The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Fermented and aged in 100% stainless steel, this white wine is crisp and tension-filled, offering notes of prairie grass, citrus, and lemon verbena, with a hint of sweet lemon curd on the palate. It finishes with delicate chamomile and honeycomb accents. In 1997, Dr. Vijay Reddy planted his first vines in Texas, drawing on his family’s multi-generational farming heritage. Today, Reddy Wines focuses exclusively on estate-grown production from vineyards situated at 1,007 meters (3,305 feet) in elevation.
The Uplift Cuvée is a dynamic, balanced, and polished red wine that combines richness with finesse. It opens with generous dark fruit alongside elegant cedarwood tones, a touch of meatiness, and blue fruit accents. The palate brings everything together beautifully—robust, power-packed tannins support a creamy mid-palate texture, nuanced oak spice, and a lengthy, juicy, succulent finish. Each variety was fermented separately in oak foudres and aged for 24 months in French oak—25% new, 25% second-use, and 50% neutral.
Fermented in oak foudres and aged for 21 months in 20% new American and French oak barrels with the remainder in second-use French oak, this wine is dark-fruited and expressive, showing brandied cherry, fig, and violet notes layered with cedarwood and baking spices. The mid-palate builds with medium- to full-bodied richness, supported by cocoa powder tannins that frame the firm finish.
Fermented in oak foudre and aged for 20 months in 20% new, 40% second-use, and 40% neutral French oak barrels, this Syrah comes from Alta Loma Vineyard in the Texas High Plains. It’s a full-bodied, dense, and powerful expression with meaty richness, black truffle, and loamy earth notes wrapped in a molasses-like depth. The bold, expressive palate reveals juicy dark berry fruit layered with cocoa powder and lifted by zesty blood orange acidity, all framed by robust, finely structured tannins.
Sourced entirely from their Michael Ros Vineyards in the Texas High Plains, this wine was aged for 19 months in 12% new Russian oak. Winemaker Tim Drake says he loves Russian oak, which he began using in 2005 while in Washington State. The trees used are over 300 years old, and the grain is so tight you need a magnifying glass to see it—meaning minimal oxygen penetration during aging, yet the wood imparts a touch of baking spice complexity. The wine itself shows a rich, soft fruit profile with ripe red fruit, cherry, and cranberry alongside espresso bean, sage, and green tobacco notes that layer beautifully across the mid-palate. The finish is lengthy, carried by sweet spice and plush tannins in this elegant medium-bodied expression.
Fermented in stainless steel and aged for a year and a half in 100% neutral French oak barrels, this Dolcetto shows real tannic tension framing its crunchy red fruit core. Warm baking spices, a touch of toasty barrel char, and subtle charcuterie notes add savory depth to the firm, focused finish. It’s a lively and structured expression that highlights both fruit purity and textural grip.
Aged for 25 months in 28% new French oak barrels, this wine marks the first red blend release under the Envisage label—the name symbolizing the bold leap that Michael and Rosanne took in founding their family-owned boutique winery in the Texas Hill Country. This medium-bodied blend is framed by red berry fruit and warm baking spice, layered with white pepper nuances and a touch of richness. Juicy and fresh on the palate, it shows firm, taut, mineral-laced tannins and finishes bone dry with lingering spice and energy.
Fermented and aged for 10 months in 100% neutral oak, this wine is super bright and energetic, showing excellent layers of citrus, orchard, and subtle tropical fruit. A gentle honeyed richness lingers on the finish, giving it both freshness and depth. Easy to drink and beautifully balanced, with a fantastic finish.
This wine received longer aging than is typical for the winery—31 months in 57% new French oak and 43% neutral oak. It opens with alluring notes of sagebrush, thyme, and rosemary layered over dark loamy earth, violets, and charcuterie. Currant fruit and dark chocolate–covered cherries add richness to the medium-bodied palate, which finishes with a lingering, earthy depth. The Jones family purchased Torre di Pietra Winery in 2018 and invested in 1851 Vineyards the following year, rebranding the operation as Slate Mill Wine Collective and expanding into a custom crush facility. The first official release under the Slate Theory label was a 2017 Malbec, and the Slate Theory winery and cave opened in 2021.
