Jonathan Cristaldi

Last week, I spent two days in Oregon to taste through the @wvauction lots from the 2024 vintage, on offer this week. Read all about why I chose to rate these wines on @decanter #linkinbio Scores for the 50+ lots I reviewed appear as a single point score but open the review to see the actual range I give them. Decanter.com isn’t set up for score ranges, but I felt it was imperative that these wines fall within a range rather than a set number, given they really are barrel selection blends and also because the range levels the playing field. These are all spectacular lots on offer for a great cause. THANK YOU to the WVWA team and Emily K. Peterson for all the support to make this a success and to our own @roo_millar for speedily posting this story.

My 12 Best #Napa Chardonnays of All Time — #linkinbio on @decanter // all based on what I’ve tasted and rated as far as Napa Chardonnay goes, over the last six years with Decanter. Seek these out. And hey, did I miss yours? Let’s get it in my glass. DM me. @haynesvineyardnapa @pahlmeyerwine @torwines @rameywinecellars @stonyhillvineyard @signorelloestate @sphaericswine @matthiasson_wine @hudsonnapavalley @axrnapavalley @lajotawines @nidtisse #NapaValley #Chardonnay

Five years ago, @decanter ’s @georgie.hindle invited me to write my first article for the venerable magazine. That resulted in the second photo in this batch, “Exclusive” with @jc_boisset @jcbcollection . A month ago, my 80th article ran: “Bo Barrett: The man at @chmontelena ” (third photo and #linkinbio). At the start of this week, I stepped into the role of Acting North America Regional Editor for @decanter , to shepherd the US team and content and ensure continuity of this world-class content. @clivity who held the role for a little over three years is on to new adventures, and I wish him well. I expect good things from him and for the coverage he’ll bring to wine in his next chapter. As for me, and my work, and the work of the team at Decanter, it’s getting better and better, so keep on reading. My Napa Cab report is coming soon. Over 600 ACTUAL Napa Cabs (blends of 75-100% Cabernet Sauvignon) will be featured. And if that’s not enough, expect to see more work from me with @tastingpanel and @sommjournal in the near future, as well as some work in @ediblemarinwc … hey… to borrow a slightly revised line from Bo’s dad, the late Jim Barrett, “Not bad for a kid from the sticks.”

RIP @rolland604 🍷 — Michel was always so kind, so generous of his time, and so attentive and engaging in interviews. I got to know him through our interviews. And early on in my career, when I was far from a known critic at @decanter , on assignment to talk to him about @closdelossiete or some other project, he gave me lots of time and his full attention. One story: When we sat together in the post Covid world to taste and talk about @pangaeaestates during our first meeting, I was recovering from Covid. I couldn’t smell. So I couldn’t taste. I could talk tactile sensations for days and that’s what we did. He loved it. I recall how excited he was to talk texture. In his thick French accent, in English he said, “I don’t give a f—k about the blueberry and blackberry and cherry and all that. I’m looking for textures. I’m looking for sensations. Because all those flavors will change. The textures will too but the texture is what matters.” And it was a master class in tasting texture from the master blender himself. I’ll never forget that day, or what he taught me, or how absolutely fun it was to spend several hours with him. // I also can say with confidence, having tasted so many of his wines, that when you pick up a glass of wine that was influenced by Rolland, there is an unmistakable polish to it—fluidity with a panoply of inviting textures. He was the glue binding all corners of the wine world.

Ripeness in Napa 🍷. I wanted to know how winemakers are thinking about Ripeness today. Head to @decanter or visit my #linkinbio — Rethinking Ripeness in Napa Valley: a fresh perspective on the regions evolution. In this video @jonah.beer of @pilcrow.wine sets the stage for part of his own approach to ripening fruit on the vine and he inspired me to ask everyone about ripening today — over several months I spoke with many Napa producers whose wines challenge the stereotype that Napa is nothing more than a haven for overripe wines. I mean, come on #IYKYK that that’s insane thinking. We dig deep into science in winemaking but also into the subjective nature of tasting grapes all in the pursuit of making a balanced wine. Maybe I should have asked what balance means to everyone because if there’s one thing everyone can agree on it’s that achieving perfect ripeness is key. Getting there, however, is like King Arthur and his pursuit of The Holy Grail. “I have no quarrel with you, good Sir 🍇, but I must cross this bridge.” Thanks to: @spottswoodewinery @aronweinkauf @lesvinsjulien @fayardwinemaking @quintessawinery @rebekahwineburg @chmontelena @matthew.crafton @jhwineconsulting @jean_hoefliger @nilezacherle @celiawelch @ca_barrett @matthiasson_wine @continuumestate @timothymondavi And so many others. #napa #napavalley

