The Rustic
215 Church St, San Francisco
(415) 529-1137
Customers' Favorites
Butternut Squash Risotto
Linguine Bolognese Pasta
Italian Sausage Pizza
Pere Mata Cava Rose
Burrata Di Buffala
Ravioli with Pesto
Wild Mushroom Pizza
Margherita Pizza
Mortadella Pizza
Soup of the Day
Sparkling
Matho Prosecco
GRAPE: Glera, BianchettaTASTING: Very dry, citrusy, minerally prosecco. It's simple and tasty. Brothers Bruno and Massimo Marion have run their family winery since 1999, but multiple previous generations of the Marion family have owned vines and produced wines here continuously since the 1800s. The vineyard extends from the foothills of the dolomites to the north, down to the Piave river. All vines are farmed under biodynamic principles, the winery is certified organic by the ICEA, and the end result is a line-up of remarkably serious, brut-zero wines. This is as clean, low sugar, and pure a prosecco as exists.
Pere Mata Cava Rose
GRAPE: 35% Macabeu – 20% Xarello – 20% Parellada – 25% MonastrellTASTING: Snappy and bright with just the slightest hint of red berry spice. Elegance and finesse. Not yeasty.The name of the winery is Mata I Coloma. The name of the winemaker is Pere Mata. The wines have individual names as well, but they all say ‘Pere Mata' on the label, which is appropriate, as they are truly a reflection of one man's passion. Pere farms 5 hectares in the town of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia in the heart of the Penedès, Catalunya. The wines all spend at least 2 years on lees and some over 4 years
MCM 32 Champagne
GRAPE: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot MeunierTASTING: Fine but persistent effervescence, lively fruit and acidity that performs well across multiple days after the cork is pulled. Despite the modest cost, this is a very serious Champagne from prestigious real estate.For 9 decades, this family has farmed Champagne's famed Côte des Blancs region. In terms of style, Yves-Jacques' wines are always bright, user friendly, and unpretentious.
Accadia Marche Bianco Frizzante
GRAPE: A blend of native white and red varieties from old vines – Montepulciano, Trebbiano Toscano, Verdicchio, Sangiovese, and Malvasia Lunga.TASTING: Fresh, high minerality, light and crisp. Slightly floral. High minerality is the real point of this wine. Chalky and salty in a nice way. Unfiltered and slightly cloudy. Would be great with oysters, anchovies, and raw fish. Accadia is a small producer located on the left bank of the river Esino in Le Marche. Winemaker Angelo Accadia makes rich, fragrant, and sturdy wines full of personality. First fermentation in steel at controlled temperature; bottled with residual sugar. Second natural fermentation in the bottle.
Art&Science Pet-Nat
GRAPE: Pinot Noir/ MondeuseTASTING: Citrus rind and red fruit both on the nose and the palate. It's not very cloudy or funky but definitely you feel the zero/zero approach. Straightforward, not tart, well balanced pet-nat.Art + Science is led by Kim Hamblin and Dan Rinke, with Kim handling the artistic side and apple picking while Dan manages all things fermentation. Art + science began in 2012 when they bought their 40 acres in Yamhill County, Oregon and decided to plant some apple trees to make cider. What began as a small endeavor to make something fun has turned into a successful label of delicious experimental ciders and coferments made using foraged organic & biodynamic fruit and fermented with indigenous yeast.
Oriol Artigas Sammay Pet-Nat
GRAPE: TrepatTASTING: Very peachy nose, but also natty, cloudy wine. Tiny bubbles with a lot of sediment. This is a great choice for people who are curious about natural wine and feeling adventurous about trying a unique wine. Good acid, stone fruit notes. Perfect for our burrata app.Oriol began making wine casually, simply to be enjoyed amongst friends. But slowly he started to realize his calling, devoting himself to a career in winemaking full time in 2011. His over-arching philosophy is to "cultivate the vineyards in the most natural and least interventionist way possible, to allow the grapes to express in the most intense way the landscape from which they come."
Champ Divin Cremant Rose
GRAPE: Pinot NoirTASTING: Red currants, raspberry, and red cherry on the nose. Fresh and bright on the palate with juicy/taut red berry fruit, refreshing acidity, and creamy mousse, drying on the finish with a hint of saline.Champ Divin translates to "divine field". Fabrice and Valerie Closset-Gaziaux both have educational backgrounds in agronomy and earth sciences. After having spent extensive time working to develop sustainable farming practices in Africa and then helping growers in the Loire develop organic and naturally balanced vineyards for 8 years, they decided (in 2008) to procure vineyards in South-Revermont, in the "premier plateau" of Jura.
Tarlant Champagne 375 Ml
GRAPE: Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier equal partsTASTING: The nose shows light buttercream with some minerality. The palate has good acid with moderate citrus and tropical fruits.These 12th generation vignerons buck the trends of the Marne, where Pinot Meunier dominates. Instead, the Tarlants have planted half of their 13 hectares to Pinot Noir, and just under a third to Chardonnay.Tarlant père, Jean-Mary, made waves in Champagne in the ‘70s by producing some of the region's first Brut Nature wines, with no added dosage; the aim here is to allow the purity of the fruit to beam through the glass, without any manipulations.
Cristophe Mignon Champagne
GRAPE: Pinot MeunierTASTING: Beautiful, expressive nose of red fruits and faint floral aromas. Rich on the palate with balanced acidity, taut minerality, and a super dry finish. ZERO dosageMeunier specialist Christophe Mignon comes from a long line of farmers in the hamlet of Le-Mesnil-le-Huttier. Mignon's unique approach to viticulture, referred to by us as the Mignon Method, combines natural practices including biodynamics, phytotherapy, homeopathy and geobiology
Veuve Fourny Champagne
GRAPE: ChardonnayTASTING: It is extra brut which means it is drier than brut with a laser focus. Citrus zest, mint, peach, apple, and subtle white flower. This is grower champagne which means the winemaker also grows the grapes.Their old Chardonnay vines suck up the chalky essence of the premier cru slopes of Vertus, and their winemaking is all about preserving the magic of their terroir without artifice. They refuse to inoculate, add no sulfur throughout the vinification process, work with very low dosages, and bottle their creations unfined and unfiltered-rare feats in the world of wine, and virtually unheard of in Champagne.
Marc Hebrart Champagne
GRAPE: 65% Pinot Noir, 35% ChardonnayTASTING: Very well balanced. Little brioche, little zesty, little floral. Well-made, elegant champagne with a chalky, minerally finishJean-Paul Hébrart took over Marc Hébrart from his father in 1997. His father had been producing estate bottled wines since 1964 and joined the Club Trésors in 1985 Jean-Paul has slowly developed the estate in the last 20 years to one of the very finest grower estates in the Marne. The Hébrart wines are truly of both place and person, the kind, welcoming and generous qualities that Jean-Paul Hébrart exudes can be seen in all of his Champagnes.
Paul Clouet Blanc de Noirs
GRAPE: Pinot NoirTASTING: The soft bubbles, the almond and brioche nose, the stone fruit flavors. Fresh, elegant, and very well balanced. Showing the age very nicely as well.The Paul Clouet domaine owns six hectares spread across the region in villages like Chouilly, Cramant, Cuis, Bergères-les- Vertus, Fossy and of course Bouzy. There are only about 50,000 bottles a year that are produced by Paul Clouet and each bottle has an identity all its own. These are special wines that are hard to find. The Champagnes are ample and robust in the way wines from Bouzy are, yet they also feature a finesse and polished structure that makes them distinctly their own
Benoit Marguet Shaman Rose
GRAPE: %67 Pinot, %33 ChardonnayTASTING: It is medium-bodied with strawberry, cherry, apple, apricot, and lots of minerals. Super elegant. On the leaner side with toasty notes.Champagne Marguet is located in the village of ambonnay, which holds a wonderful 8 ha of grand crus. benoit marguet is the man behind champagne marguet, a generation of young winemakers who have revolutionized burgundy and champagne over the past decade; making their champagne with extreme biodynamic methods and giving priority to well-being.be ground to the top
Rose & Orange
Pinot Noir Rose Una Lou
GRAPE: %100 Pinot NoirTASTING: Well made Pinot rose. Notes of strawberry, cherry, grapefruit, sea salty minerality.. Purely juicy wine with a zippy finish and herbaceous palate, thyme. Unfiltered.This is the sister label of Scribe! More reasonably priced every day rose. Andrew Mariani and his wife had their first kid during the harvest of 2016 and decided to make wine to honor their daughter and named the wine after her name Una Lou.
