The Latest Cristaldi Scores
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
Vintage
Wine
Color
Rating
This Syrah from Sonoma Mountain was aged for 22 months in 50% new French oak. The resulting wine bursts with aromas of violets, white pepper, blood orange, and cherry, framed by expressive pine forest notes. The palate is rich yet lifted, carrying those vibrant elements through a long, beautifully attractive finish. As it opens in the glass, the wine builds with additional layers of white pepper, cedarwood, and blackberry and black cherry fruit, accented by a hint of charcuterie. Powerful tannins and a dark slate–driven mineral character frame the wine, while blood orange notes, zesty acidity, and palpable tension keep everything fresh and focused. It feels super fresh and a bit coiled at this stage. Winemaker Justin Harmon notes, “Syrah should be farmed like Pinot—but it’s so vigorous you need a machete to the canopy, or the sun will never reach the fruit.” To ensure proper exposure, the vineyard is farmed down to one cluster per shoot, yielding around 2.5 tons per acre.
The Indigo Syrah from Sonoma Mountain was aged for 28 months in 100% new French oak, and in 2022 this wine feels like an anomaly for the vintage—though perhaps not. Winemaker Justin Harmon tells me the grapes were still going through veraison during the 2022 heatwave, after which conditions cooled significantly. That sequence shows clearly in the glass. There is an impressive sense of coolness to the wine, with blue- and black-fruited character, beautifully perfumed rose petal and violet notes, all building into a full-bodied richness on the palate. The structure is framed by supple, soft, round, silky tannins, finishing with unctuous dark berry fruit and cocoa powder–like tannins, followed by a saline, wet-slate mineral note on the long finish. This is a dangerously drinkable wine—make sure you do not have to drive anywhere after pulling the cork.
The Bastard Tongue Pinot Noir is a Sonoma County appellation blend, drawn from exceptional fruit sources. As winemaker Justin Harmon puts it, “Every single one of our Pinots has a shot at becoming this cuvée.” The final blend is often anchored by Swan selection, as it is in 2023, and incorporates fruit from seven sites. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak, the wine delivers on its promise year after year. This is a dark, brooding, and expansive Pinot Noir, packed with rich, night-dark fruit and a mineral intensity so pronounced it might have a Texas oilman sniffing for liquid gold in the glass. Full-bodied and deeply expressive, it shows off-the-charts rose petal floral intensity alongside dark brown baking spices and Asian spice notes, with crushed river stone minerality adding further complexity. There is real tannic intensity here—powerful yet nicely integrated—ensuring graceful ageing, all driven by a vibrant core of bracing acidity.
Le Rayon Vert is a barrel-select cuvée that undergoes extended élevage, spending 14 months in oak followed by six months in stainless steel, with additional time in stainless steel prior to bottling. The wine is then held for a further six months before release. Fruit is sourced from three sites in Bennett Valley: two hillside vineyards and one valley-floor site. The aromatics are super bright and expressive, led by citrus peel and flinty minerality, with subtle toasted cedarwood and spicy ginger notes. On the palate, there is a radiant core of electric acidity and saline mineral tension that brings terrific focus and energy. As with the previous vintage, the finish is long and layered, marked by bright, crunchy apple spice and a lingering wet-slate mineral note.
This is a Méthode Champenoise–style Grenache sparkling wine. It is fermented in large-format neutral oak casks and aged seven years en tirage, with late disgorgement and a 5 g/L dosage. The wine is delicious, showing crunchy, delicate mixed-berry fruit alongside toasted hazelnut nuances. Bright and precise, it features a persistent, finely textured mousse that builds richness across the palate, finishing with a zesty mid-palate lift and blood orange–driven acidity on the long, energetic finish.
Aged for 19 months in European and French oak (50% new) and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit from Concannon’s Blocks 7, 17, 10, and 15. This is a generous, inviting red wine, offering spiced plum fruit and mulberry nuances layered with rich fig character and fig paste. Subtle notes of toasted marshmallow, mocha, and espresso bean add depth. It’s honestly reminiscent of biting into a Fig Newton—rich, comforting, and deeply satisfying—with a long, textured, lingering finish.