This is what the last 90 days has looked like for me — in preparation for the 2023 Napa Cabernet vintage report for @decanter . Great as always to taste with @jean_hoefliger of @jhwineconsulting @axrnapavalley @thedebatewine and so many others… his tasting nudged me over the 500 mark. 😅🕺🍷… More photos to come in a day or two… hope 2026 is shaping up well for you! I have some surprises coming… For now… santé! JC

2025 continues to close on an INCREDIBLY HIGH high note! THANK YOU @cristaldiandco for this outstanding honor for our Syrah. “Intense and muscular, yet refined by freshness and spice, this is a Syrah of commanding presence and exceptional tension.” @jcristaldi

In Napa Valley, as with any wine region, wineries come and go. In the last decade, consolidation and the lure of a conglomerate’s buy-out cheque loom large. But not all of the region’s great family wineries are selling out. @jcristaldi presents some of Napa's legacy wineries where the next generation is taking the helm: 1. @cliffledevineyards 2. @corisonwinery 3. @dunnvineyards 4. @ruddestate Head to the link in our bio to discover more about this next generation!

From the Mormon Tabernacle of Idaho to @LiquidFarm in SBC: Grab a copy of the winter 2025 issue of @montecitojournal to read my story on @jamessparkswine of @liquidfarm and @kingscareywines !! I find James to be one of the hardest working winemakers in Santa Barbara County — and one of the nicest. His wines are distinct, focused, pure, soulful, and total joys to drink. They embody elements of time and space and mineral — components of the places the grapes are growing, translated through the lens of Sparks’ genial soul and detail-driven winemaking and lofty aims of LF founder Jeff Nelson. From baking to bands, a pull from Brandon Sparks-Gillis of @dragonettewine to Great Gatsby references, there’s plenty to learn about this chap, Old Sports. I’m so excited to finally have a longer piece on James and his background — could never dig deep enough with other outlets — so find a copy or peruse the digital version and check out what Mr. Sparks is up to! /glossy-edition/ #montecitojournal #liquidfarm #kingscareywine #jamessparks and thanks to editor @thebicycats and photographer @troyblendell for helping shape this story and give it life. 🙏🍷

This has been out there for a year but I only saw it for the first time yesterday! What an honor and so nice to be compared to my heroes @kongsgaardjohn and @hudsonnapavalley thank you @decanter my mother in law and sister in England will be proud. @jcristaldi wait until you try the 2023! Thank you @lagiermeredith love ❤️ you both. This is fun!

Behind the Scenes! The last several months have been filled with incredible tastings and conversations about the state of the wine industry to the rehabilitation of entire estates. We are in the midst of a paradigm shift from monoculture farming to polycultures, vintners are rethinking ripeness, generational winemaking is reasserting itself, and the next five years are going to be a mix of pain, reckoning, and renewal. I’ve been out in the field so much I rarely have had time to post here on IG, but I’ll be reporting on all of this in the coming months on both @cristaldiandco and @decanter and @tastingpanel and @sommjournal … my reviews and scores continue to flow and if you’re a trade buyer and you don’t have a subscription to my site or Decanter, DM me! A few comments on all the doom and gloom media coverage that the wine industry keeps getting hammered with: The whole picture is not being told. Consumption is in flux in Napa, not everywhere. Prices are too high and they’ll adjust. You’ll see. Vineyards will be torn out as they are and more will turn to other crops or lay fallow for a time. Production will decrease. Then stabilize. Visitations will pick up. New wine drinkers will find their place as they mature and realize that weed and cocktails are great when you’re in your twenties and early thirties but that later in life, wine and the beauty of it will become a necessary part of the kind of lifestyle so many people will settle into — when the time is right. And the industry will be strong, supportive, and help guide those people to a world of balanced living where wine enhances everyday life. Don’t fret so much, friends. Be active. Do your part. Think outside the box of doom and gloom — look up more. Smile more. Drink something delicious tonight and tomorrow and for the rest of your life. #wine #winewriter #winecritic #themostinterestingwinecriticintheworld #napa #sonoma #texas #california #winestagram #decanter #tastingpanel #cristaldi #cristaldiandco

👏 Recognition worth raising a glass to: our 2023 Enchanté received 97 points and our 2023 Artists Blend 94 points from @decanter , rated by @jcristaldi . Proudly grown and made in the Hill Country, these wines embody the depth and character of Texas terroir. 🍾 Hye Society Members — get ready to enjoy this highly rated Enchanté in our November release. #texashillcountry #texaswine #decanter #sommlife #winescores #winery #vineyard #williamchrisvineyards #fredericksburgtexas #houston #dallas #austin #sanantonio #winelover #viticulture