinating pulled pork in the rest. If you’re into bold-flavoured, high-octaine Zin, just keep drinking.
Partial whole cluster fermentation, aged 18 months in French oak. Red and blackberry fruit, dusty minerals, and dried cherry lift from the glass. Medium-to-full-bodied with dried figs, red floral notes, and supple tannins, creating a satiny palate expression. Pair with salads loaded with dried fruit or charcuterie-rich pizza.
Climate warming is making this variety more difficult to produce on the estate, and production is reducing in favor of utilizing the best fruit. Wood, tobacco smoke, grilled orange peel, and quite darkly concentrated black plums on the nose, along with singed wild herbs. The nose might suggest dark flavors ahead, but the palate has its own ideas in mind, and it’s full of bright, chewy, and energetic red plum flavors, augmented with cherry and intense blood orange acidity. The finish is the only thing betraying any age, with slightly stewed red plum action combining with cedar and savory black olive. A surprising and truly elegant Tuscan red. Santa Maria Merlot is drawn from a dedicated parcel within the Petriolo zone, an area shaped like a shallow basin where soils shift from lighter, Lamole-like compositions at higher points to more clay-heavy sections downslope. The Santa Maria vineyard itself is nearing thirty years of age. Aging is carried out in French oak barriques for approximately 18 to 24 months.
Black olive, black plums, clay, graphite, and fresh wild herbs (including fennel and mint) all mark the nose on this delicious Merlot. This is really in a great drinking window right now, with the palate wonderfully balancing rich, plummy fruit, baking spice nuances, dusty bramble notes, and buoyant acidity. As the long finish fades, a pleasant astringency of blood orange peel joins with cedar and red plum. A really fine, balanced effort here, this is a Merlot that only Tuscany could make. Sourced from the Santa Maria parcel within the Petriolo area, this wine reflects a site that transitions from the lighter, Lamole-influenced soils at higher elevations to more clay-rich compositions lower down the slope. The vineyard itself is approaching three decades of age. Maturation takes place in French oak barriques over an extended period of roughly 18 to 24 months.
They don’t really consider these Bordeaux varieties as “foreign” at this point, given how long they’ve been established in the area. Blackcurrant, black cherry, and red plum waft from the glass, along with oak notes and plenty of fresh and dried, dusty herbal spice notes. The concentration is evident immediately in the mouth, with plenty of those dark red fruit flavors on a texturally complex presentation: the palate moves from plush and polished to structured and chewy, with the cherry skin tannins vying for attention against the orange zest acidity. Orange peel, dried herbs, and redcurrant spiral on the long finish. Despite having some age, this one is built for a longer haul and is still coming together; in a few more years, it’s going to be a knockout. The fruit comes from the Solatìo vineyard, where older vines—some dating back to the 1960s and rediscovered in the 1990s, now exceed forty years of age. The site is defined by lean, rocky soils with a strong clay component, conditions that tend to limit vigor and concentrate the fruit. The wine is aged in French oak barriques for roughly 18 to 24 months before release.
Leafing is performed that they credit with significantly reducing the pyrazine notes that Cabernet Franc can often carry, and whatever they are doing in this regard seems to be working. Oak, cedar, ripe black plums and blackcurrant, dried herbs, dried orange peel, and hints of saline all appear on the balanced and elegant (but as yet still quite young and reserved) nose. The palate also feels young, with good structure acting as scaffolding underneath the bright red plum and juicy black cherry fruit flavors in the mouth. It might be exuberant and excited in its youthful state, but make no mistake, there is power behind this red, and an incredibly long finish that hints at a great future ahead (think well-integrated toasty oak, blood orange, plenty of dried herbs, and even more chewy red fruits). The fruit is sourced from the Solatìo vineyard, where mature vines—many originally planted in the 1960s and identified again in the 1990s—now exceed forty years of age. The site is marked by sparse, rocky soils with a strong clay presence, conditions that naturally curb vigor and tend to yield more concentrated fruit. Aging takes place in French oak barriques over a period of roughly 18 to 24 months before release.
Apparently there is some evidence that the woman who modeled for the famous namesake painting spent some time on the estate. Drawn from a selection of estate parcels including Vitigliano, Prato, and Querceto, this wine is reserved for stronger vintages. The vineyards lie on the left bank of the Greve River, where a mix of Sillano-derived soils—generally low in clay and limestone but rich in stones—provides good drainage and variability across sites. Pockets of pietraforte and galestro add further complexity to the growing conditions. Élevage is split between smaller French oak barriques and larger-format casks, with the wine spending close to two years in wood. It is then held back for additional maturation, including time in bottle, bringing the total aging period to around two and a half years before release. “2016 was the last vintage that we had as a normal, regular vintage. In 2018 the vines were recovering from the shock of 2017. We had some rain during Spring. In 2018, the emotion of the vintage [in the bottle] is more relaxed,” notes Lucia Minoggio, head of Press for Vignamaggio. There’s more wood and herbal nuance to the nose here than to be found on their Terre di Prenzano Classico offering, along with more concentrated black cherry and blue plum fruits, topped with grilled orange peel and tobacco notes. The palate is polished, elegant, and fresh; while there’s no denying those ripe, bursting cherry and redcurrant flavors, the blood orange acidity and dusty tannins really bring the mouthfeel into excellent focus. The finish is outstanding, lasting well over a minute and never once losing freshness for a second.
Sourced entirely from Sangiovese (vines averaging 20 years old) grown in the Prenzano parcel and nearby estate vineyards, the fruit reflects a mix of sites clustered around the historic villa. Prenzano sits at the upper reaches of the property, where lighter, sand-influenced soils—similar in character to those found in Lamole—tend to yield more aromatic, finely structured wines. Juicy and delicious, with cedar, vanilla, and orange peel notes sitting atop ample and ripe cherry and red plum fruits. The black cherry flavor on the vibrant palate is immediately appealing, and the structure in the mid-palate is surprising, giving this red focus to balance out the fruitiness and acidity. The finish stays chewy and refreshing, inviting another (or several) sips. This one will add a touch of class to pasta night, for sure. Matured in a combination of oak, with roughly equal portions of new barrels, second-use barrels, and older, more neutral casks contributing to the final blend.
Whoa. A black-fruited cornucopia is going on here, with intense, dark graphite notes among red and black currants. There are also warm baking spices, toast, grilled and dried herbs, and just a ton of hedonistic, opulent complexity happening up front on the nose. The palate is delightful, chewy, delicious, and BIG on everything: red and black plum juiciness, structure, acidity, and power. It feels like a picture-perfect match for grilled flank steak and potatoes. Aged in 50% new French Oak barrels.
