The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Their first vintage of this hybrid variety, fermented in stainless steel after being crushed and directly pressed. The wine remained on gross lees for up to seven months before being racked and bottled. It’s a laser-focused, zesty white with lemon-lime brightness and white floral aromatics. Light- to medium-bodied, with a burst of orchard fruit on the mid-palate, it finishes vivid and intense, driven by saline-acid tension. Super bright and well layered.
This Grüner Veltliner shows impressive mid-palate width—think of it like a frisbee, in contrast to the more pointed, football-shaped profile of Peter’s Rieslings. The aromatics are citrus-bright with notes of white flowers, almond skin, and a beautiful squeeze of lime over Melon de Bourgogne-like fruit. The finish is long, steely, and mineral-driven.
This is Aravelle (Hybrid “NY 81.0315.17”), a cross between Riesling and Cayuga White. Bright and expressive, it opens with aromas of white flowers and lime blossom, building into a palate driven by zesty, crunchy acidity and apple skin notes. A subtle hint of melon and honeydew lingers on the finish. Light, bright, and clean throughout.
Weis prefers sourcing grapes from the southern portions of the lakes, where shale soils are more prevalent—reminding him of the vineyards near his hometown in the Mosel. The 2024 vintage was long and generous, what he calls a “dream vintage,” with the luxury of picking at ideal ripeness. This wine shows a plump, generous palate—especially when compared to the Estate 2023 Riesling, which I had just tasted. I highly recommend tasting them back-to-back. You’ll notice shared characteristics: orchard fruit, crunchy lime, and that bright, mouthwatering acidity that defines both wines, though this one delivers with a bit more roundness and breadth.
This semi-dry Riesling, with fermentations halted in select tanks, opens with a bright, vinous nose featuring apple, pear, and a touch of candied minerality. Medium-bodied on the palate, it offers hints of lemon-lime citrus and green apple candy—reminiscent of childhood sweets—leading to a vivid, almost “purple-acid” finish. Balanced acidity frames a gentle kiss of sweetness.
A blend of Merlot (45%), Cabernet Franc (30%), and Blaufränkisch (25%), with a brief six-hour maceration on the skins. The Merlot lends mid-palate richness and a decadent strawberry–watermelon core, while the Cabernet Franc provides linear acidity that lifts the aromatics—especially those floral and spicy notes brought in by the Blaufränkisch.
The winery’s first single-vineyard bottling of Cabernet Franc, this wine is sourced from an estate plot just north of the winery along the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. Aged for 12 months in a mix of American and French oak barrels, it shows real polish and elegance, with layered notes of cassis, black currant, and black cherry accented by cedarwood. Medium-bodied with dusty, firm tannins that possess a velvety appeal, the wine finishes long and clean, marked by wet slate minerality, white pepper, and subtle hints of coriander and cumin.
Sourced from 100% certified sustainable estate vines, these grapes were harvested in late October, then frozen and pressed before being fermented in stainless steel tanks. Gorgeous layers of luscious apricot and ripe pear unfold with honeysuckle and white flower aromatics, all lifted by a zing of kumquat-like crunchy acidity. The wine finishes long and pure with notes of wildflower honey. Balanced and zesty, with just the right amount of sweetness offset by vibrant acid tension.
Sourced from certified sustainable estate vineyards, this wine was aged for 12 months in a mix of American and French oak barrels. This is a delicate and finessed expression of the variety, showing real prettiness with air. Juicy red cherry fruit mingles with clove, espresso bean, grapefruit zest, and a touch of coriander cream. Firm, mineral-laced tannins provide structure to this precise and focused red.
This is one laser-focused, mineral-driven, tension-filled rosé of Cabernet Franc. Subtle red berry fruit mingles with spicy herbal notes—like biting into a gently spicy shishito or padron pepper. Beautifully expressive and precise, it finishes with electric acid brightness that can carry it effortlessly from aperitivo through to the end of a meal. Sourced from estate-grown, 100% certified sustainable vines, the Cabernet Franc grapes were harvested at midnight, followed by a 12-hour cold soak and fermentation in stainless steel tanks.
The winery’s Melody Vineyard was the first commercial planting of this cultivar in 1984, and they’ve produced a varietal Melody bottling ever since. Harvested in late September, the grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and aromatic lift. Kiwi fruit rises from the glass and settles into a light- to medium-bodied white with soft, silky texture and a bright acid backbone. Subtle notes of orchard fruit and wet river stone round out this elegant and easy-drinking wine—perfect for enjoying with a good book or while prepping ingredients for a slow-cooked meal.
100% Cabernet Franc from the winery’s home vineyard on the west side of Cayuga Lake, currently in conversion to biodynamics. Hand-harvested, fully de-stemmed, with a spontaneous fermentation and three-week maceration. Aged in neutral barrels for 10 months and bottled in August 2023, unfined and unfiltered. This wine delivers terrific dark berry fruit concentration—think mulberry and cherry compote—layered with fine cedarwood, star anise, and violet aromatics. Earthy undertones emerge as the wine builds, anchored by soaring tannins and bracing acid tension that lead to a firmly grippy finish.