Es Ok Rose
Pinot Gris/Grenache, Rootdown Wines Es Okay? Rosé, CaliforniaGRAPE: %50 PINOT GRIS, %50 GRENACHETASTING: Beautiful color, 8 days on skin. All day Rose! Bright watermelon and strawberry acidity rolls off the palate while tart cranberry, some crazy rhubarb savory-ness and iron like minerality join the dance party as well. It's like nibbling on organic fruit leathers and biting into that fleshy part of a pineapple. Mike Lucia is no newcomer to the Sonoma wine scene. He has been laying tracks in the world of wine since he first landed in Healdsburg as a teenager back in ‘92 and started rubbing shoulders with local winemakers during after-school restaurant gigs. Before long, Mike worked harvest with DeLoach in the Russian River Valley, an experience which led to jobs at many other well-respected wineries such as Ridge
Arnot-Roberts Rose
GRAPE: Touriga Nacional, with other Portuguese grapesTASTING: This reminds me more of Etna rose, less fruity and more on the herbaceous side. Minerally, elegant rose. Red fruit, thyme, and tarragon for sure. The fruit from all of these vineyard sites is hand-harvested, then lightly crushed by foot to release some color prior to pressing. Arnot-Roberts Wines is a joint project of schoolhood friends, Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts. Since founding their winery in 2001, the duo has been one of the most progressive and revolutionary producers on the California landscape. Together with a small group of fellow trailblazers, they have led the way to help re-define the paradigm of what California wine can be and taste like
Francois Chidaine Rose
GRAPE: Equal parts of Gamay, Pinot Noir anf GrolleauTASTING: The nose of gooseberries has some floral notes followed by a medium-full wine with a chalky texture. Excellent acidity and beautiful tension bring up the solid mineral core. Very refreshingFrançois Chidaine is one of the Loire Valley's great success stories. After finishing viticultural school in the mid-1980s, François went to work alongside his father, Yves, who had only four hectares of rented vineyard land in the appellation of Montlouis, in the Touraine.
Thibaud Boudignon Rose
GRAPE: %100 Cabernet FrancTASTING: Bright pink in the glass, the Cabernet Franc crafted here is a serious style of rosé that will have a place at the table and age short term. The crunchy red fruits are explosive with a mid-palate of tension that cascades to a dry finish.Thibaud Boudignon farms small parcels of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc with his hands, heart and inspiration. As part of a new generation of Loire vignerons, Thibaud has committed himself to crafting honest wines that embody the spirit of the region.
Ray-Jane Bandol Rose
GRAPE: Mouvedre blendTASTING: Classic Provence rose. Very similar to Domaine Tempier rose as far as quality, but thankfully cheaper. Pale, light, peaches, strawberries. Taste like a summer by MediterraneanFor many years, this wine has been called "the best rose' in the world" by top critics, magazines and sommeliers. It is famous, rare, and special.
BiancoFongoli Orange
GRAPE: Trebbiano, GrechettoTASTING: Beautifully balanced tropical and savory, not very girppy, higher acid, more natural and on the funky side. Camomille, white flowers, tropical fruits, oregano and thyme. On the mouth the savory, salty finish.MORE: Angelo Fongoli is the fourth generation to be making wine at the Fongoli family estate. Since the early 2010's, Angelo has taken the estate--that was, of course, until the eighties a poly-cultural farm using conventional systemic viticulture, then moved towards an almost monoculture farm--back to a more diverse farming culture concentrating on biodynamic techniques.
Giacamo Fenocchio Rose Nebbiolo
GRAPE: %100 NebbioloTASTING: It is a very dark, grippy, winter rose from Piemonte. Very typical. Red fruit, dried herbs and leaves such as bay, hazelnuts, and a slight astringent finish. Viola.He is great winemaker. Organic and biodynamic practices.Some words by Claudio Fenocchio : For over five generations – explains Claudio Fenocchio, owner and winemaker with his brothers – our company has been producing, processing vinification and aging great wines from grapes from their own vineyards in the heart of the area of Barolo. My great-great grandfather John, the progenitor of my family, used to say: "Everybody makes wine in the same way, simply because that's how it should be done; it is up to us to change a method, a culture. Finding new formulas can be interesting, but the more you experience new and different things, the more our wine will be unique."
Antonella Lombardo Rose Calabria
GRAPE: %100 Nerello Mascalese TASTING: This Nerello Mascalese rosé is made by the direct press method, not as a by-product of red winemaking, so the harvest timing is for rosé. Fermented using indigenous yeasts and a ‘pied de cuve', then aged in stainless steel and bottled in the spring following the vintage. Nerello Mascalese makes excellent pink wine. Very pale topaz pink in color, typical of the variety (rosés from Etna look just like this) ; mouthwatering aroma of red fruits, watermelon; same fruit flavors on the palate, bone dry, very long and distinctive. It would make a great dry aperitif but particularly good with food, with any number of fish dishes, roast pork, roast chickenAntonella left Calabria at the age of 18 and went to Milan to study the law, and then to practice. She eventually started taking sommelier courses, and became completely hooked on wine, which can happen to anyone; then, unlike the rest of us
Salvetta Nosiola Orange
GRAPE: NosiolaTASTING: 7 days of skin-maceration. Beautiful wine. Slightly floral. Stone fruit, nutmeg, cacao, ripe citrus. It is not overly grippy. Very pleasant texture for the 7 days skin contact. Slightly almondy bitter finish.MORE: The six-century old Salvetta estate is the first and oldest cellar to bottle a varietal Nosiola. Today Salvetta Nosiola is widely regarded as one of two definitive examples of this transcendent grape. If you pick up a copy of the current Slow Wine Guide, you'll see both Salvetta and Foradori named as the region's two top white wine producers (with Salvetta Nosialo winning the coveted "Top Wine/Vino Alto" award for the last 4 consecutive years).
Damijan Kapljca Orange
GRAPE: Friulano/Malvasia/ChardonnayTASTING: 60-90 days on the skin in large oak barrels. This is one of my favorite orange wine of all time. It is intense, complex, grippy ( decant it ), long finish. Very dark color because of the long skin contact. Caramel, tropical fruit, hay, spices, herbs. A lot going on. It is a versatile wine that you can even pair with steak. Please ask if they had the wine before when they order, it's grippy and unique.Damijan Podversic started out in the family business as a negociant. But when he found a small abandoned plot in the Collio Goriziano, he ignored the common attitude that it was too difficult to work and eagerly bought it. He cleared the land, rebuilt terraces, and set to replanting it: not only does he now cultivate top-quality grapes, but his once skeptical neighbors eye his steep mountaintop vineyard with great envy.
Vignetti Massa Timorasso Orange
GRAPE: TimorassoTASTING: 2-3 days skin contact. Not very grippy. Such a classic timorasso. Giving me a bit of aged Burgundy vibes. It's toasted nutty, cheese rindy. Perfect notes of apricot and honey. MORE: Walter Massa is the real deal: a contadino (farmer) with deep family roots in his native Colli Tortonesi who's usually plowing his vineyards or buzzing around his cellar when someone arrives for a visit. He'll then stop to spend hours showing around, pouring wines for, and talking with the continual waves of journalists, sommeliers, importers, buyers, and just plain fans who make their way to his village of Monleale in the southeast corner of Piemonte. Massa is universally known as the Maestro of Timorasso - he rescued it from obscurity and near-extinction and now leads a mini-renaissance of the variety in the Colli Tortonesi.
