The Latest Cristaldi Scores
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This is one masterful creation. We all know Gap’s Crown produces some of Sonoma’s most storied Pinot Noirs, but Three Sticks’ *Gap’s Pinnacle* takes it to another level entirely. It’s such a complete wine—seamless, seductive, and utterly captivating from bouquet to finish. Crafted from 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the most coveted blocks of Gap’s Crown Vineyard, the blend includes clones 667, 828, 115, Swan, and 943, aged for 15 months in 100% French oak, 48% new. Just 300 cases were produced. The wine overflows with bright red cherry and blackberry fruit, a creamy, layered core of succulent richness, and supple yet firm tannins balanced by graceful acidity. The finish lingers with baking spice notes of white pepper, clove, and mild Indian spice. If you can get your hands on a bottle, consider yourself lucky. Three Sticks Wines is a boutique, family-owned winery recognized for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Proprietor Bill Price III (nicknamed “Billy Three Sticks”) owns six vineyards in Sonoma County (including three Heritage vineyards: Durell, Gap’s Crown, and Walala).
This is a wine you’ll have a hard time putting down. Layered and savory, it’s expressive with bright cherry fruit, apple blossom, rose petal, and mild Indian spice. Supple, round, and generous, it’s beautifully balanced by sinewy tannins that carry a subtle toasted almond character. The mid-palate shows pleasing density and ripe fruit weight, finishing strong with citrusy, tangerine-like acidity that hits the sweet spot—neither harsh nor crunchy. Simply a gorgeous wine. The Cuvée Eva Marie Pinot Noir is crafted from more than 60 lots each year, with the Three Sticks team selecting the very best barrels from Pinot Noir clones 115, 667, 828, 943, Calera, and Swan. The final blend is aged for 15 months in 100% French oak, 55% new, with just 212 cases produced. Three Sticks Wines is a boutique, family-owned winery recognized for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Proprietor Bill Price III (nicknamed “Billy Three Sticks”) owns six vineyards in Sonoma County (including three Heritage vineyards: Durell, Gap’s Crown, and Walala).
The Setting 2022 Alexander Valley is fresh, vivid, crunchy and red-fruited, layered with sweet, toasty oak spice and elegant cedarwood notes. Aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak, it shows robust yet nicely sculpted tannins that frame the wine beautifully. Full-bodied and rich in the signature Setting style, it remains fresh and inviting, with crisp structure supporting all that generous fruit.
From a hillside site in Alexander Valley and planted to 50% Musqué and 50% Sauvignon Blanc clones. This Sauvignon Blanc shows a heady richness, driven in part by barrels with Acacia heads, which—when toasted correctly—bring gorgeous florality and minerality. The wine expands across the palate with fleshy pear and apricot, carried by a rich, saline-acid tension that fuels both texture and focused length. It’s an opulent wine with precision and lift. In short, ultra-delicious. This wine was aged 6 months in 40% new French oak.
This Chardonnay was aged for 11 months in 30% new French oak. It’s wonderfully fragrant, warm-spiced, and built around a luscious core of ripe orchard fruit, sharpened by salted citrus peel, ginger, allspice, and touches of dried apple and apricot, with French pastry notes carrying through a lengthy, zesty finish. TEXTBOOK was founded by Jonathan and Susan Pey , who brought in Winemaker Abigail Estrada. Estrada leans on global expertise from stints in Italy, New Zealand, Israel, and Napa Valley estates such as Markham, Domaine Chandon, and Robert Mondavi. She crafts these wines by keeping lots separate, tasting continuously throughout the year, and integrating components to achieve TEXTBOOK’s house style.
This is always such a pleasure-packed white, showing absolutely lush orchard fruit dusted with fragrant brown spices. The palate builds with rich melon notes, tangerine oil and beeswax, followed by a growing richness on the finish that’s lifted by saline acidity and a brightness that lingers. Aged for 16 months in 50% new French oak. Produced by Sonoma-based winemaker Jesse Katz, the Surveyor wines are an exclusive label of the Montage Resort in Healdsburg, California. Katz oversaw the planting of 15.5 acres of estate vines in 2019 and 2020, many of them planted in and around the resort itself.
A toasty, lemony Chardonnay with a vibrant core of lemon curd, vanilla buttercream, and toasty oak carrying through the full-bodied finish. Picked in the cool early morning hours, the grapes are immediately pressed and fermented in separate lots in French oak barrels. Bâtonnage during aging no doubt contributed to its complexity and rich, luxurious mouthfeel. St. Francis Winery & Vineyards has been in operation for more than five decades, now farming over 400 acres of estate vineyards.