100% Steuben—a hybrid developed in the early 20th century—biodynamically farmed by Corey Christie on his family’s farm outside of Naples, NY. Hand-harvested, de-stemmed, and left on skins overnight before being pressed to stainless for spontaneous fermentation, then aged five months in neutral barrel before being bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with no added sulfur. This is exactly the sort of wine that deserves to be on every natural wine bar list in NYC: wildly original and refreshingly alive. It drinks like a cross between fresh-pressed juice and kombucha—brightly red-fruited, layered with herbal lift and a musky, mineral edge. Think muddled white peach, dried herbs, and a trace of incense on the finish. Medium-bodied, fascinating, and endlessly drinkable.
Meaty and savoury, this wine pulses with black olive and black liquorice notes, layered with the umami depth of cured Bresaola and lifted by dried rose petals on both the nose and palate. There’s a zing of blood orange acidity and a zesty, grippy tension that propels the fruit-driven finish. The blend is 75% fruit from Serenity Vineyards (under 10-day carbonic maceration) on the west side of Seneca Lake, farmed by the Hermann J. Wiemer team. The remaining 25% hails from New Suns, the home vineyard on the west side of Cayuga Lake, and was fully destemmed with a two-week maceration. Aged in neutral barrels for 10 months before blending and bottling in August 2024. Hand-harvested and spontaneously fermented.
No fining, no filtration, and spontaneous fermentation—this wine is a bit of savage creature. A heady mix of savory herbs, dried rose petals, and expressive black cherry and blackberry fruit leads the charge, accented by pomegranate seed crunch and a zippy, almost prickly acid tension. The finish is perfumed and exotic, with notes of blood orange, lavender, and rose water. Sourced from Ria’s Wines on the east side of Seneca Lake, the blend includes Baco Noir (fermented whole cluster) and a co-fermentation of Chelois and Traminette (also whole cluster), managed with a gentle hand during cap work and aged 60% in stainless steel and 40% in neutral oak.
50% Chancellor (Plane’s Block, west side Cayuga Lake), 30% Verdelet (Arrowhead Vineyard, west side Seneca Lake), and 20% Cayuga White (Plane’s Block), all hand-harvested in 2023 and vinified separately. In 2024, fermenting non-vinifera Diamond—a native variety—was added to the still wine before it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Hand-disgorged over the winter, this sparkling wine is wild, rustic, and utterly compelling. It channels tar and roses with deep loamy earth—like a red from Chinon—before unfurling with intensely tarry minerality, frizzante energy, and a creamy, assertive mousse. Red berry fruit mingles with savory notes of star anise, black olive, and crushed walnuts drizzled with paprika-laced honey.
A super frothy, expressive, and layered sparkling wine with savory notes of dried herbs and strawgrass layered over creamy citrus and baked orchard fruit. Everything builds beautifully on the medium-bodied palate, where hints of toasted almonds and French pastry add depth and texture to the long, elegant finish. The 2019 growing season was ideal for sparkling wine production—a cooler year that allowed Chardonnay to ripen slowly and evenly. Made using the méthode traditionnelle, the fruit was hand-picked and whole cluster pressed. Fermentation lasted 20 days at 51°F, followed by cold settling, cold stabilization, racking, and filtration.
This is exactly the kind of wine you crave on a hot, humid summer day—equally perfect at the end of a meal, poolside, or lounging beachside. It’s a bright, cherry-scented and expressive sparkler, bursting with honeysuckle and jasmine florals, unmistakable notes of white peach and candied peach rings, and a creamy, sweet mousse that finishes off-dry. You can never be too much of a wine snob to enjoy this—and if you say you don’t, you’re just lying to yourself. Made from 90% Valvin Muscat and 10% Barbera, all estate-grown, the fruit was machine-picked, crushed, and destemmed directly to press. After a standard press cycle, the juice was cold settled before racking and inoculated with Epernay II yeast. Fermentation lasted 20 days at an average temperature of 55°F before it was arrested; the wine was then racked, blended, filtered, and sent to Lakewood Vineyards for force carbonation and bottling.
This feels like a familiar friend, showing approchable and lifted honeysuckle and grapefruit character alongside hints of white peach and a creamy, rich, layered mousse that resolves with balanced sweetness. Made from 100% estate-grown Valvin Muscat, the fruit was destemmed directly to press and cold settled before racking. Fermentation was cool and arrested at the desired levels of residual sugar and alcohol. The wine was then racked, filtered, and sent to Lakewood Vineyards for force carbonation and bottling.
Sourced from Swedish Hill Winery’s Blue Water Vineyards, a second-generation family-owned estate along the western shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes AVA, this white shows alluring notes of honeysuckle, jasmine, and green candied melon that lift from the glass. On the palate, a supple mid-palate sweetness evokes a perfectly ripe peach at its peak, followed by accents of grapefruit zest, lime blossom, and wet slate minerality on the lengthy, expressive finish.