Buondonno Trebbiano Orange
GRAPE: Trebbiano and MalvasiaTASTING: 3-4 weeks on the skin. Grippy but pleasant. Lots of dried fruit, cooked fruit characteristic, slightly tropical on the nose. Complex orange wineMORE: Gabriele and Valeria Buondonno purchased the property (originally established by Michelangelo's family in the 1400s) in the late 1980s, and were one of the first certified organic domaines in Chianti Classico. Approximately 1/3 of their land is dedicated to grapes (Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Malvasia, plus a few French odds and ends), and the rest to olives, nuts, grains, year-round flowers (for their daughter Marta's world class apiary), and mixed agriculture for the family kitchen and B&B.
Guiseppe Calabrese Orange
GRAPE: Guarnaccia ( Coda di Volpe )TASTING: 6 days skin contact. Soft texture with the aromas ranging from delicate stone fruit to exotic spice, sometimes with a mineral or salty flavour." That describe what I am tasting, together with a an exercise in controlled oxidation that will be a stunner for fans of the Jura ouillé genre who are looking for more than roasted nuts. The lower acidity is more fresh than roaring, and it makes it particularly well suited for sipping by itself.MORE: Giuseppe Calabrese tends four hectares of mostly bush-trained old vines, in the Pollino Mountains of northern Calabria, in the ancient town of Saracena. He works without peer in this remote area; to say he's plowing the rough road is understatement.
COS Pithos Orange
GRAPE: GrecanicoTASTING: Skin contact 10-15 days takes place in amphorae. Aged and aditional 7 months on the skins in amphorae for a total of 240 days. A bit different than other orange wines we have. Aphora effect is there, more Georgian wine vibes. A super fresh, almost minty nose leads into a full but tense, deeply layered wine showing nice mineral definition and taught acidity. The long skin contact and amphora movement of the lees provide an additional level of complexity. Fresh fruit and slightly floral nose hits. Unique one!MORE: Pithos is Amphora in Greek. Giusto Occhipinti of COS is a benchmark producer in the Vittoria appellation of Sicily, and certainly one of the most important and influential producers in all of Sicily if not Italy as a whole. The winery was founded in 1980 by three friends, Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti, and Cirino Strano. The initials of their last names form the winery's name.
White
La Guistiniana Gavi
GRAPE: %100 GaviTASTING: It is such a Vino di Tavola. Italian house wine. Clean, precise, simple. Very much so nose like a yellow apple, pear, sweet citrus. Slightly blossomy without being floral. Crisp and medium bodiedMORE: La Giustiniana, founded in the 1200s by Cistercian monks, is Gavi's most historic estate, and its location in Rovereto di Gavi is at the very heart of Piedmont's most famous white wine appellation. In the verdant hills of the Monferrato district, soft hills are interspersed with both woods and vineyards. La Giustiniana, founded in the 1200s by Cistercian monks, is Gavi's most historic estate, and its location in Rovereto di Gavi is at the very heart of Piedmont's most famous white wine appellation.
Belisario Le Salse Verdicchio
GRAPE: VerdicchioTASTING: It's a delicious wine at a reasonable price. Lots of golden stone fruit qualities, honey, almond and pear as well.Le Salse wines are produced by Cantine Belisario, a top-quality co-op located in the village of Matelica. All fruit that goes into these delicious table wines is grown organically and sustainably, with utmost respect for the environment put first. ‘It's our response to the ocean of Pinot Grigio that has washed up on US shores,' says the winery.
Guirreri Grillo
GRAPE: GrilloTASTING: Grillo is a white grape, thought to be native to Sicily and to be a cross between Catarratto and Moscato di Alessandria/Zibibbo. When grown and vinified correctly it shows fine freshness and perfume, with notes of citrus, apple, and herbs. You can see the aromatic notes of Moscato on the nose.Gurrieri's Grillo is a beautiful example of the variety, pale straw color in the glass with green glints, aroma and flavor includes citrus, herbal, green apple notes, very bright and fresh. The history of Gurrieri, in the panorama of Sicilian viticulture, stems from a family passion. Giovanni and Angela, born and raised with the agricultural and peasant passion of father Vincenzo and mother Graziella who have been producing grapes for fifty years, decided to continue the family tradition and produce grapes, wine, and oil in Sicily, near the little town of Chiaramonte Gulfi, in the province of Ragusa
Valle Isarco Pinot Grigio
GRAPE: %100 Pinot GrigioTASTING: Very well-made Pinot Grigio. It's not one of those basic white. Very complex. Aromatic nose with white flowers and blossoms. Sweet citrus, tangerine, apricot. Great acidity as well. Another good seafood wine.The Cantina Produtori Valle Isarco cellars are devoted to the production of quality white wine. Founded in a traditionally vine-growing area, the Cantina Valle Isarco is the newest wine-making cooperative in South Tyrol; yet, its premium white wines have already become famous both at home and abroad.
Storrs Chardonnay 'Christie Vineyard'
GRAPE: %ChardonnayTASTING: Mora classic California Chardonnay. New oak presence is both on the nose and the palate. Textured without being overwhelming. Well-made and balanced wine. Classic Meyer lemon, apple, and pear notes. MORE: Stephen Storrs and Pamela Bianchini-Storrs began Storrs Winery with the harvest of 1988. Both trained as winemakers at UC Davis, they had worked and consulted for a number of wineries prior to starting their own, including Domaine Chandon, Felton Empire Vineyards, and Almaden. True farmers they also grow vegetables.
Philippe Auchere Sancerre
GRAPE: Sauvignon BlancTASTING: A classic Sancerre. The nose opens with pure minerality and notes of green apple and pear. Loads of apple on the clean, crisp palate, with accents of grapefruit, lychee and lime. Persistent, fine, and zesty. It's not super green or grassy at all.Philippe Auchère is a winemaker in the commune of Bué, a stone's throw from Sancerre. The family estate covers an area of 7 hectares. Producer of AOC Sancerre and AOC Coteaux du Giennois wines, Philippe Auchère cultivates the three local grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Gamay
Inconnu Chenin Blanc
GRAPE: Chenin BlancTASTING: This is a perfectly waxy and nutty chenin, not overly rich. It's textured, but mineral and acid-driven Chenin which does not have over-ripe fruit notes. Founded in 2012 by Laura Brennan Bissell, Inconnu is a project focused on reflecting the frequently unsung subtlety and elegance that is possible in California wine; an integration of terroir selection and respect for classical winemaking philosophies. Brennan Bissell is focused on working with organic and regeneratively farmed parcels in California, which reflect the way she farms her estate vineyards in Underwood, Washington, in the Columbia Gorge AVA. She seeks out cooler climates and areas with greater diurnal shifts, complex soil compositions, family owned parcels – places that ‘just feel right.'
Liwa Sauvignon Blanc
GRAPE: Sauvignon BlancTASTING: Pretty classic Sauvignon. Green nose with tropical, lemon, citrus rind, fresh and most importantly not tart.his is a collaboration between Guerneville's Inizi Winery and our favorite local wine broker, Revel Wines. They wanted to make a wine where proceeds could go directly to charities they care about, and in the case of LIWA, proceeds go towards two! Liwa is the Miwok word for "water", the vital life source in dwindling supply here in Northern California. Pre-colonization, the Miwok tribes historically spanned Northern California from the Sierras to the Sonoma/Marin coastline, and what is now the Bay Area. Today, a portion of the proceeds of this wine goes back to both the native community and the planet at the Native American Rights Fund (narf.org) and 1% For The Planet (onepercentfortheplanet.org)
Martha Stoumen Vermentino
GRAPE: %90 Vermentino, %10 Sauvignon BlancTASTING: It is natural but not funky. Taste like a Ligurian Vermentino but more textured. Aged on fine lees, unfiltered and unified. Very unique minerality, almost briny and slightly bitter in a nice way. Very dry, medium bodied. Perfect food wine
Sandhi Chardonnay
GRAPE: ChardonnayTASTING: TOASTY Chardonnay. It will please many Chardonnay lovers who like "woody" wines. It actually sat in neutral oak so it's NOT very buttery! But still a nice texture, not crisp. Classic notes are there, ripe lemon, ginger and apple. Sandhi is a small production California winery focusing on select vineyards from the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. Sandhi was founded in 2010 by Rajat Parr, the wine director for Michael Mina Restaurants, and winemaker, Sashi Moorman
Matthiasson Chardonnay
GRAPE: ChardonnayTASTING: Yellow apple, yellow peaches, muskmelon, and honey greet the nose and persist through to the palate. Medium acidity is balanced by pleasant fleshiness and minerality. Only 12.5 alcohol. No battonage, French oak. This is more Burgundy style. Lighter Chardonnay, acid and fruit driven.The vines were originally planted in 1989 by Beringer. Winemaker Steve Matthiasson prioritizes sustainable winemaking with an emphasis on expression and purity of fruit. California Chardonnay has a bad rap for being over indulgent in oak but Matthiasson returns California Chardonnay to glory with this beautiful wine. The vineyard is located ideally for chardonnay, with cool winds you can taste its crisp acidity.