Aged for 20 months in French oak and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit in Block 15 of the Concannon Vineyard and Lemmons Vineyard. The wine shows brighter fruit tones and warm baking spice, wrapped in elegant cedarwood notes that encompass the palate. Nuances of rose petal and rose stem emerge, along with a subtle hint of grilled red pepper—like a light pepper char—on the firm, satisfying finish. This is a structured Cabernet Franc with the depth and balance to cellar comfortably for a decade; keep enough on hand to enjoy its evolution over time.
The grapes are sourced entirely from Lemmons Vineyard, planted to French Clone 331, also known as Clone 5 at UC Davis. This clone is naturally dark-fruited and delivers classic Cabernet Franc character, with broad shoulders and excellent phenolic structure. Dark berry fruit lifts out of the glass, accented by juniper bush spice, wild bright sage, and smoked paprika. The tannins are supple yet firm and elliptical, carrying the dark berry profile through the palate and building toward a fresh, inviting finish marked by unsweetened cocoa powder richness.
Aged for 20 months in French and American oak, this wine is sourced entirely from estate fruit in Block 7, Clone 7, drawn from the Mother Vine blocks that include both iconic old vines and some younger plantings. The Mother Vine itself is now in its fifth decade. Originally brought to California from Château Margaux in 1893, it was re-propagated across the region in the 1970s and later became the foundational material used to replant much of Napa Valley in the latter half of the 1990s. The 2023 growing season in Livermore was notably cool, with no significant heat spikes, and the wine reflects the precision of the vintage. It’s bold and robust, beautifully constructed, with mixed berry fruit—raspberry, black cherry, spiced plum, and blackberry—wrapped in a velvety texture. Rich tannins frame a ripe, plush center, while dark-fruited depth mingles with espresso-bean spice, mocha richness, and graphite nuances on the finish. Profoundly layered in this vintage—one of the best examples I’ve tasted from Concannon.
Named in honor of James Concannon, a first-generation family member and former stampmaker, the 2023 Stampmaker was aged for 16 months in 26% French oak and sourced from Carter Vineyard, Blocks 3 and 17. The wine is wonderfully ripe and vibrant, offering white pepper spice and beautifully candied red berry fruit. A layered mix of mixed berry fruit, espresso bean, and clove unfolds across the palate, lifted by blood orange–tinged acidity. Rich, velvety tannins are caressing and seamless, carrying the wine to a long, generously fruited finish.
The old casks in the Concannon winery—large-format barrels from Demptos and Seguin Moreau dating back to the early 1970s—were originally intended for ageing Petite Sirah. This wine was aged for 16 months in French and Hungarian oak and comes entirely from Concannon’s estate: Block 11 and the head-trained vines of Block 1. It’s a power-packed wine with a real freshness factor. All that classic Petite Sirah character is here—earthy, rich, and plummy fruit layered with mocha and warm Indian spice. The tannins are big, rich, and hearty, with a granular, brambly quality that builds across the mineral-driven finish. Notes of violets, graphite, and pressed florals burst through, giving the wine lift and dimension.
Aged for seven months in neutral oak with a small portion in stainless steel, this wine is 100% estate grown from Triska Vineyard and Arroyo Mocho Creek Vineyard. The 2024 vintage brought a warmer end to the season, but for the white varieties it was a fairly average, steady growing year. The wine is wonderfully tropical, with white peach and pineapple notes, along with a touch of lemon curd. Fragrant French pastry tones and a hint of quince add lift and complexity. The finish is crisp and satisfying, laced with gentle warming baking spice.
The wine was aged for seven months in stainless steel and is made from 100% estate-grown fruit sourced from Lemmons Vineyard, a 15-acre site across from Darcie Kent Winery, and from Arroyo Mocho Creek Vineyard, just across the street from Concannon Vineyard. Concannon has been producing this wine since the 1980s. The Sémillon adds a softer textural component to the racy Sauvignon Blanc in this blend. It’s delicious, loaded with tropical fruit notes and a pop of lychee, with a lovely, lusciously sweet mid-palate—even though the wine finishes dry. Nuances of honeysuckle and white flowers bring bright, captivating detail.
