Sitka and Spruce

2014 Johan Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir — null

A 2014 from Johan Vineyards on a restaurant list is the kind of find that justifies the trip. Johan farms biodynamically in the Van Duzer Corridor, and a wine this age has shed any rough edges — you're getting Pinot that's earned its complexity. Price unknown from our data, but the vintage and producer alone signal strong value relative to what it'd cost to track down retail.

Waris-Hubert 'Dosage Zero' Côte des Blancs Champagne

Most tables at Sitka and Spruce aren't ordering Champagne. That's a mistake. Waris-Hubert is a small grower in Avize, one of the grand cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, and the zero-dosage style is bone dry with laser-sharp acidity — tailor-made for the briny, foraged, acidic plates coming out of this kitchen.

Without full pricing data, we're not going to call out a specific bottle unfairly. What we will say: if you see anything generic or corporate-label on this list, that's your skip. The list is small enough that every bottle should be intentional — anything that looks like a filler pick probably is one.

Waris-Hubert 'Dosage Zero' Côte des Blancs Champagne + Roasted broccoli with anchovies

Zero-dosage Champagne has no added sugar, which means it's all tension and mineral drive. Against roasted broccoli with anchovies — salty, umami-heavy, slightly bitter — that acidity cuts through everything and resets your palate for the next bite. This is the kind of pairing that makes the food taste better and the wine taste better simultaneously.