Dehlinger Chardonnay
GRAPE: ChardonnayTASTING: This is a richer style Chardonnay, Oaky, higher alcohol, buttery, very classic. With that said, it's not as heavy as Rombauer. Still have a good acid so you want to drink more. Great choice for CA Chard lovers. Unfiltered.MORE:Dehlinger Winery is an independent, family-owned and operated winery recognized for consistency and quality. The focus is entirely on estate grown grapes from our dry farmed vineyard in the Russian River Valley, which has a four-decade-long history of producing exceptional wines.Carmen and Eva Dehlinger, two of founder Tom and Carole's daughters, oversee all day-to-day operations.
Bow&Arrow 'Fool's Gold'
GRAPE: Equal parts Chardonnay and Sauvignon BlancTASTING: This is one of my absolute favorite wines. Cheverny style white/blend. It Tastes so almondy, dried fruit, toasty, waxy, ripping acid but has texture. It's like a rich Chenin married to Heredia Rioja Blanco.MORE: Over the last decade, Bow & Arrow has become a darling of the Willamatte Valley. While many of his peers focus on Burgundy grapes (the Willamette has practically become synonymous with Pinot Noir), winemaker Scott Frank makes wines with the grapes of, and in the style of, the Loire Valley. The results are unique, but there's something else too: they feel just right.
I Clivi Colli Orientali del Friuli Friulano
GRAPE: %100 FriulanoTASTING: Natural but very clean. Great acidity with a salty, minerally finish. Some fruit notes remind me of Chardonnay, pear and apple, but slightly more aromatic with almondy flavor. The juice stays with lees 6 months so it's more textured rather than crisp. Great food wine.From the winemaker: My idea was to let history speak through the wine, by making as "transparent" a wine as possible, in which soil, climate and tradition may come fully through and be perceived without interferences. A wine truly grown, whose character is shaped entirely in the vineyard by soil, climate and vines and is in no way altered in the cellar, a wine that stands solely on itself, on its own intrinsic qualities, and is not made to suffer any intervention or "improvement".
Erste & Neue Südtirol Pinot Bianco
GRAPE: %100 Pinot BiancoTASTING: Well made, aromatic and dry Italian white. One of those when you smell it is like jasmine, white flowers, citrus blossoms. Almost feel like it is going to taste sweet, then it hits you with a good punch. Crisp, Slightly limey tart, not ripe stone fruit. Good starter wine for any seafood.Erste+Neue' means 'First+New'. The name represents the merger of the first (‘erste') co-op cellar in Caldaro, which was founded in 1900, and the newest ('neue') co-op cellar after the Alto Adige became a part of Italy in 1919, which was founded in 1925. The two co-ops united under one label in 1986. In 2016 Erste+Neue incorporated a third co-op, Cantina Kaltern, but decided to continue operating under the name Erste+Neue.
Marchisio Roero Arneis
GRAPE: %100 ArneisTASTING: Such a classically beautiful Arneis. Waxy, honeycomb, honeysuckle, roasted nuts, and a lot peach.MORE: Made by the winemakers of Brovia, a family project, and single vineyard wine. Not much in the US, we got some! For this price, wine speaks itself. Sergio Marchisio oversees the progressive development of the company, but has entrusted his sons Fabio and Ivo to both be involved in the everyday vineyard and cellar work.
I Favati Greco di Tufo
GRAPE: % Greco di TufoTASTING: One of my favorite Italian white. Super well-balanced. Slightly floral nose, good minerality, salty finish. Lots of blossoms and stone fruit, nectarine, peach, apricot. Nicely textured, not super crisp or super silty. All around wonderful wine perfect for raw fish.MORE: The I Favati winery has been recognized as one of the outstanding Italian producers of fine wines and grappa. Passion, and a culture of good wine, are a tradition that has been carried on by this great family since the early decades of the last century. Located in Irpinia, famous for its beauty, its rich volcanic soil, and its wine, the company is expertly managed by winemaker Rosanna Petrozziello, her husband Giancarlo Favati, her brother-in-law Piersabino Favati, and daughter Carla Giusy Favati.
Piras Vermentino di Gallura
GRAPE: %100 VermentinoTASTING: It is a pure expression of Cantina Gallura's Vermentino. It is obtained from a selection of Vermentino grapes and soft pressing, with a very short refinement in steel to enhance the original aromas of the vine. Slightly floral, chalky, salty, dry white with notes of green apple, quince, pear, and tropical fruit.MORE: Cantina Gallura is located in the town of Tempio Pausania on the foothills of Mount Limbara. Here, beneath dazzling white granite mountains shaped by the North wind, grow blood-red cork-oaks and the native vines of Sardegna. The cooperative was founded in 1956 and over 100 growers contribute their grapes. The soil, a mix of sand and rock, is poor, and the vines have to struggle to survive this hostile environment. The limited grape yield offer wines with unique and prized qualities.
I Custodi 'Aedes' Etna Bianco
GRAPE: Carricante blendTASTING: Classic blossomy, chalky, stone fruity and volcanic wine. Coming from the active volcanic area Mount Etna so you see that smoky minerality reflect on the wine. Crisp, medium-bodied, sweet citrusy wine. Younger Chablis like but I like it more with non kimmergardian soil.I Custodi's cellar master is long-time Etna guru Salvo Foti, and his touch is one of a bianchista (white wine lover) prizing elegance, tension, and keeping pristine the volcanic spice found in these wines.
Domaine Pellé, Menetou-Salon Blanc
GRAPE: %100 Sauvignon BlancTASTING: It's not your usual citrusy and grassy Sancerre, or California Sauvignon Blanc, or New Zealand. This is unique, stone fruity, tropical, pineapple, roasted nuts, and waxy wine with a lot of acidity without being edgy crisp.Once regarded as the Loire Valley's most off-the-beaten path appellation, Menetou-Salon has gained a fair amount of recognition thanks to Domaine Henry Pellé, which accounts for 25% of the AOC's entire production. Morogues, the chief village of Menetou-Salon, shares the same Kimmeridgian limestone soils as its more famous neighbor, Sancerre, but at a fraction of the price
Julien Delrieu 'La Joue' Chenin
GRAPE: %100 Chenin BlancTASTING: Pure Anjou Chenin. Straight-up yellow fruit. Apricot, tangerine, sweet citrus, honeycomb, hazelnuts. Not natty, very clean, and food-friendly. Simple, not fancy, and unoaked.MORE: Julien Delrieu was the driving force behind a project founded in 2010 by three friends around the simultaneous purchase of 15 hectares of vineyards near the Layon river in the heart of the Anjou. They immediately went about converting the vineyards to organic farming, all the while honing there winemaking style and creating single cépage cuvées.