Aged for 19 months in 50% new French oak and entirely estate grown from the Stone Patch block in the Crane Ridge area—an upland site that sits along a fault line and is known for the quartz-rich boulders that push up through the soil. Just 178 cases were produced. The wine is elegant, with red berry fruit, dusty mineral tones, sage, juniper, rose stem, and a touch of fennel. The tannins are precise and refined. Medium-bodied with excellent fruit concentration, yet carried by real energy and pristine clarity of fruit.
Aged for 20 months in French oak and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit; just 210 cases produced. Crown Block is the original estate vineyard block on Crane Ridge, planted north–south, with drainage on all four sides and rocky clay bench soils. The wine opens with a ripe, lifted cassis and black currant nose, layered with spiced plum fruit and subtle cola nut notes, interwoven with violets. Soaring, ripe tannins frame the palate, carrying savory wild herb, spice, and tobacco nuances, all grounded by rich, loamy earth tones.
Aged for 20 months in French oak and made entirely from estate-grown fruit; 235 cases produced. Crown Block is the original estate vineyard on Crane Ridge, planted on rocky clay bench soils with north–south–oriented vines and natural drainage on all four sides. Hungarian-born winemaker Julian Halasz notes that this is Clone 5 Merlot, which he prefers because it’s “more tannic and has great color and has a kind of Cabernet structure.” The team performs extensive sorting to ensure stems are almost entirely excluded. On the nose, it shows a distinctly Cabernet-like profile—dark fruit, rich spice, and cedarwood. Yet the palate reveals beautifully velvety Merlot tannins supporting bold, generous fruit, all carried by a racy spine of acidity.
Aged for 20 months in French oak and sourced entirely from estate-grown fruit; just 229 cases produced. East Hill receives less sunlight and experiences cooler temperatures than its West Hill sibling, and years of significant erosion have challenged the vines since planting. For me, East Hill versus West Hill is like tasting midnight versus midday—one brooding and shadowed, the other warm and expressive. Here, West Hill benefits from afternoon sun, ensuring ample ripeness. The profile leans toward currant-driven fruit, with raspberry and cherry nuances, warm Asian and Indian spices, and a long, penetrating tannic finish that resolves beautifully with fig and dried red floral notes.
Aged for 20 months in French oak and made entirely from estate-grown fruit, with only 224 cases produced. East Hill receives less sunlight and experiences cooler temperatures compared to its West Hill sibling, and years of significant erosion have caused these vines to struggle since planting. For me, East Hill versus West Hill is like tasting midnight versus midday—one brooding and shadowed, the other warm and expressive. Here, East Hill delivers a deeply dark profile: black cherry, elegant cedarwood, black currants, and cigar box accents. The finish lifts with powerful, soaring tannins and deeper notes of mulberry and violets.
This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc (Musqué clone) from Triska Vineyard, aged for three months in stainless steel. Amanda Kent explained that they decided to plant this more coastal-leaning Musqué clone—rather than Clone 1—because the region is, in fact, cooling. The clone was first planted in 2018 at Triska and has since been added to Lemmons Vineyard as well. At Triska, the block faces north at a ten-degree angle, tilted away from the sun, and the team grows the canopies tall to create additional shade. I tasted the 2025 in December 2025—the first wine I tried from the vintage. It was fermented in tank with a portion in acacia wood, not for flavour but to add mid-palate appeal. Harvested in mid-September, it was aged on the lees for about six weeks and bottled a few months later. Super aromatic, with bright white pepper, green apple, honeycomb, jasmine, and even a touch of fresh-sliced jalapeño. Light, bright, and zesty on the mid-palate, with crunchy acidity and a bone-dry, wet-slate mineral finish. Super inviting and enticing.
The grapes are night-picked and fermented mostly in stainless steel, with a portion in neutral barrels. This is a bold, rich, and savory wine, showing a warming spice character through the mid-palate. Apricot jam notes are layered with orchard fruit, additional stone fruit, and white floral accents, all building toward a cantaloupe-tinged finish. A long, lingering orange oil sweetness carries through the finish, yet the wine remains bone dry. It’s a crowd favorite and a wine everyone should try, especially at the table—it stands up beautifully to acidity, fat, and spice, with excellent length and tension.
