The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
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.
A tropical-fruited, savory white that builds with notes of white peach, honeydew melon, and apricot, along with subtle poached-pear nuances that come into focus at mid-palate. The finish is marked by savory dried straw, almonds, and a touch of sea-spray minerality. Sourced from the steep, organically farmed hillside block of the Coteau de Clair Vineyard. Fermented with native yeasts, split between neutral oak and stainless steel, then aged on lees for eight months to enhance mouthfeel and complexity. Malolactic fermentation was inhibited to preserve the wine’s natural acidity and freshness.
Sourced from the Fiddlestix Vineyard, fermented in stainless steel, and aged in 500L Austrian oak barrels. The aromatics are strikingly exotic, bursting with beeswax and honeycomb, a touch of spiced sea salt, citrus peel, flint, and wet river stone. The mid-palate is creamy, showing pear and apple framed by crisp acidity and firm stony minerality. It’s certainly an oyster wine, but it also pairs beautifully with sheep’s milk and goat cheeses—especially those wrapped in cedar or dusted with herbs—thanks to the wine’s savory beeswax, honeycomb, and dried white-floral character.
Sourced from John Sebastiano Vineyard, a site planted across steep, wind-exposed slopes with a mix of sandy loam, clay loam, and pockets of diatomaceous earth—soils and aspects that create naturally low yields and concentrated fruit—this Chardonnay is native-yeast fermented in barrel and aged 24 months in 50% new oak. The oak presents vividly, offering a rich, toasty profile that builds in the glass before giving way to lemon curd and butterscotch. It’s incredibly rich and unabashedly ripe, showing caramel-drizzled candied citrus rind, tangerine, tangerine oil, and warm ginger spice. Yet it’s a bit of a chameleon: a current of zesty acidity rises through all that silky richness, bringing the wine into balance.
A very small and special bottling of Hinnrichs Vineyard Syrah from Ballard Canyon. The fruit was 100% destemmed, aged 18 months in barrel, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Mixed berry fruit and woodsy spices build in the glass, joined by clove and earthy mineral notes. This is a medium-bodied Syrah framed by firm tannins that resolve gracefully, with mid-weight cherry and spiced plum adding intrigue. Notes of vanilla and wet slate carry the finish. Koehler Winery is a 60-acre wine estate in the Santa Ynez Valley, owned by the Koehler family since 1991.
If the 2020 Camp Lucy Malbec showed the delicate, lifted side of the variety, the 2019 reveals its deeper register. This vintage is more dark-fruited, with a richer, more concentrated core and noticeably greater mid-palate weight. You still get the signature cherry character, but it trends darker—black cherry and black plum—supported by firmer, more assertive tannins. The finish echoes the 2020 in its white-pepper lift and limestone-driven mineral notes, but here they play against a denser, more brooding fruit profile. A compelling, more structured counterpoint to the elegance of the 2020.
Whatever you think you know about Malbec, check it at the door with this Texas rendition from Camp Lucy Vineyard and the 2020 vintage. It’s a delicate, pretty wine—much like the world’s greatest Malbecs—driven by red cherry fruit and spice but softer in tannin, less muscular, and more elegant. White pepper and rose-stem nuances weave through the palate, carried by limestone mineral tension and a lift of tangerine oil on the finish.
While the 2021 is a bold, savory red, the 2020 shows a softer, gentler, more elegant profile. It’s more fruit-driven, with fresher flavors and brighter baking-spice notes—white pepper, candied violets, and cherry fruit. Medium- to full-bodied, it carries gentle tannins that support a juicy, vibrant core framed by earthy redwood spice and limestone-driven mineral intensity. A lovely counterpoint to the more overtly savory vintages of this wine.