Clos des Grives Côtes du Jura Chardonnay 'Musicienne'
GRAPE: ChardonnayTASTING: There are some wines when I am tasting I enjoy so much that I don't take tasting notes. This is one of them, I just wrote " Very tasty, so good!" Nutty, cheese-rindy, and slightly oxidative. Blend of 5 barrels, 1 under flor. Enough said!MORE: Les Clos des Grives is the very first certified organic estate in the Cotes du Jura (1968!) and is one of the great, truly time tested domaines in the region. Though the farm's wines enjoy broad acclaim across Europe, they have never been available in the US. This wine is perfectly aged and ready to leap from the bottle!
Domaine de la Renardière Les Terasses Savagnin
GRAPE: SavagninTASTING: Topped up version of Savagnin, medium-bodied-textured, classy. Lemon, pear, yellow fruit, more pear, nuts. Perfectly oxidized.MORE: Ouillé wines show the Savagnin grape variety in its purest form. The single vineyard Les Terraces Savagnin comes from grey/blue marl terroir and is made in a non-oxidative style. The wine is aged for 12 months in barrel with no racking and beautifully expresses this delicious, indigenous variety.Jean-Michel Petit grew up in Pupillin, where his parents and grandparents farmed the vines, selling their grapes to the local cooperative.
Domaine Herve Azo Petit Chablis
GRAPE: ChardonnayTASTING: Pretty yellow, no oak. Very crisp, limestone, fresh Chardonnay. Textbook oyster or raw fish wine. Not a fuller-bodied textured one. Apple, pear, lemon still there. MORE: Petit Chablis is a much maligned appellation because much of it is located outside of the traditional grape growing region of Chablis. In fact, many of these vineyards are located in areas where, historically, grains were the primary crop. However, within the area around Chablis, there are many fine vineyards bearing this appellation. They are located on the crowns of the hills whose slopes bear the Chablis and Chablis Premier Cru status. The soil of these vineyards has a lower clay content which generally makes for wines that are not as round and fat.
Domaine des Malandes Chablis
GRAPE: ChardonnayTASTING: Another "such a good deal". Quite opposite of the petit chablis above. The nose has more "oak" vibes but is not toasty, more vanilla and spices. Fresh, approachable, tasty. Famous vineyard "Fourchaume" fruit. True value wine. Not too light or rich, will please Chard lovers.MORE: There's nothing not to love about Amandine Marchive and her mother Lyne. This multi-generation, female owned and operated domaine is one of the oldest and grandest continuously producing properties in Chablis.
Domaine de Montille Clos de Chateau
GRAPE: ChardonnayTASTING: 100% Chardonnay from the walled vineyard right in front of the Château inside the village of Puligny-Montrachet, this over-achieving Bourgogne Blanc is stellar year in and year out. It definitely shows the floral and mineral notes in the nose that make the village famous. Good length and buttery, citrus fruit make this a great wine at any price, but this "little" wine from an estate with an embarrassing array of riches can stand up to the best of them.MORE: Domaine de Montille is not only one of the greatest domaines in Burgundy, but one of the greatest domaines in France. With a family heritage that can be traced back to the 17th century and a winemaking heritage rooted in Burgundy since 1750, the de Montilles have become synonymous with their hometown of Volnay.
Bodegas Albamar Albarino
GRAPE: AlbarinoTASTING: When you see a low-interventaion/natural wine, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will a funky wine. This is a good example of it. Very clean, pure, classic, simple Albarino. Very classic. More textured tha most of other Albarino's though, 5 months on the lees. Slightly floral on the nose, not like muscat floral but more like Alpine white floral. White flowers and citrus blossoms. It has got the notes of ripe citrus, nectarine, even white cherries, stoney and chalky. Minerally, food friendly wine.MORE: The name Albamar combines the name of the winemaking family-Alba-with ‘mar': the sea that has such an important influence on the climate and soil of the vineyards they farm.
Seckinger Grauburgunder
GRAPE: Grauburgunder ( Pinot Gris )TASTING: I like this wine because it's very unique. Pinot Gris made in Jura style! Topped up, so you have that rindy, skin contact, oxidized style. Golden, waxy, nutty characteristics but all in a settle way. Ripe fruit and high acid are still the stars of this wine. Seckinger's wines have some producers in southern Pfalz scratching their heads, meanwhile Germany's new generation of sommeliers are sipping gleefully. Was geht? Here's a biodynamic Pfalz producer taking cues from the natural Chablis and Jura ouillé or topped-up contingent, as it digs into the terroir of their historic vineyards of mostly red sandstone (buntsandstein).
Selbach-Oster Schlossberg Riesling
GRAPE: RieslingTASTING: Slightly sweet, spatlese.. The Selbach family has been making wine in the Mosel for 400 hundred years, making them one of the oldest winemaking houses in the region. But the wines are not old-fashioned; in fact, they exemplify everything I love about modern day Mosel wines: racy minerality, finesse and beautifully balanced acidity. Only 8% alc. Light, green apple, petroleum. Slightly sweet.Today, Johannes Selbach and his wife Barbara, with the help of son Sebastian, manage their vineyards and winery with passion and respect for the estate's long held traditions.
Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling
GRAPE: RieslingTASTING: DRY, TROCKEN. For a wine of this rather humble category, this is extremely mineral. In fact, if you are in doubt what that word means, then here's the explanation. But there's also wonderful white-peach fruit that provides a wonderful contrast to the wet-stone character and lemony acidity. Long, pristine finish.The Dönnhoff Family is proud to call Oberhausen an der Nahe home. Running from Niederhausen to Schloßböckelheim, the majestic landscapes of the Nahe Valley have held sway ove for more than 250 years.
Red
Piave Cabernet Sauvignon
GRAPE: Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, small amount Cabernet FrancTASTING: This is not a typical oaky, big super dark Cabernet. It's made with carbonic maceration. Full of dark fruit, bright, crunchy, thirst quenching Cabernet, very similar to red wines of France's Loire Valley! Father Ivano Durante and his son, Michele, personally attend to all grape growing and winemaking on the 15-hectare parcel at the foot of the Dolomites. They grow beans, grains, they produce cheese and world class pork sausage...and also a very small amount of fresh, lip-smacking wines. This is bright, crunchy, thirst quenching Cabernet, very similar to red wines of France's Loire Valley!
Vin de Soif Gamay Blend
GRAPE: 60% Gamay, 25% Grolleau Noir, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet SauvignonTASTING: PURE juice. You get the carbonic bubble gummy strawberry notes along with slightly pepperiness. Fresh cherries and perfectly ripe fruit all day. Serve chilled!Collaboration from John of Sacred Thirst imports and Hautes Noelles from France. From the website: We at Sacred Thirst have always been wine drinkers more than wine tasters. Yes we can geek out over the Grand Crus of Burgundy and if you're opening a bottle, please, invite us over - but the real pleasure in wine for us usually comes from the carefully made every-day bottle. The wine was made to drink on several occasions, not just once. Like so many ‘routine' pleasures in life - a favorite regular restaurant, a go-to cocktail, a staple week-night dinner recipe, etc - reliability, deliciousness, and simplicity are key.
Horus Frappato
GRAPE: FrappatoTASTING: It is the lightest-bodied red we have. Pure juice full of red fruit and flower notes. Violet and rose. No tannins. Traditionally served with seafood in Sicily and can be served slightly chilled.Giuseppe Romano is the grower-winemaker at Horus, a small, certified organic property located in the same 2-3 mile radius around Acate, that is also home to Vittoria icons like COS and Occhipinti. While he's far from a household name, more than a few Italian wine professionals we've met feel that Giuseppe is "the first person to put Frappato on the map" in the US with his work at Valle dell'Acate and other local growers in decades past. Horus is a new name with a new cellar, but our experience is that the quality is already broadly high, and the wines seem to get noticeably better and more serious with each new vintage.
Boniperti Nebbiolo
GRAPE: %100 NebbioloTASTING: Very pleasant Nebbiolo. True classic. Earth, mushroomy, olivey. More non-fruit notes are present along with some classic dark cherries and dried plum. Tannins are there but not very aggressive. A quotation from Gilberto Boniperti's website: ' 'When you don't know what to do, go out in the vineyards, there's always something to do there!' I would never have imagined that phrase, repeated so many times by my grandfather, would become one of his great teachings, and a cardinal rule of my philosophy of work and of life: dedication to my vineyards, many hours of manual labor, attention to the details of vinification and finally patiently waiting for the necessary maturation of my wines.'
