Crystals and Sediment
Some may say we are a bit kooky when it comes to our disdain for modern wine manufacturing and chemical farming. But so be it. We aren't interested in manufacturing wine. We prefer to grow wine. Without the added chemicals, thank you. Mixing in additives and extracts...processing...fining...filtering... well, frankly, they make generic tasting wines and rob the wine of its soul. So we just don't do it. Yeah, you'll likely see some fine sediment and tartrate crystals in our bottles as they gracefully age. Don't worry it is completely natural and it won't harm you. Rather, think of this as a sign of quality... the mark of a handcrafted and authentic wine. A wine with soul. Made by a kooky winemaker.
The Art of the Field-Blend
Currently we farm about 2000 grapevines, with 15 different varietals in all. On our farm the French and the Italians get along quite well: Our French contingent of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah grow alongside well-known Italian varietals such as Sangiovese, Dolcetto, and Barbera... and the more obscure Aglianico, Montepulciano, and Nebbiolo. The vineyard was planted 2003. The many different grape varietals growing on the estate allow us the opportunity to specialize in what we love: creating Italian-style field-blended wines, where the grapes are mixed at harvest and co-fermented for a seamless blend.
Copyright 2017 by Cristaldi Vineyards Estate Winery
PREMIUM SINGLE-VINEYARD ESTATE WINE AND OLIVE OIL
ORGANICALLY GROWN & HANDCRAFTED IN SMALL BATCHES
Loomis, California
The Wine Club....Simplified
You know what you like best. So our club lets you get just that. All at a significant discount. A $100 annual winery membership gets you a 25% discount on all your wine, olive oil and farm-goods purchases. No shipments to pay for or to pick up. Just savings on the stuff you love, every time you visit the winery.
In addition to the discounts you'll get exclusive access to special happenings at the winery.
Sign up when you visit the winery. Membership is limited.
Great wine is made in the Vineyard
Every vintage has its own unique story to tell. So we're all ears. We work with a light hand in the winery, allowing the wine to guide us and speak for itself. We intervene as little as possible, and only when necessary. Such gentle winemaking techniques encourage the creation of wines that reflect the personality of the vineyard rather than the whims of the winemaker. We favor native yeast fermentation and natural malolactic fermentation. And there is no substitute for time. Slow fermentation is followed by several quiet undisturbed years of oak barrel ageing. The result... wines of extraordinary elegance and depth, and each with a vibrancy and resonance that recalls the living vineyard of their origin.
2024 Tasting Schedule:
Select Saturdays 12-4pm by reservation
February through November
CRISTALDI VINEYARDS
Worth the Hike
Full disclosure...Visiting our farm for wine tasting requires a bit of an investment on your part... let's call it... a 'physical investment'... as in a 5 minute hike from our parking area to the winery. Don't worry, we find the journey is part of the fun. So really, we wouldn't want it any other way. Like Italy, the estate is quite hilly no matter which way you walk. But the enchanting scenery along our 'sentiero' is a fair trade for your physical effort. Along the way you'll walk through our vineyards, past cypress tress, native oaks, flowers, and through the olive grove. The winery is set atop the hill and provides a beautiful vista of the Loomis Basin. And well, there's wine there. Good wine. So quit complaining. You know you could use the exercise.
Your Table is Waiting...
Wine tasting at Cristaldi is different by design. We are the 'slow food' of the wine scene. Come visit us for a relaxing and beautiful winery experience in the casually elegant style of the small Italian farmsteads we enjoy when in Italy. Like those small farmsteads we offer seated wine tastings with table-side service to encourage you to slow down and share in our passion for great wine, food, and friendship.
Fair warning...We taste our wines 'in piazza', meaning we are outdoors, in the open air. The Italian way. We've set a table for you in the shaded winery piazza or under the winery pergola. All with beautiful views. Reserve a spot, slow down, and prepare for a relaxing visit to taste some delicious wine and olive oil at the estate where they grow.
(Vineyard + Farm) x Winery = Fun/ Work
Farming wine is a tricky equation, no doubt. But hey, it's much more enjoyable than calculus. Quadratic formulas aside, we've done our homework and have gone to great lengths to lay out a well-designed vineyard and farm. You'll find the scale of the farm is a human one. We've planted the vineyard with people in mind, not machines. In classic Italian style the vines are tightly planted and co-mingle in a... well... 'promiscuous' fashion, allowing for a more even ripening of the different grape varietals for our field blends. 15 different varietals in all. These tightly planted vines are low yielding and produce grapes that are exquisitely flavored... the perfect building blocks for great wine. Such densely planted vines ultimately required us to import a specialized tractor from Italy to effectively navigate the vineyard. A red tractor... Ferrari red... And with a set of Pirelli's of course... Yup, farming's tough.
Napa Style? Nope.
Think more along the lines of a small Italian agriturismo in the hilltowns of Umbria. We're a 5 acre working farm. Family run. We specialize in small-batch estate wine and extra virgin olive oil. All organically grown. Italian-styled
field-blends are our passion. In terms of production, saying we're a 'small' producer doesn't quite get at it.
We're actually more of a 'nano-winery', producing about 400 cases of wine per year, depending on the yield
of the vineyard. Yeah... we're happy with that.
Award-Winning Wines? Yup.
Sure, critical acclaim is nice. But really...so what? What really makes us tick is crafting honest, drinkable wines that enhance your meals and your celebrations. And the only place you can get our wines is on the estate... where you can actually taste them and see how they grow. So don't just depend on critic's scores to tell you what to try. Taste it yourself. We're betting you're the best judge of what you like. Come, share a taste, and find your own favorite.