The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
The 2021 Ghielmetti Vineyard Cabernet Franc from Livermore Valley is a dark-toned, bold, and fragrant red, showing classic Cabernet Franc character with high-toned dried herbs, tobacco leaf, and black currant fruit. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate with superfine tannins and layers of spice, including a smoked paprika nuance throughout. Juicy currant fruit fills the mid-palate with good density while staying light on its feet. Finishes long with a mineral edge. A rocking Cab Franc from this producer.
Exclusive to wine club members, this red is sourced from the highly regarded Ghielmetti Vineyard. The nose is already compelling, offering warm spices, tobacco notes, and a mix of red and black cherry fruit—though it remains youthful and full of potential. On the palate, it strikes a beautiful balance between power and elegance, finishing long, fresh, tangy, and plummy.
The 2023 Murrieta’s Well 100% Sauvignon Blanc was aged sur lie for four months in 10% new and 90% neutral French oak barrels. Refined and balanced, it shows expressive chalky minerality and a rich mid-palate density that remains light on its feet, thanks to scintillating acid tension. Crisp and focused, with orchard fruit shining through on the lengthy finish, sipping this is ike biting into a crunchy, crisp Granny Smith apple or early-season pear. Quite the ideal companion on a hot summer day.
Murrieta’s Well’s Cabernet Franc was fermented in stainless steel tanks with pneumatage twice daily, then aged for 19 months in 60% new French oak and 40% used French oak barrels. Refined, focused, and medium-bodied with suave tannins and expressive black currant fruit, it carries notes of mocha and blood orange-like acidity on a finish marked by dried wild herbs and rich baking spices. There’s a lovely sweetness to the bold fruit, balanced by savory herbal tones and subtle tobacco character.
Sourced from the 12-acre McGrail Vineyard, this Cabernet Sauvignon was fermented in stainless steel, cold-soaked to enhance color and fruit intensity, then left on the skins for up to 20 days post-fermentation. After pressing and settling, it was racked to barrel and aged for 30 months in 100% new Hungarian oak.
This bottling offers a more toned-down expression compared to the Reserve Cabernet, yet it’s still rife with dark currant, black cherry, and spiced plum fruit. The oak influence is more refined and mellowed, allowing dried wild herbs and savory tobacco leaf nuances to shine through on the lengthy finish. Firm, muscular tannins are rounded by mineral tension, giving the wine both structure and finesse.
The Patriot Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the 12-acre McGrail Vineyard. Fermented in stainless steel with a cold soak to extract color and fruit intensity, the wine remained on the skins for up to 20 days post-fermentation before being pressed, settled, and racked to barrel. It was aged for 30 months in 100% new American oak. The moniker is a tribute to the winery’s support of the Fallen Heroes Fund, while also honoring founder James Vincent (a former Alameda County Sheriff). This is the spiciest expression in the McGrail Cabernet lineup, with notes of toasted coconut, white truffle, and a savory meatiness. Full-bodied, with ripping, soaring tannins that frame layers of red and black currant, black cherry, and wild herb nuances on a long finish.
Named in honor of the late James Vincent, who founded the winery with his wife Ginger, this Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the 12-acre McGrail Vineyard. Fermented in stainless steel with a cold soak to enhance color and fruit intensity, the wine remained on the skins for up to 20 days post-fermentation before being pressed, settled, and racked to barrel. It was then aged for 30 months in 100% new French oak.
This bottling delivers a more classic expression of Cabernet, with blackberry, graphite, and toasty oak spices. Notes of black olive and smoked paprika add savory depth. Full-bodied, with soaring, chocolatey tannins and a mineral core of wet slate. The finish is long and layered, with pressed wildflowers and dried fennel adding aromatic complexity.
Winemaker Mark Clarin says Cabernet Sauvignon should be “big, bold, and badass”—and this wine delivers. Sourced from the 12-acre McGrail Vineyard, the grapes were cold-soaked in stainless steel to extract color and fruit intensity, followed by fermentation and up to 20 days of extended maceration on the skins. After pressing and settling, the wine was racked to barrel and aged for 30 months in approximately 65% new oak—a mix of French, Hungarian, and American.
It opens with rich baking spice and cocoa powder aromas wrapped around dense blackberry fruit. Full-bodied and intense, the wine boasts bold, powerful tannins that build on the finish. Loamy earth and dark chocolate add depth, while a burst of juicy blood orange acidity brings lift and carries the length.
100% barrel-fermented, with roughly 30% new French oak and some Hungarian oak in the mix. This wine is super bright, with layers of lemon oil, toasty brioche, buttered croissant, and candied ginger. Medium- to full-bodied, it delivers a fantastic mouthfeel—rich, weighty citrus fruit balanced by bright, intense acid tension. Winemaker Mark Clarin notes that he inhibits some of the malolactic fermentation, allowing only about 70% to complete, which helps preserve freshness and drive. Fragrant baking spice and vanilla notes weave through the palate, and the finish lingers with terrific mineral intensity. A dynamic, beautifully structured white with serious depth and length.