Bold Wine Co. Pinot Noir
GRAPE: %100 Pinot NoirTASTING: Classic Central Coast Pinot. Red fruit, cranberries, tarry, slightly peppery and red flowers. Bright acidity, well-made, dark, medium-bodied pinot.Made by a winemaker/sommelier Chris Miller. Chris spent most of his career in fine-dining restaurants. A New Orleans native, he worked his way through college learning about food and wine at Emeril's and the Brennan family's restaurants. Bold Wine Company is a second label to Seabold Cellars. Chris believes that everyone should have access to delicious and balanced wines that speak to their place of origin. Every year he works with new vineyards and varieties for Seabold Cellars; those first few vintages, the new wines that Chris finds promising are released under the Bold Wine Company label. These are exciting, affordable, sustainably-grown wines from the Monterey Peninsula.
Domaine Gramenon Grenache
GRAPE: %100 GrenacheTASTING: ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. It is perfectly natty, so it brings this wine to another level. Pure juice, light tannins, soft texture. Bright fruit, and acidity is there to make your mouth salivate more. Lighter color unusual for grenache. This is an elegant Cotes du Rhone.The seemingly reserved façade of Michèle Aubéry-Laurent melts away quickly when she speaks about her wines. As a former nurse (who often favored natural remedies), she has come to treat her vines with the same care, conviction, and passion as she had for her former patients. Domaine Gramenon is the authentic embodiment of the philosophies that the Laurents espouse. They do not merely champion organic farming, but they incorporate the concept of sustainability into their daily lives by growing their own food and raising their own animals
Donkey&Goat Mourvedre
GRAPE: MourvedreTASTING: Perfect hot weather wine, pure juice, NOT FUNKY. It will remind you a nice chilled Mediterranean reds you would drink in Provence. Slightly peppery, good smooth texture, no tannins.MORE: Donkey&Goat is another local winemaker. They are located in Berkeley right next to the Broc Cellars. They are one of the first natural wine makers in California. Great people, great wines. Most of the time unfiltered and unfined.
Storrs Merlot
GRAPE: MerlotTASTING: I am normally not much of a Merlot drinker but this is very pleasant. It is aged in French oak long time so it is there. soft, supple wine with rich mouthfilling flavors of black cherry, plum, a hint of granite. and a long graceful finish of soft vanilla.MORE: Stephen Storrs and Pamela Bianchini-Storrs began Storrs Winery with the harvest of 1988. Both trained as winemakers at UC Davis, they had worked and consulted for a number of wineries prior to starting their own, including Domaine Chandon, Felton Empire Vineyards, and Almaden. True farmers they also grow vegetables.
Scribe Pinot Noir
GRAPE: Pinot NoirTASTING: I think it is one of the very best Pinot made in California! Textbook. Red fruit, cherries, velvety texture with bright acidity. Slightly peppery and smoky notes like good Burguny. Perfect pinot.Not much to say on this. It's simply great
Sky Vineyards Syrah
GRAPE: SyrahTASTING: It's a Northert Rhone style. Cote Rotie of California. Deep, peppery, powerful, inky, a bit grippy. It is aged, well made. Awesome wine. Since 1973, Sky Vineyards has been producing some of the most unique mountain Zinfandels and Syrahs to be found anywhere. Owner Lore Olds got his start in wine in 1971 working for such producers as Beaulieu and Mayacamas Vineyards before purchasing his own patch of land on top of Mount Veeder. Planted in red volcanic soil at 2100 feet, Sky is the highest vineyard on the mountain and produces wines of unmistakable character.
Ryme Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
GRAPE: Cabernet SauvignonTASTING: This Cabernet is bright and full of energy. It is aromatically driven and puts on full display the beautiful minerality that this variety shows without the sheen of excessive ripeness or new oak. juicy red currant and exotic earthy spices of curry leaf, and the bright acidity in the mouth unfolds into a lovely broad texture. Words from the owners Ryan and Megan : As with all good stories, this is really about a love affair. This unique winemaking collaboration is the result of our combined love for each other and the world of wines. We met in Australia working as seasonal cellar hands at Torbreck Winery. We quickly fell in love and have since been married. Between the two of us, we have worked at wineries such as Pax Wine Cellars, Peay Vineyards, Sine Qua Non, and Marcassin.
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
GRAPE: %94 Cabernet %6 MerlotTASTING: What a classic! One of my other favorite winemakers in Cal. This is bigger, bolder, more structured, classic, and fantastic Cab. Leather, tar, cherry, baking spices, mint, red fruit, tannins, long finish. IYKYK!MORE: For more than six decades, Ridge Vineyards has been recognized by top critics and our peers for their consistent quality and steadfast approach to winemaking. The history of Ridge Vineyards begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor who became a prominent member of San Francisco's Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge. By 1968, production had increased to just under three thousand cases per year, and in 1969, Paul Draper joined the partnership. Lytton Springs, in Sonoma County, became part of the Ridge estate in 1991. A quarter century's experience with this vineyard had convinced us that it was an exceptional piece of ground.
Weingut Niklas Schiava
GRAPE: Schiava ( Vernasch )TASTING: Pale red in color. Aromas of red fruit, violet, pepper, and dried flowers. The palate shows enticing flavors of wild strawberry, savory herbs, and orange peel. The finish is lingering with a charming mineral back bone.Weingut Niklas is a family owned and operated wine estate located just outside the small village of St. Nikolaus, in the Alto Adige region of Northeastern Italy, high up on the west side of a majestic valley that leads north through the Dolomites. Established in 1969, Weingut Niklas boasts three generations of passionate winemaking, and is currently managed by Dieter Sölva-a graduate of the famous enology school at San Michele, as was his father before him-and his wife Johanna, who took the reins in 1992. Although most of the wine made in Alto Adige is white, Schiava, also known as Vernatsch locally and Trollinger in Germany, is the top red grape in the region. It is a thin-skinned grape that has been farmed in the Alto Adige
Cantina Del Pino Barbera
GRAPE: BarberaTASTING: PIZZA WINE. Classic barbera. Red fruit, medium bodied, high acid, low tannins. Tomato sauce is calling!MORE: The Vacca family has been living and working the vines at Cantina del Pino, one of the oldest estates in Barbaresco, since the 1920s when Giuseppe Vacca, bought the property from his friend, the legendary agronomist and director of the Royal Enological School in Alba, Domizio Cavazza.On the day his son Luigi was born, Cavazza had planted a pine tree in the backyard of his property to mark the highest point of the Ovello Hill. To pay homage to the special friendship between Giuseppe and Domizio, the property which locally had been known as Cascina Casotto, was re-named after the pine tree and is now the Cantina del Pino.
Castello di Verduno Langhe Nebbiolo
GRAPE: NebbioloTASTING: Classic nebbilolo. Barbaresco fruit. Medium-bodied, medium tannins, a little spicy, strawberry cherry notes are present with a touch of tobacco and mushroom. Perfect for the oxtail ragu.Located in a small village called Verduno. Beautiful castle that I couldn't find the gate to get in for 20 minutes. They have been making wines for decades. Young, legendary winemaker. They have a deep cellar, they don't use oak, and do bottle age. Their wines tend to be more elegant and lighter. Famous for their Barbaresco, this is their Langhe Nebbiolo which is more reasonably priced and delicious.
Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo 'Bussia'
GRAPE: NebbioloTASTING: Fantastic vintage, classic barolo. Powerful, structured, tannic, big, earthy, and delish. Very well made wine made with a lot of love. In my humble opinion, it is one of the best Barolo makers. If you love Conterno but can't afford it this is the one to drink ( well this is not cheap either but a few times less than Conterno, so.. ) Traditional producer. Always 4 weeks of maceration, using large Slovonian oak barrels. 18 is a perfect vintage. I love this wine. Truly amazing. I know the winemaker for long time, and I know how much he cares. It shows on the wine.
