The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Absolutely fantastic, this Chardonnay shows Chablis-like minerality and lemon-lime freshness with tremendous tension. Medium-bodied, it features a satiny core of apple and pear fruit layered with crushed almond, all leading to a long, saline-acid finish. Bright, fresh, and assertive—a standout. Winemaker Brian Gruber explains that they work with 10 different clones of Chardonnay, most of which are planted on granitic soils. He prioritizes acidity at harvest, often doing multiple picks within the same block to build complexity and ensure he never needs to add acid. After settling overnight, the juice is racked to barrel and inoculated with native yeast in-barrel. The wine is aged for up to 15 months in one-third new French oak and goes through full malolactic fermentation. Lots are kept separate throughout aging, lees stirring is minimal, and blending occurs just before bottling. Of the three estate Chardonnays Winemaker Brian Gruber produces, Ascendance is the top cuvée and the first blend assembled—focused on precision and structure. Convergence follows, crafted for more roundness and ripeness, while the Estate Chardonnay is blended last, offering an expression that reflects the broader vineyard character.
The 2019 Brut Cuvée Zero Dosage spent an additional six months en tirage and is crafted in the Méthode Champenoise from a blend of 59% Chardonnay and 41% Pinot Noir. Winemaker Brian Gruber often conducts two separate picks—one for acidity, one for ripeness—with harvest typically taking place between late August and mid-October. This release offers a beautifully natural sweetness that stretches the palate, balanced by bracing acid tension. Savory notes of white truffle and flaky croissant mingle with bright lemon, quince, and layered citrus, all carried by remarkable length and precision.
The 2019 Brut Cuvée marks the second vintage of Irvine & Roberts’ Méthode Champenoise–style sparkling wine. A blend of 59% Chardonnay and 41% Pinot Noir, it was aged en tirage for 37 months. Winemaker Brian Gruber often conducts two separate picks—one to capture acidity and one for ripeness—with harvest typically spanning from late August to mid-October. The wine offers beautiful purity of orchard and citrus fruit, layered with French pastry notes, lemon peel, and chalky minerality. The mousse is assertive yet creamy, underscored by bracing acid tension. Fabulous, layered, and full of energy.
From Mae’s Vineyard in the Applegate Valley AVA, this Viognier from Herb Quady is dynamic, focused, and irresistibly fresh. White peach, white flowers, and a hint of honeysuckle lead the way, all grounded by a medium-bodied palate with racy mineral tension. Stock up by the case if you can—this one’s a standout.
Produced in the Méthode Champenoise style, this Oregon sparkling wine is exceptionally limited—just 70 cases, or roughly 1.5 barrels. Aged en tirage for 37 months, it opens with a bold nose of lavish French pastry and lemon pot de crème. The concentrated, hearty mousse reveals layers of cherry fruit, white plum, and saline-acid minerality, all carried by building tension. Juicy, focused, and impressively long on the finish.
Produced in the Méthode Champenoise style, the 2019 vintage is notably richer than the 2020 release, offering a flashier array of French pastry notes, buttered brioche, and baked orchard fruit. The mousse is beautifully rich and creamy, with the most delicate beading giving way to a fuller palate and a long, clean, and voluptuous finish.
This Pinot Noir is in its perfect drinking window, having evolved beyond bright red cherry fruit into more savory territory—think red currant, tobacco leaf, and black tea–like tannins. All of that builds on the medium-bodied palate, layered with crunchy currant fruit, espresso bean nuances, bay laurel, and sage, leading to a long, satisfying, smoky-savor finish. If you’re drawn to Pinot in its secondary and tertiary phase, this one’s for you. I highly recommend enjoying it over the course of a meal—ideally, a couple of bottles at a time—now through 2030.
A gentle giant of a Tempranillo. Red-toned fruit, cedarwood, and crushed cacao nibs rise on the nose and carry through the medium-bodied palate, where powerful, burly tannins build toward a towering finish. Give this a good decant and pair it with well-salted ribeyes. From Folin Vineyard, which has been ripped out. Fermented in bins, with twice daily punchdowns and pumpovers, and aged 24 months in 50% new French oak.
The 2022 Del Rio Estate Syrah is bold and dark-fruited, with violet aromas and cherry-laced intensity. It shows impressive concentration, supported by a bulwark of velvety tannins that frame all that juicy fruit. Expressive and powerful, yet elegant, it finishes with tremendous length as the violet notes turn candied and are dusted with fragrant Indian spices. A long and deeply satisfying Syrah.
From owner Laura Naumes and winemaker Chris Graves comes this expressive GSM blend, which opens with the bright, candied red berry fruit of Grenache, nuanced by the white pepper and violet aromatics of Syrah. Mourvèdre brings muscle and supple dark berry fruit to the palate. This is a generous, full-bodied red with a touch of sweetness in the dark-toned fruit and plenty of joie de vivre in its juicy, expressive, and easygoing character.
From hillside vineyards, the Lot B-42 Syrah lifts out of the glass with blackberry fruit, dried rose petals, and white pepper, all enhanced by tobacco and beautifully long, rounded tannins that support the supple fruit. Fine oak adds a baking spice frame around this wonderfully juicy, dark-fruited Syrah—an elegant wine with just the right touch of hedonism.
The 2021 Extravagance almost belies its name—this wine is elegant and focused, with bold, ripe black currant fruit and toasty cedarwood. On the palate, suave tannins frame flavors of chocolate-covered black cherry, leading to a long, satisfying finish. Okay, maybe it is a bit extravagant in flavor—but with balanced alcohol at 13.7%, it’s easy to enjoy the whole bottle.
Native fermented in 1.5-ton macro bins and aged for 10 months in 25% new French oak, this 100% Pommard clone Pinot Noir is spicy and expressive, with cocoa nib nuances and dusty cherry notes. Medium-bodied on the palate, it delivers juicy cherry and blackberry fruit, pomegranate seeds, and a touch of grapefruit zest. Rose petal florals and a hint of honeysuckle linger on the long finish. The wine has excellent grip and tension, offering both structure and elegance.
Full-bodied and voluptuous, this wine offers generous flavors of ripe apple, pear, and white peach. The palate is expressive and satiny, braced by excellent acid grip and finishing with layers of fruit and pressed wildflowers. Aged for 14 months in oak with native yeasts, including 11 to 12 months on the lees in 80% new French oak.
