The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
The Malbec from this Oregon-based winery is quite alluring, offering mixed berry fruit, fragrant toasty oak spices and chocolatey aromatics. The mid-palate is satisfying, driven by tart mixed berries and warm baking spices. The tannins are a bit brash, but an enticing herbal pop brightens the full-bodied finish.
The 2024 Springbok opens with an expressive bouquet of cherry fruit, saddle leather, dried herbs, floral notes and fresh cedar. Crisp, crunchy apple-skin tannins burst onto the palate at first sip, resolving into a taut, saline-acid tension that clears the way for tart red berry fruit, gentle Indian spices and an earthy mineral thread to carry through the medium-bodied finish. From upstart winemaker Greg Bybee, the wine is named after his children, Bennett and Marecca, with the front-label image captured by his wife, Jen.
Expressive citrus and orchard-fruit notes lift out of the glass alongside tarragon, wild fennel, almond paste and a gentle touch of cedarwood spice. The palate is zesty and chalky-mineral, lingering with richer tones of lemon curd, grilled herbs and creamy caramel, yet the wine remains crisp, crunchy and beautifully balanced throughout.
Quite lovely. Lemon pastry and toasty, buttered-croissant notes build in the glass, framed by a rich, frothy, airy mousse that resolves with fine tension and a chalky mineral edge. A slick lemon-oil mid-palate carries the finish, layered with honeydew melon, apple and poached pear. You too can be a champ with Le Champ—just don’t call it Champagne. Call it The Champ, or Champers. Better yet, don’t overthink it at all. Pop the cork and enjoy with gusto.
Exactly that — it’s just pink, though not like the band, yet it carries just as much harmony and class. It’s all pink grapefruit, watermelon and those pink candied peach rings. But it’s bone-dry, with a saline undercurrent of zippy acidity. As winemaker Julien Fayard says, ‘Delicate, elegant, and just pink enough to make everything feel like summer without the sunburn.’
Sourced from Layne Vineyard in the Applegate Valley, this after-dinner Riesling is beautifully balanced, offering just the right touch of sweetness offset by juicy acidity. It overflows with rich, wildflower honey–infused dried apricot, white peach preserves, and honeycomb, carrying through to a long, lingering, stone-fruited finish. It absolutely calls for a cheese platter of fancy French cheeses—or warm, oozy Raclette cheese with toasted sourdough bread.
The Syrah grapes are destemmed, given 18 days of skin contact with daily punchdowns, then aged 21 months in 50% new French oak. Beautiful Syrah character lifts from the glass, drawing you in with perfumed rose petal and violet notes, along with a black-truffle, vanilla-scented charcuterie nuance that weaves through the dark-berry fruit and spice. The palate is supple and creamy, showing loamy earth and an ironstone mineral character. Powdery, refreshing tannins and layered brown spices carry the finish. Such an enticing Syrah. Sourced entirely from the hillside estate of Peter William Vineyard in the Rogue Valley — a small site planted since 2013 with roughly ten acres under vine.
Sourced entirely from the hillside estate of Peter William Vineyard in the Rogue Valley — a small, hillside site planted since 2013 with roughly ten acres under vine. Grapes are destemmed, given 19 days of skin contact with daily punchdowns, then aged 20 months in 50% new French oak. The wine delivers pristine red-berry and cassis fruit, complemented by subtle tobacco overtones, cedar from the oak, warm baking spices and dusty mineral notes. A rich, velvety core gives way to a finish of perfumed rose-petal, slate-stone minerality, and a cool, refreshing lift that makes this one hard to resist.
Fruit from Peter William Vineyard, entirely destemmed, with 19 days of skin contact and daily punchdowns, then aged 20 months in 50% new French oak. A gorgeous wine with pristine red-berry and cassis fruit, touches of tobacco, well-integrated cedar from the new wood, warm baking spices, and dusty mineral notes. The wine holds a rich, velvety center and finishes with enticing rose-petal perfume, slate-stone minerality, and a refreshing lift that’s so welcoming.
With fruit sourced from Daisy Creek Vineyard in southern Oregon, whole-cluster pressed and aged in neutral French oak for four months on the lees. The wine is lime-bright, with tropical fruit notes, flinty minerals, and kaffir lime bursting across the palate. It offers impressive mid-weight texture balanced by chalky minerality and saline-driven acidity.
Malbec comes from Peter William Vineyard, while the Cabernet Franc is sourced separately by Eric Weisinger. The fruit was destemmed and given up to 25 days of skin contact with twice-daily punchdowns, then aged 20 months in 30% new French oak. The Cabernet Franc immediately bursts from the glass with sagebrush, cassis, and tobacco. The mid-palate builds on the Malbec’s structure, showing taut, firm tannins that draw you in before resolving to reveal apple skin, red apple, and cocoa powder notes that permeate the senses.
Sourced entirely from Peter William Vineyard in the Rogue Valley, fermented in one-ton open-top bins, then aged 20 months in neutral French oak. A little bolder and zestier than the Syrah-Cha-Cha—another wine in the Pedro Guillermo Dance Series—this one certainly shows some pizzazz. Dark, juicy fruit and warm baking spices mingle with a potpourri of perfumed dried florals and a hint of charcuterie on the medium-bodied finish.
Sourced entirely from Peter William Vineyard in the Rogue Valley, fermented in one-ton open-top bins, then aged 20 months in neutral French oak. This is a spicy, cha-cha Syrah with pure dark-berry fruit, white pepper, earthy brightness, and dried florals. Silky, juicy, and persistent on the medium-bodied finish—exactly the kind of thirst-quenching wine you need after a night of salsa dancing.
Not vineyard designated on label, but from two Rogue Valley vineyards, managed by Quail Run. handpicked and sorted and whole cluster pressed femrented in ss with 10 months agingon the fine lees. A very lovely, clean, and focused whtie wine with juicy apple and pear fruit, white flowers, baking spice notes and a lovely lush and creamy mid palate that is framed by a good amont of zesty acidity.
These Italian clones of Sangiovese come from an organically farmed vineyard in Ballard Canyon. The wine was fermented in open-top tanks for 21 days and aged 18 months in barrel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The fruit is remarkably intense, framed by generous toasty oak and powerful incense notes. Beneath that structure lies a soft-fruited core with ample richness and a vanilla-spiced finish.
Sourced entirely from Clone 667 on a steep, north-facing hillside at Peake Ranch. Fermented with 20% whole clusters and aged 16 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is a wonderfully lush, dark-cherry-fruited Pinot Noir underscored by rich brown baking spices. The dark fruit and spice sit beautifully on the mid-palate, lifted by grapefruit peel, fine cedarwood accents, a touch of earth, and espresso bean on the finish. Totally crushable. Peake Ranch is also a fruit source for Migration and Cornerstone.