Durin Rossese
GRAPE: RosseseTASTING: It's a lighter red. Similar to Schiava as far as pepper, floral notes, and red fruit. But more minerally and I would say less acid. MORE: Durin is a winery seated in Ortovero (SV) established in 1978 by Antonio Basso, which embodies the third generation of wine growers in his family. The growing of the first vines can be traced back to the Twenties and, to the present day, they range up to 18 hectares of steep terraced vineyards in the Arroscia Valley
Val delle Corti Chianti
GRAPE: %95 Sangiovese, %5 CanioloTASTING: It is a well made Chianti, classic Sangiovese. Earthy, olives, mushroom, dried herbs, thyme. Fruit isn't super fresh and fleshy but more settle and dried without being raisiny. Medium bodied, not overy tannic.MORE: Radda is a lesser-known commune in Chianti where only a handful of producers can be found. The area is known for having soils filled with stony minerals and higher altitudes. In 1974 the Bianchi family moved from Milan to Radda to fulfill the dream of Giorgio Bianchi the father of current winemaker Robert Bianchi. At the time Giorgio was kicked out of the Chianti Classico DOCG due to the nature of his Chianti's style. The light colored high acid Chianti was not what the consortium found suitable to be labeled as Chianti Classico. The vineyard is neighbors to the famous vineyards of Montevertine Le Pergole Torte who was also outside of the Chianti consortium
Tricerchi Rosso di Montalcino
GRAPE: SangioveseTASTING: I expect Rosso di Montalcino to show some of the red-fruit/cedar/sandalwood/tobacco-leaf character that Brunello does, but in a more drinkable, less age-worthy frame, and this is perfect. You could age this for 5-10 years but you don't need to, it's drinking perfectly on release. Rustic yes elegant.
Plantamura Primitivo ' Parco Largo'
GRAPE: Primitivo (Zinfandel)TASTING: I am normally not much of a Zinfandel drinkier but this is super delicious. Fairly dark red-black; aroma of black plums, earth, baking spices, maybe a hint of coffee bean. On the palate, very flavorful and full-bodied, with abundant fruit, modest tannins, and good freshness despite the overall impression of ripeness.MORE: From the distributor : Primitivo, a densely flavored, blackberryish red grape variety, is grown in several parts of Apulia, the ‘heel' of Italy. The same variety is known in California as Zinfandel; it seems to have originated in Croatia, migrated to the south of Italy, then over to California. Young vines, 100% Primitivo planted between 2016 and 2019 on the high plain of the Murgia in limestone-rich soil, organically cultivated, low yield. Winemaking: wine pressed off shortly after fermentation is complete, so a short 7-10 day maceration; result is aged in stainless steel for about six months, no oak used.
I Custodi ‘Aetneus' Etna Rosso
GRAPE: Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, AlicanteTASTING: Aetneus is their old-vine rosso, and the flagship wine of the winery. It is earthy, tasty, not as tannic like Barolo, volcanic soil makes it very unique. Velvety texture with smoky notes. Great vintage as well.I Custodi's cellar master is long-time Etna guru Salvo Foti, and his touch is one of a bianchista (white wine lover) prizing elegance, tension, and keeping pristine the volcanic spice found in these wines.
Mortellito ‘Cala Nìuru' Rosso
GRAPE: Frappato/Nero d'AvolaTASTING: PURE JUICE! Another lovely chillable red from Sicily. Natural, but not funky. Red fruit, good salinity, no tannins. Truly delicious.MORE: Mortellito [MORT-el-li-to] is in Val di Noto*, in the corner of Sicily that lies at the same latitudes as North Africa's arid desert climate. Its vineyards are a few kilometers from the coast, with grooves of ancient olive and almond trees breaking the wind off the sea. Abandoned and still working fishing ports dot the landscape. Owner Dario Serrentino has always enjoyed the contrasts of this coastal growing area, which he calls ‘a desert next to the beach.'
Olga Raffault Chinon
GRAPE: Cabernet FrancTASTING: Typical Cab Franc Very classic producer. So the wine tastes classic. Green bell pepper it is, but integrated well with pepper corn, plum, dark fruit, cassis, earthy notes. Good minearilty and not much tannins.Since Olga's death, Domaine Olga Raffault is currently run by her granddaughter Sylvie and her husband Eric de la Viger. The winemaking is most traditional. The grapes are, of course, handpicked and fermented in stainless-steel. The wines are then aged in larger, neutral oak and sometimes chestnut - a traditional wood barrel in the region.
Domaine Rolet Pere et Fils Arbois
GRAPE: 3% Poulsard, 47% Trousseau, 50% Pinot NoirTASTING: Another pure light red at the list. This one is super pleasant pure juice as well, the grapes are fully destemmed and you feel it. It's light, fleshy, full of strawberries and raspberries. It's more of an under-the-radar producer in Jura. Such a good deal.It was Désiré Rolet who in 1942 began making wine in the small region of the Jura in eastern France. In 1958, his 4 children all decided to stay in the family business and took over from their father. Since that time the domaine has risen in prominence in the region and acquired prime old vine vineyards in the appellations of Arbois and Côtes du Jura.
Les Clos des Grives Côtes du Jura Trousseau
GRAPE: TrousseauI love this one. Pure Jura red. Slightly cloudy, not as fleshy as Poulsard above. Bit more earthy. It doesn't have tannins but can hold up well with the grilled pork or poultry. Red fruit, chalky red, good acid, light to medium bodied.Les Clos des Grives is the very first certified organic estate in the Cotes du Jura (1968!) and is one of the great, truly time tested domaines in the region. Though the farm's wines enjoy broad acclaim across Europe, they have never been available in the US. This wine is perfectly aged and ready to leap from the bottle!
Régis Bouvier Marsannay Rouge
GRAPE: Pinot NoirTASTING: This is a bit more darker style, fuller bodied Burgundy. It is more fruit forward but also carries the peppery and earth notes of Burgundy. Can hold up with wild game, very versatile.Régis Bouvier in Marsannay achieves a rare hat trick in Burgundy, the mastering of all three colors–red, white and rosé, through reasonable yields and high quality terroirs. Bouvier makes the best Burgundian rosé that we have ever tasted, his whites are delicious, with their own particular character completely unlike other Chardonnays from Burgundy, and his reds are his crowning achievement, managing to be wild and exciting while refined and elegant at the same time.
Kewin Descombes Beaujolais
GRAPE: GamayTASTING: Natural but not funky. I generally lean toward Beaujolais' less carbonic and fruit bomb but more serious ones. This one is whole clusters so you can see it. A bit more herbaceous and green in a nice way. Cassis, medium tannins, and black cherries. Good stuff.Working within his home Beaujolais Cru, "Morgon" Kewin (Keké to his friends) Descombes has, over the course of nearly 10 vintages, carved out a name for himself. This feat is much more difficult than it may first seem given he is the son of wine royalty – his father George Descombes is a legend in the Beaujolais natural wine circles going all the way back to the original "Gang of Four" which was more like 6 and included Descombes.
Anne–Sophie Dubois Fleurie
GRAPE: GamayTASTING: I love this producer. This wine is UMAMI!! So delicious I don't know how else I can describe it, it is very complex and very well-balanced. Pair with, any game, lamb, duck, special dishes, or mushrooms. Anne-Sophie Dubois is part of a new generation of rising star vignerons in Beaujolais. Based in the heart of Fleurie, Anne-Sophies' wines epitomize delicacy and finesse, with a style and approach aligned with the Gamay grown in the area. Having learned winemaking in Volnay, she draws from her experience there to elegant wines; full of depth and aromatic complexity, and without the over-extraction of fruit. Anne-Sophie Dubois has mastered the art of crushable Beaujolais. Her love for Gamay led her to Fleurie, where she now organically farms eight hectares of vines. Anne-Sophie says that wine is "a sum of details" and for her this means manual harvesting, meticulous sorting, and spontaneous fermentation.
