Wine & Spirits - October 2019 - 23

Cala

Charter Oak

Compline

Tofino Wines proprietors April
Sack and Mark Nevin count Cala
as one of their favorite spots in
the city. That's partly because
Mexico City-based chef Gabriela Cámara is constantly evolving her nuanced approach to
Mexican flavors. But it's also
because the wine list is perfectly
suited to the modest space and
the intense flavors. "They have
a very small, tightly edited wine
program, but every selection is
well chosen, and you don't wind
up seeing all the usual suspects,"
says Nevin. For example, you
might wash down your mussel
tamal with a Louis-Antoine Luyt
país rosé from Chile's Maule Valley. (When Luyt's zesty pipeños
first hit the Bay Area market,
they debuted at a trade tasting
right here.) -L.S.
149 Fell St.; calarestaurant.com

While chef-owner Chris Kostow has simplified the menu at
Charter Oak to sublime ends,
the wine team has added bottles:
Originally Napa-only, the list
now includes a smattering of
well-priced imports, from Mosel
rieslings to new-wave Australian
syrahs. Coupled with the outstanding cocktail program, the
food and wine are now matched
in stride. -J.W.
1050 Charter Oak Ave.
(St. Helena); thecharteroak.com.

At this combination wine bar,
shop and restaurant, Ryan Stetins and Matt Stamp, MS, put
together a list that helps Napa
residents do some serious globetrotting. Their combined tasting
experience allows them to zero
in on superlative bottles wherever they land: Grosset Springvale Riesling from South Australia, Bott Czontos Furmint from
Tokaj, Hatzidakis Assyrtiko de
Mylos from Santorini, and Hans
Wirsching grosses gewächs silvaners from Franken. Turning to the
Napa cabernet page, one finds
firmly structured benchmarks
like Corison, Frog's Leap and
Philip Togni. And in deference
to those who want to bring in
something more lush, they offer
corkage for a mere $15. -L.S.
1300 1st St. (Napa);
complinewine.com

At both Che Fico and Che Fico
Alimentari, its new enoteca-retail
offshoot, Francesca Maniace has
raised San Francisco's already
high bar for Italian-focused wine
programs. Her lists include both
legends and obscura, supplemented by a covetable Champagne selection and a handful of
domestic wines made from Italian varieties, all well matched to
the rustic Italian food. -J.W.
838 Divisadero St.; chefico.com

Californios
Between the jewel-like courses
on chef Val Cantu's Mexicaninfluenced tasting menu and the
artful wine pairings from wine
director Charlotte Randolph,
Californios is luxurious, for sure,
but it feels more intelligent than
decadent. Cantu tends to elevate
local ingredients rather than
look far afield. For example, he
crafts an umami-driven carne
asada dish by working with
Mindful Meats, which selects
retired dairy cattle from Marin
and Sonoma counties just to the
north. If you're not doing the
wine pairings, you might find
yourself starting with a bottle of
Dom Pérignon, then moving on
to some deliciously offbeat California selection that Randolph
just discovered. -L.S.
3115 22nd St.; californiossf.com

16
Che Fico

photo of Compline by Emma K. Morris; DecantSF by Joseph Weaver

17
Chez Panisse

A sizeable offsite cellar (plus the
buying power Chez Panisse has
earned over its decades as California's culinary ambassador)
allows longtime wine director
Jonathan Waters to stock up
on truly interesting wines and
serve them when he feels they're
ready, whether that's a littleknown Bordeaux or a Raveneau
Chablis from 2014. Chef Alice
Waters's relationship with the
Golden State's finest farmers and
purveyors gives the kitchen a
similar strategic advantage. This
is the place to reconnect with
food and drink that are honest
and fundamental. -L.S.
1517 Shattuck Ave. (Berkeley);
chezpanisse.com

19
DecantSF
Co-owners Cara Patricia and
Simi Grewal take an unusual
tack when wine reps visit their
tidy little SoMa wine bar and
shop: They usually brown-bag
the samples to make their picks.
Because they select most of the
wines blind, trendy offerings like
Larmandier-Bernier Champagne
and multiple Beaujolais from
Jean-Louis Dutraive are joined
by wines that are almost sure to
be new discoveries. If you happen to be a software developer
at one of SoMa's tech startups,
here's a tempting idea: Sneak
over in the afternoons and have
a team meeting with glasses of
Fernando de Castilla Fino while
listening to the Wu-Tang Clan.
Maybe with a tin of caviar. -L.S.
1168 Folsom St.; decantsf.com

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2019

http://www.thecharteroak.com http://www.complinewine.com http://www.calarestaurant.com http://www.chefico.com http://www.decantsf.com http://www.californiossf.com http://www.chezpanisse.com

Wine & Spirits - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2019