Chez Panisse's wines - a list that matches a legacy(3)
None of which is to dismiss a long fascination with Zinfandel, including the creation in the 1980s of the annual Chez Panisse Zinfandel Festival. If that wine seems an uncomfortable fit with Francophile cooking, consider the grape's lighter profile in past years, even going into fresh nouveau-style bottles. Hence Alice Waters' own words in 1984: "It is surprising how adaptable Zinfandel is, how many different dishes go well with it."
Early on, the Lynch connection brought in wines that would go on to fame. Jonathan Waters recalls drinking top Bordeaux by the glass, along with the estate St. Joseph of Jean-Louis Chave, which today would be about $30 a glass.
Wines of great stature
But as Chez Panisse rose in culinary status, it needed bottles with greater stature. So a few years ago Waters created a reserve list, where you might find the 1997 Meo-Camuzet Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Murgers for $320. Even the cafe wines of the past have grown in stature - and price. Thus an extra piece of the Chez Panisse paradox: the humble bistro with $80 menus, serving country wines at four-star prices.
"All the wines we used to drink like water we can't pour by the glass anymore, and Alice would still love them," Jonathan Waters says. "She wants these wines that have tripled or quadrupled in price."
So the Tempier Rosé stays, even at $16.50 a glass.
But populist touches remain. Sullivan, a former waiter and sous-chef, notes that Chez Panisse's culture has always included wine for the staff, even for the kitchen meal between services. There's no sommelier; bottles are recommended and opened by servers.
Here's where the wine program links back to Alice Waters' 1960s edge. As many pioneering California wines, or those from Lynch's roster, have become mainstream fare, Jonathan Waters has pushed the list beyond its original themes to embrace the fringe. Lynch contends for space with newer importers like Oliver McCrum and Jose Pastor.
200-bottle wine list
Considering the list contains just around 200 wines, its diversity is impressive. Italy and Spain are well represented, with wines like Stanko Radikon's Ribolla Gialla and the red DoUmia from Rias Baixas' Pedralonga. Those match a well-edited California roster that blends stalwarts like Geyserville and new arrivals like Ghostwriter. If Alice Waters' vision has prompted a bit of a longtime routine in the nightly menus, Jonathan Waters makes the wine side feel absolutely current.
Most importantly, the choices mesh with what Jonathan Waters calls the kitchen's "quiet food." They continue to frame the simplicity that Alice Waters has been preaching for 40 years.
"The food has always been more important here than the wine list," Jonathan Waters says, "and I'm fine with that."
Jon Bonné is The Chronicle's wine editor. Find him at jbonne@sfchronicle.com or @jbonne on Twitter.
