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Enhance your enjoyment of your dining experience. With the tremendous variety of wines available and our quest to offer a distinctive selection, our wine list will continuously evolve. We will select and offer whatever tastes best with our food. Enticing, experimental, and fun!
Sparkling Wine
001 NV Roederer Estate Brut, Anderson Valley
Their French house produces bling-bling Cristal, but upon getting bored of swilling
that stuff every night in the Jacuzzi, check out its California cousin. Pear, citrus,
and the complexity from the addition of oak-aged reserve wine to the blend. Fresh
and bright and very satisfying.
002 NV Gloria Ferrer Brut, California
A creamy, full-bodied, complex wine with apple and melon flavors. Wine Spectator
chose this sparkler as one of the top 100 wines for 2004.
003 NV Tarlant Cuvee Louis Brut Prestige
What better aperitif to toast the Holidays or a celebration than fine Champagne?
And this is a really fine Champagne and a personal favorite. I even stayed at the
Tarlant family chateau a few years ago to check out where this stuff is made. Only
a very few producers ferment a select few premiere cuvees in oak (Krug is
another notable). Grapes are from ‘94 and ‘95. Toast, apple/pear, spice, complexity
galore, and a long finish. Ya gotta splurge once in a while...
004 NV Piper Heidsieck Brut
Select Champagne houses have started marketing splits with a straw attached for
clubbing. We dig the goal of skewering stuffiness, but unless you are shaking your
booty or concerned about smearing your lipstick, we say stick with a flute to
enjoy this wine’s toasty nose and to admire its bubbles.
005 NV Sergio Mionetto Prosecco Extra Dry
This is a just off-dry Venetian Spumante sparkler serenading apple crostata,
cream, and drizzled honey. A very pleasant sipper. In fact, the best tasting
Prosecco that we have tasted and what we would bring for a romantic gondola
ride on Lake Merritt.
006 NV Mumm Napa CuveÉ M
Ripe, fruit forward sparkler that will counterpoint our spicy dishes and shine
sweetly with our desserts. This cuvee has the same blend of pinot
noir/chardonnay/ pinot gris/pinot meunier as Mumm's Brut Prestige, but
uses a unique Muscat dosage that adds decadent sweet vanilla-floral-peach notes.
White Wines
011 Husch Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley 03
Floral / rose in the nose; spice/tropical fruit in the chute. A good foil for our spicier
dishes. Balanced and light on its feet with a tangy finish that will have you
reaching for another gulp.
012 Lazy Creek Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley 03
Wow, this is heady, layered juice that raps in a friendly freestyle with complex
Thai dishes. Rose petal, asian spices, magic. A bottle of this treasure accompanied
me to Thailand this past Winter.
013 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand 04 Bottle 35. Glass 7.5
Another Wine Spectator Top 100 wine for 2004 that the magazine described as,
“Explosively aromatic, brimming with spice, herb and peppery character...
Impeccably balanced.” Full of NZ's characteristic gooseberry, this intense
sauvignon blanc will stand up against Osha's full flavored dishes
014 Chateau Ducasse White Bordeaux 04
Kermit Lynch brings this one in unfiltered, which adds a lot to the depth of
flavors. Aggressively swirl to open this one up..
015 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling, Rheingau 03
Crowd pleaser alert! Crisp acidity to give gravitas, but light bodied, crystalline,
and wonderful sweetness that will sing with many of our Thai dishes. We just
about guarantee that you won't be able to stop with just one glass.
016 Tintero Moscato d'Asti, Italy 04
Kermit Lynch imports this fun, full bore Moscato. If you are intrigued by this wine
list but have a table groovin' sodie pop... talk them into this instead. Honeyed
sweetness, a bit of fizz, with clean acidity. A bottle of this will disappear faster
than .
017 Schwarzenegger Gröper Belttightener 03
This is an only-in-California varietal. From imported Austrian rootstock this
muscular, rich, somewhat conservative Gröper made a surprise entry into the
domestic market with substantial funding. We’ll be curious to see how this
controversial “Austrian Oak” grabs you. (unavailable already bought out)
018 Berger Gruner Veltliner, Austria 03 (1 Liter)
Hey man, this is GruVe liter that works just fine. Ample fruit and mild acidity
make this gulp worthy against spicy food. And did I say a liter?
019 Salomon Gruner Veltliner, Austria 04
Even more GruVe with a step-up to splendidly fresh
and lively zippiness and mineral and spice complexity.
020 Brooks Amycas White, Willamette Valley 04
This is a blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Gewurz offering
sweetness, racy acidity, and richness.
021 Bodega Lurton Pinot Gris, Mendoza 04
A fun food wine from the French Lurton brother's Argentina property. Crisp, lively
acidity with citrus and stone fruit.
022 Domaine Alfred Pinot Gris, Edna Valley 03
One of the most complex domestic pinot Gris we have tasted. Richer and with
greater depth and silky mouthfeel than is typical for the varietal.
023 Falanghina del Feudi di San Gregorio, Compania 03
Another oddity on which you are just going to have to trust us (or consider that it
made Wine Spectator's 2004 Top 100). Falanghina is an heirloom grape grown
by ancient Romans near Naples. Unusually aromatic (citrus, rhubarb, melon). Take
a sip and think of a fruit and you'll probably be able to find it on the tongue or
honeyed long finish.
032 Kumeu River Chardonnay, New Zealand 02
Tired of over-oaked, flabby, non-food-friendly Chardonnays? This lyrical, sprite, lip-
smacker from down under annually finds its way onto Top-100 wine
lists. Green apple and pear notes that linger and expand and demand another sip.