A tropical-fruited, zesty Sauvignon Blanc with crisp orchard fruit aromas leading into a palate of luscious pear and underripe pineapple. The texture is creamy yet vibrant, finishing with a clean, mineral edge. Sourced from both estate and grower vineyards, the fruit is pressed and the juice fermented slowly in stainless steel tanks, with a small portion aged in acacia barrels. St. Francis Winery & Vineyards has been in operation for more than five decades, now farming over 400 acres of estate vineyards.
A generous Zinfandel with bright red berry fruit, dusty rose petal, and vanilla notes wrapped in creamy oak spice. The palate is soft and inviting, with fine-grained tannins that build gracefully into a brown-spiced finish. The historic eight-acre Giovanetti Vineyard, planted to Zinfandel and mixed blacks in 1910, produces one of the winery’s most distinctive small-production wines—an expressive nod to Sonoma County’s old-vine heritage and its enduring grower relationships. St. Francis Winery & Vineyards has been in operation for more than five decades, now farming over 400 acres of estate vineyards.
Sourced from the cooler parts of Sonoma County, including Carneros and the Russian River Valley, the lots for this Pinot Noir were fermented separately after a 5- to 10-day cold soak, then transferred to French oak barrels for natural malolactic fermentation and aging before bottling. The resulting wine is stylish, well-crafted, and packed with flavor—red cherry, spiced plum, clove, and allspice—wrapped around a creamy core that holds firm to crisp tannins, building toward a long, satisfying finish. St. Francis Winery & Vineyards has been in operation for more than five decades, now farming over 400 acres of estate vineyards.
Such a well-made 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon—remarkable for avoiding the brandied, liquored-up fruit so prevalent in many wines from the vintage. Instead, it delivers a red-toned core accented by black and blue fruit nuances, elegant oak spice, and supple, fine tannins, all supported by bright acidity and a satiny, full-bodied finish. Quite a fantastic wine at this price point—and totally crushable. The fruit for this Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is grown at high elevations on sloped, well-drained hillsides and aged in French oak barrels, 70% new. St. Francis Winery & Vineyards has been in operation for more than five decades, now farming over 400 acres of estate vineyards.
Composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, this wine is sourced from the Bavarian Lion Vineyard in Knights Valley, Sonoma County, and aged 18 months in 35% new French oak. It’s a ripe, round, and easy-drinking Cabernet that showcases bold mulberry fruit, crème de cassis, candied violets, and liquid graphite. Full-bodied and supple, it builds toward a finish marked by velvety yet lightly grippy tannins. Born and raised in Sonoma County, brothers Alex and Christian Ehret chose the Bavarian Lion Vineyard to source their single-vineyard, estate Cabernet Sauvignon for the Solar Ash project in Knights Valley.
This Pinot Noir is a blend of several lots sourced from four prominent vineyards within the Petaluma Gap AVA—Gap’s Crown, Sangiacomo, and younger blocks from Nightwing and Ueberroth Vineyards. These sites benefit from cool temperatures, foggy mornings, and windy afternoons, and that coastal influence is reflected in the wine’s character. It opens with cool blue fruit, crunchy cherry, and raspberry, accented by smoky cherrywood, clove, and loamy earth. Medium-bodied with crisp tannins and blood orange acidity, it leans into a tart, citrus-driven profile, finishing long with crushed cacao nib nuances and vibrant freshness.Founded in 2001 by two friends with a common love of Burgundy wines, Sojourn specializes in hand-crafted Pinot Noir, while also producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Rosé and Sparkling wines. Winemaking duties are headed by Erich Bradley.
Wohler Vineyard in Forestville sources this red, a site that sits in the heart of Russian River Valley, within sight of the Russian River and the historic Wohler Bridge. Blocks of clones 667 and 828 occupy the highest, best-draining parts of the property, while the Wädenswil 2A clone is planted in lower sections where the soils contain more clay. The fruit was entirely destemmed, native fermented in open-top tanks, and aged in 50% new French oak. This is classic Russian River Valley Pinot Noir—full-bodied and ripe-fruited, layering cherry, fig, and plum with bay laurel and mint, a pop of dark chocolate, and cola spice. A creamy core drives the wine toward a zesty, energetic finish. Founded in 2001 by two friends with a common love of Burgundy wines, Sojourn specializes in hand-crafted Pinot Noir, while also producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Rosé and Sparkling wines. Winemaking duties are headed by Erich Bradley.