This is a medium-bodied yet muscular red-fruited wine kissed with wild herbs and brimming with character. Bright cherry and red currant notes mingle with hints of sun-dried thyme and sage, while firm, sappy tannins provide structure and grip. A subtle apple-skin texture and juicy, mouth-watering acidity carry the wine through to a clean, dry, and refreshingly precise finish. It’s a vibrant, energetic expression of Mourvèdre.
From Tokio Vineyard in Tokio, Texas, this Tempranillo was fermented in stainless steel and aged in 25% new American oak. It shows ripe red currant and cherry fruit with a touch of dusty minerality in a medium-bodied expression. Sappy, maple-laced tannins frame the palate, joined by cured bacon and sweet spice notes on the lengthy, mineral-rich, bone-dry finish.
A blend of Sangiovese from two vineyards in the Texas High Plains, this wine was aged entirely in neutral American oak for 12 months. It opens with a super-savory nose that, as some friends noted, evokes Swisher Sweets—meaty, tobacco-laced, with both green and black olive nuances. Red-toned fruit follows on the palate alongside subtle maple-kissed tannins and oolong tea notes. Superfine tannins build gracefully on the lengthy finish. It’s a homerun wine—versatile, approachable, and perfect with pastas, pizzas, or barbecue fare.
Veesart Vineyards is a 45-acre site in Shallowater, Texas, northwest of Lubbock. This wine underwent a slow, cold fermentation to preserve its bright, ripe aromatics of banana pudding, white peach, and delicate white florals. A touch of skin contact adds texture, leading to a precise, crisp, and crunchy palate expression with citrus fruit and subtle apple-skin tannins.
From Friesen Vineyard in Brownfield, Texas, in the Texas High Plains—owned by Ron Yates—this wine was fermented in one-ton fermenters and aged in French oak, roughly 40% new, with tight-grain barrels to help manage tannins. The wine is bright and expressive, showing ripe dark berry and blue fruit with violet nuances and warm baking spice tones that build across the medium-bodied palate. Supple, ripe tannins and subtle cocoa powder notes carry through to the lengthy finish. Nicely balanced and well-structured, and if this is the direction Signor is headed under winemaker Michael Barton, it’s definitely one to watch.
Fermented in open-top vessels and aged for 18–24 months in mostly neutral French oak, this wine is light and red-fruited, showing high-toned, dusty minerality with firm, taut tannins that build grip and dryness on the finish. It’s a lean, structured expression that will likely gain volume and depth in future vintages with winemaker Michael Barton now at the helm—definitely one to watch for subsequent vintages.
Fermented in stainless steel and aged sur lie for about 6 months in concrete, this wine is sourced from Alta Loma Vineyards in the Texas High Plains near Brownfield, Texas. It’s fragrant and aromatic, showing rich baking spice character and dried floral notes with super-grippy acid tension and a candied mineral component. Subtle citrus fruit carries through on the medium-length finish.
The 2022 vintage was a drought year in Texas, and typically Ab Astris would produce a single-vineyard designate, but not this time. In this vintage, winemaker Mike Nelson fermented the wine in bins and aged it for 30 months in a combination of neutral and up to 40% new American oak. The wine shows red berry fruit and baking spice character building in intensity across the medium-bodied palate, framed by fine, firm tannins and finishing with cocoa powder and vanilla notes. Ab Astris is a boutique, family-owned winery founded by Erin and Tony Smith. Winemaker Mike Nelson handcrafts vintages from their 12-acre estate, the Hill Country, and the Texas High Plains.
Fermented in stainless steel and aged for 32 months in 40% new American oak. Yields were incredibly low in 2022. Winemaker Mike Nelson notes that the variety retains heat well—some years require no acid adjustment for his Tannat, while in others he adds a touch to balance. He envisions pairing this wine with venison, Tex-Mex, or barbecue, and it’s certainly built for that. The wine shows meaty richness and an iron-laced quality that underscores its medium- to full-bodied character, nuanced by dried prairie grass notes. Solid, firm tannins build with intensity on the finish, giving the wine structure, length, tension, and power. Ab Astris is a boutique, family-owned winery founded by Erin and Tony Smith. Winemaker Mike Nelson is dedicated to producing handcrafted vintages from their 12-acre estate, the Hill Country, and the Texas High Plains.