Be careful of the sharp edges when sniffing the cork on this one.
Red
051 Sula Shiraz, North of Bombay 02
Ripe cherry and plum fruit with peppery notes and structure (from cabernet?). We
hear that we were one of the first restaurants in the U.S. to be able to offer this
wine.
052 Clearwater Creek Merlot, Arroyo Seco 01
If you are looking for something structured and serious, we present this low yield,
ruby-black colored, black- fruit effusive, ripe Merlot.
053 Sutton Cellars "Clone 114" Cuvee Unique Pinot Noir, Russian River 03
Unfined, unfiltered, and unfinbelievable. Lush fruit, sweet Asian spice, and silky
texture. From the dozens of wines he makes, our good friend, winemaker Carl
Sutton, served this very limited wine at his own wedding. We do not admit
tackling one of the bride's maids for our allotment.
054 Vacheron Sancerre Rouge "Belle Dame", Loire 99
Whhhhhtt Whewww! (that's a transliterated whistle, btw). A “beautiful lady”
indeed -- smooth and sensual. But underneath lies focused fruit, and complexity
acquired by age and from terroir full of silex. A great bottle of French pinot noir.
055 Breton "Trinch!" Bourgeuil, Loire 03
"Trinch!" translates as "drink!" and we'll second that motion. This is a fun, crowd-
pleasing Cab Franc imported by Kermit Lynch that drinks easy in a party
situation, but also has the ripe fruit to contemplate during conversation lulls.
056 Bodegas Escorihuela Don Miguel Gascon Malbec, Mendoza 03
Cassis and cherry and smoke-get-in-your-palate courtesy of Argentina's star
varietal. This bottling is fully approachable and won't tannic-heel-tango all over
your table.
057 Paneretta Chianti Classico Riserva 98
Abundant black cherry / berry fruit with sleek texture and balanced acidity that
makes Italian Sangiovese such a good food wine.
058 NV Rosenblum Vintners Cuvee XXVII, Zinfandel
A fruit-forward, berry jam and spice juicer, with soft tannins and low acidity that
won't play rough with Thai dishes.
059 Annabella Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 02
A fab cab that is complex and meaty, but fruit-forward with restrained, soft
tannins. Give it a swirl to open it up. Will please you big red fans, but not flatten
Osha's dishes with a "kung fu grip". Cherry, plum, smoke.
060 Chat. Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac 93
What the heck is this doing here? Anise/tobacco/leather and a decade of aging to
smooth the ample tannins. Bottles sport the rare banned Balthus nude girl label --
the prudish U.S. allotment received a censored blank label. Allow us to decant for
you
BLUSH
041 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare, California 03
A mix of six Rhone varietals offering up rose petal, cherry, and spice in the nose
and bright red fruit and herb in the mouth. A warm night (flying saucer weather!),
good company, great Thai food, and a gulp-worthy rose...sounds like a plan.
042 Domaine de Fontsainte “Gris de Gris”, Corbieres 04
Are you blushing? You should be! A wonderfully refreshing, food friendly, spicy
rose from Kermit Lynch. Strawberry with the cherry, and a lip-smacking finish.
043 Chateau de Trinquevedel, Tavel 03
A year of age has matured all the cherry and bright flavors to a harmonious rose
quaffer symphony with a crescendo from a peppery endnote.
Sakes
081 Sho Chiku Bai, Premium Ginjo, Berkeley
Locally brewed, so you can savor the non travel-fatigued freshness. Silky smooth
and clean tasting. Heading toward a dry style (+5 SMV) offset by its richness.
082 Akitabare Koshiki Junsukuri Junmai, Akita
Akitabare’s “Northern Skies” is elegant, dry, very clean tasting, with a touch of
vanillin.
083 Tomio, Yuki Tokubetsu Junmai, Kyoto
Fragrant nose, mild dry taste from organically grown Nihonbare rice, some spice.
(+3 SMV)
084 Meibo Yowano Tsuki, Junmai Ginjo
Meibo’s “Midnight Moon” is a fruity, full-bodied, complex sake showing off a nose
of melon.
085 Momokawa Pearl Junmai Ginjo Nigori Genshu
This is a premium unfiltered sake from Oregon that sips nicely with curry dishes. It
is sweet (-15 SMV) with coconut and banana elements.
PLUM WINE
086 Choya Umeshu
Some of our customers have asked about plum wine. This is one of the premier
umeshu’s from Japan with whole fruit floating in the bottle. The resulting tipple
will intrigue even we wine snobs. Sweet, but with showy acidity for balance and
lip-smackability.
SOJU
087 Tori Kai Shochu (Soju), Japan
This is a 48-proof shochu that is distilled like vodka. It is made from dai ginjo
polished rice. Sublimely smooth and of great complexity that you will want to roll
it around your mouth. If it helps, we understand that Tori Kai is the official shochu
of the Japanese Emperor’s family. A shochu as fine as this deserves elegant
presentation—We serve ours poured neat over a mineral water ice boulder. Mixed
with warm water is another possibility.
STICKIES
091 NV Seppelt Tawny Port
A smooth, silky tawny port from Australia, with aromas and flavors of fig, toffee,
and roasted hazelnuts.
092 NV Bonny Doon Framboise
An intense infusion of three varieties of raspberries in an unoaked sweet brandy
base. A "berry delicious" way to end a meal on its own, but if there is anything
chocolate on tonight's dessert menu....yowza
093 Broadbent 10-Year Malmsey Madeira
Malmsey is vinified to produce the sweetest of Madeiras. Aged in oak casks for at
least 10 years, this is a full- bodied tipple offering rich honeyed, chocolaty notes.
Corkage Fee $20.
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