Riddle Vineyard lies in the Green Valley region within the Sonoma Coast AVA, near the town of Occidental. Perched on a ridgeline, the site overlooks many of the region’s most iconic vineyards. Planted in 2008 at high density on Goldridge soils, the grapes are destemmed, fermented in open-top tanks, and aged in 50% new French oak. The resulting wine is boldly expressive, sitting on the darker end of the red-fruited spectrum—dried cherry and rose petal mingle with bouquet garni, brown baking spices, and clove. It builds in intensity and creamy richness through the finish. Founded in 2001 by two friends with a common love of Burgundy wines, Sojourn specializes in hand-crafted Pinot Noir, while also producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Rosé and Sparkling wines. Winemaking duties are headed by Erich Bradley.
Sourced from eight distinct vineyards across the expansive Sonoma Coast—from Annapolis in the north to Occidental in the west and down to the southern tip of the Petaluma Gap—this Pinot Noir includes fruit from standout sites such as Gap’s Crown, Sangiacomo, Walala, and Dorothy Cameron Vineyards. A blend of clones 115, 828, 667, Pommard, and Swan, the grapes were destemmed, fermented in open-top tanks, and aged in 50% new French oak. The result is a spectacular Pinot Noir, richly endowed with bold, juicy dark cherry, plum, and blackberry fruit accented by paprika spice on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied and boldly tannic, it reveals layers of clove, allspice, blood orange, and toasty cedarwood, culminating in a dark, muscular, and impressively structured finish. Founded in 2001 by two friends with a common love of Burgundy wines, Sojourn specializes in hand-crafted Pinot Noir, while also producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Rosé and Sparkling wines. Winemaking duties are headed by Erich Bradley.
The most polished of the Sojourn Cellars Pinot Noirs I tasted in October 2025, this is a powerful yet graceful expression of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Ripe cherry, juicy cranberry, and orange-citrus fruit form the core, layered with exotic Asian spices and fine-grained, beautifully polished tannins. Crisp acidity drives the wine toward a spicy finish laced with smoked paprika and clove. It’s complex, intriguing, and downright irresistible—the kind of wine you want to crush at the end of the night. Planted in 2000 under the direction of Mark Aubert and Peter Michael Winery, there are three Pinot clones used: Calera and two distinct “suitcase” selections from the Vosne-Romanée region of Burgundy. Take from that what you will—it’s unquestionably a stellar expression of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Founded in 2001 by two friends with a common love of Burgundy wines, Sojourn specializes in hand-crafted Pinot Noir, while also producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Rosé and Sparkling wines. Winemaking duties are headed by Erich Bradley.
The introduction to the Skipstone lineup, this wine is crafted from the four red Bordeaux varieties planted on the estate and aged 19 months in 40% new French oak. First released in 2017, it serves as an elegant entry point to the Skipstone portfolio at $75. The aromatics are pure and expressive, offering vibrant notes of black cherry, blackberry, cocoa powder, and tobacco, layered with deep forest tones and a thread of mineral tension. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied with beautifully ripe, crunchy red and black fruit, laced with graphite and accented by delicate red floral notes that bring lift and finesse to the finish.
An interpretation of a Right Bank blend, this wine takes its name from the fault line that runs through the Skipstone vineyard. Aged 19 months in 68% new French oak, it presents a distinctly different aromatic profile from the rest of the range. The bouquet is lifted and spicy, with notes of smoked and sweet paprika, a hint of coriander, and layers of blackberry, black cherry, and spiced plum. Crushed slate minerality emerges on the palate, adding structure and tension. The texture is slightly gritty in the best way, offering grip and precision.
Added to the portfolio in 2021, this Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a desire to explore vineyard sources beyond the Skipstone estate. Aged 19 months in 60% new French oak, it offers a seductive red-fruited profile with notes of red apple skin, cherry, raspberry, and cranberry. Fragrant hints of sagebrush and bay laurel weave through the bouquet, adding savory complexity. The palate is medium-bodied and layered, with crunchy apple-skin tannins lightly dusted in cocoa powder. As the wine opens, deeper tones of dark berry fruit, wet slate, and loamy earth emerge, all carried by a subtle salinity that extends through the long finish.