Château Belles-Graves Lalande-de-Pomerol
GRAPE: 88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet FrancTASTING: Not a super full-bodied Bordeaux. More settled but structured. Herbaceous, earthy, not a fruit bomb, with that said still has lively fruit and nicely balanced. Adding 10 years on it, brings the wine to a complexity. Good one, but don't recommend to Cabernet heavy Bordeaux lovers.Lalande-de-Pomerol has much in common with its more distinguished neighbor, Pomerol. With the area's mosaic of different soils and subtle changes in slope and aspect, there is more variation within either appellation than between the two. This plethora of micro-terroirs is what gives each chateau's wine a unique signature. Belles-Graves is the epitome of a "classic" Bordeaux estate-that is, the Chateau produces wines of subtlety, depth, complexity, and age-ability that consistently reflect the terroir from which they are born
Château Leroy-Beauval
GRAPE: 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc TASTING: This is a fruity, full-bodied, HOT red. More dried fruits, raisiny, tannic, and big. The famous history of the estate dates back to the 18th century. In 1780, Mr. Laurent de Loyac, Lord of Beauval, advisor to the parliament of Bordeaux and grandson of Montesquieu built a beautiful chateau and gaining his noble title of Chateau Beauval. In the middle of the 19th century, Chateau Beauval became the second home of Adolphe Alphand, engineer of the Bridges and Causeways, who participated in the development of Paris initiated by Baron Haussmann. In 2011, the vineyard was taken over by Alexandre and Stephanie Leroy. A brother and sister team that is very passionate about gastronomy and sensitive to respect of the environment and heritage.
Eric Texier Rouge ‘Chat Fou'
GRAPE: 50% Grenache/30% Cinsault/20% ClairetteTASTING: Natural but not too funky, just slightly. It is a good version on Cote du Rhone but its VdF, juicy, easy to drink, simple every day wine. Not tannic, medium bodied and balanced. Born in Bordeaux, but not into a family of winemakers, Eric Texier was working as a nuclear engineer, until the wine bug bit. He wasn't content to just taste or even collect wine, he had to live it. Eric walked away from his job, enrolled in Oenology school and started interning at Verget in Burgundy.Like so many young winemakers, he found it nearly impossible to find affordable, quality vineyards, not having inherited an estate from his family. Without vines of his own, he didn't have full control and couldn't immerse himself completely in his new life of wine.
Vincent Paris Cornas
GRAPE: SyrahTASTING: Starting with what could be considered the entry level cuvée, the 2020 Cornas Granit 30 comes from further down the slope, from vines closer to the village. That's obviously not a bad thing, since this plump, full-bodied, beautifully textured Cornas has remarkable purity and elegance as well as richness. Blackberries, blueberries, subtle smoke, graphite, and violets all emerge from the glass, and it has a seamless, incredibly elegant textureVincent Paris is a native of Cornas. He inherited most of his vines (some of which are 100 years old) from his grandfather and also rents vines from his uncle, the legendary Cornas vigneron Robert Michel. The biodynamically farmed vines, which are located in various parcels along the southeast facing Cornas slope, total approximately 17 hectares.
Featured items
Pappardelle Oxtail
6 hour nebbiolo braised oxtail, fiore sardo cheese
Linguini Bolognese
%100 braised Beef ragù, horseradish cream
Little Gems
baby gem lettuce, green goddess dressing, avocado, radish, & crouton
Tagine Vegetables
Chickpea, local vegetables, fregola, Moroccan spices, and dill yogurt
Butternut Squash Risotto
mascarpone, herbed brown butter, fried sage
Fried Chicken
2 boneless chicken thighs, delicata squash, pomegranate, ranch aioli
Ravioli
Handmade ricotta lemon-filled pasta, pesto genovese, roasted cherry tomato, & parmesan
Spanish Octopus
piquillo pepper, cannelini beans, herb salad, & salsa verde
Steak Tartare
Sirloin, black truffe paste, caper, & pickled pepper, mustard and crackers
Chicories
roasted bartlett pear, toasted hazelnuts, & balsamic vinaigrette
Fritto Misto
shrimp, seasonal vegetable medley, aïoli
Bouillabaisse
Seafood stew with rockfish, scallop, clam, fennel, & saffron
Snacks
Fritto Misto
shrimp, seasonal vegetable medley, aïoli
Burrata
fuyu persimmon, pomegranate, wild arugula, candied walnut, & saba
Spanish Octopus
piquillo pepper, cannelini beans, herb salad, & salsa verde
Steak Tartare
Sirloin, black truffe paste, caper, & pickled pepper, mustard and crackers
Fried Olives
Anchovy stuffed spanish olive
Soup Of The Day
Cream of parsnip soup with leeks, brown butter apples and chives
Bresaola Carpaccio
parmigiano reggiano, wild arugula, fried capers
Moules Frites
Mussels, fried shoestring potatoes, white wine, garlic, shallot, & aïoli
Salads
Little Gems
baby gem lettuce, green goddess dressing, avocado, radish, & crouton
Chicories
roasted bartlett pear, toasted hazelnuts, & balsamic vinaigrette
Green Salad
market green, persian cucumber, carrot, cherry tomato, & classic italian vinaigrette
Pastas
Ravioli
Handmade ricotta lemon-filled pasta, pesto genovese, roasted cherry tomato, & parmesan
Linguini Bolognese
%100 braised Beef ragù, horseradish cream
Linguini & Clams
Manila Clams, roasted red pepper, charred corn
Pappardelle Oxtail
6 hour nebbiolo braised oxtail, fiore sardo cheese
Butternut Squash Risotto
mascarpone, herbed brown butter, fried sage
Pizza
Mortadella Pizza
Mozzarella base pizza topped with mortadella, burrata, pistachio, and arugula
Wild Mushroom Pizza
Mozzarella base pizza with roasted garlic, fontina valle d'aosta, and tartuflanghe white truffle oil from alba
Margherita Pizza
San marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil
Italian Sausage Pizza
San marzano tomato sauce, scamorza
Mains
Tagine Vegetables
Chickpea, local vegetables, fregola, Moroccan spices, and dill yogurt
Bouillabaisse
Seafood stew with rockfish, scallop, clam, fennel, & saffron
Fried Chicken
2 boneless chicken thighs, delicata squash, pomegranate, ranch aioli
Lamb Shank
Braised lamb shank with potato purée, rainbow chard, white wine jus, and gremolata
Spiced Ribeye
14 oz. spiced ribeye, grilled broccolini, roasted potato, herbed compound butter
Sides
Shoestring Fries
the Rustic sauce
Delicata Squash
Pomegranate, molasses
Broccolini
Lemon, Marash pepper
Fregola
Sardinian pasta, corn, calabrian pepper
Desserts
Panna Cotta
Strawberries and figs
Chocolate Budino
Dark chocolate pudding, creme chantilly, candied hazelnut
Mango Cake
sponge cake, mango mousse, raspberry
Kid's Menu
Chicken Fingers & Fries
Kid's Cheese Pizza
Kid's Pasta butter&cheese
Kid's Pasta Tomato Sauce
Beer & Cider
Trumer Pilsner
Fort Point Yuzu KSA
Birra Friuli Amber Ale
Henhouse Stoked Hazy Pale
Founders Breakfast Stout
Fort Point Super Natural Cider
Non-Alc Bev/Soda
Fiuggi Sparkling Water
Lurisia Chinotto
A Siciliana Blood Orange
Recent Reviews
Great spot for excellent pastas and pizzas. My partner and I come here all the time since it’s close to home and we’re never disappointed. Whenever friends are in town and want Italian food this is our go to. Highly recommended!
October 2024
I love this restaurant. So glad the former Chow space is reopened and they've done a great job updating it. The food is fantastic, and we've been there many times already. It's a quieter restaurant so you can have a conversation easily, and the service is attentive and friendly.
September 2024
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Pappernelle Pasta with Oxtail was simply pneominail (melted.in my mouth), sausage pizza (very flavorful)
Worth the visit and loved chit chatting with Chantel!!