Winemaker Mark Clarin proudly notes, “We grow everything we produce.” This Grenache Blanc—planted in the Lucky 8 Vineyard—is what he calls his “pet project,” a variety he personally championed for its strong performance in Livermore Valley. Sourced from cuttings out of Beeswax Vineyard in Monterey County, the wine is fermented in stainless steel. It opens with lovely aromatics of citrus oil, honeysuckle, and a hint of licorice, with dried fennel adding complexity. On the palate, it shows impressive weight and density, with terrific phenolic grip and vibrant apricot and white peach intensity. Long, textural, and compelling—a rare and exciting white from the region.
This 100% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in French oak, comes from Clone 11 (French 214) grown at Lucky 8 Vineyard in the southeastern portion of the Livermore Valley. The wine explodes from the glass with bold oak overtones framing blackberry and spiced plum fruit. It’s a meaty, heady wine layered with loamy earth, pressed violets, soft, supple tannins, and loads of juicy character. This is your burger Cabernet Franc—some for the meat on the grill, the rest for the glass.
The Kylie Ryan Rosé from Lucky 8 Vineyard is picked on the early side and pressed directly into stainless steel. It’s super fragrant, with red berry fruit, strawberry, and watermelon rind, layered with apricot and sea spray minerality. A kiss of baking spice rounds out the nose. Medium-bodied, with a fleshy mid-palate and crisp, crunchy acid tension that drives a long, refreshing finish.
This sparkling Chardonnay from Lucky 8 Vineyard was harvested in late August at approximately 17 Brix with a pH of 3.0. Fermented in stainless steel, it was then racked to neutral oak for about three months before returning to stainless for heat and cold stabilization. The wine was bottled, tirage-aged, riddled, and finished with a dosage of just 2 g/L. It boasts bright lemon citrus and apricot notes, accented by fragrant white flowers and hints of nougat. The mousse is rich and creamy yet assertive, framed by soaring acidity and a long, mineral-driven finish. Crisp, clean, and beautifully structured.
This 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Lucky 8 Vineyard comes from the southeastern portion of the Livermore Valley and is entirely Musqué Clone, aged primarily in stainless steel with 10% in neutral oak. Named in honor of the two eldest granddaughters, Peton Taylor and Ashton Paige, this Sauvignon Blanc pays homage to the variety’s legacy in Livermore Valley. It’s a vibrant expression, bursting with tropical melon and guava notes that build across the medium-bodied palate, layered with juicy white peach and underscored by zesty, citrus-driven acidity. Long and focused on the finish.
A wine “Best in Show White” winner at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, this Verdelho is sourced from the first pick, fermented in stainless steel, and aged just a few months before bottling. Bright and laser-focused, it delivers citrus and orchard fruit layered with white flowers, and warmer undertones of straw and prairie grass. On the palate, it’s bracing and tightly wound, with nervy, electric acidity and a chalky mineral finish.
Assistant winemaker Aaron Andrews explains that in 2023, they approached Verdelho with a series of staggered picks and multiple fermentations using different yeasts. From just one block, they might run up to eight separate fermentations—later blending them to bottle. But in 2023, winemaker Brent Amos says each lot stood out so distinctly that they decided to bottle four different Verdelhos—a rare move for the portfolio.
This bottling represents the Reserve expression of the first pick from the estate. Fermented in neutral barrels with no malolactic fermentation, it opens with notes of quince and white peach, alongside wild herb aromatics. On the palate, crisp, crunchy acid tension embraces a succulent, weighty mid-palate with silky textures. The wine shows excellent length and precision, with striking tension throughout.
The 2022 Estate Monastrell was fermented in stainless steel and aged for 24 months in large-format barrels, including approximately 30% new French oak. This is a beautifully focused, easy-drinking red with supple, plump tannins and silky fruit on the palate. A mix of red and black fruits is layered with wild herbs, subtle mocha, and crushed cacao nibs. Wonderfully balanced and extremely food-friendly.
A blend of 37% Graciano, 34% Monastrell, 23% Tempranillo, and 6% Garnacha, this wine bursts from the glass with dark cherry, blackberry, and smoky cedarwood accents. On the palate, those aromatics deepen with crushed cocoa nib nuances, red berry fruit dusted with mocha spice, savory dried thyme, and espresso bean. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins framing a bold and satisfying finish.
This is a super savory and focused red, offering notes of black olive tapenade, black truffle charcuterie, and a hint of red licorice. Wet river stone minerality and blood orange acidity add lift, all supported by crisp, focused tannins. Medium- to full-bodied, with building intensity that carries through to a satisfying finish.
