Valette

Walking into Valette, you get the sense that the wine list was built by people who actually drink — and live — in Sonoma County. It's California-forward without apology, and the bottle range ($45–$300) keeps things accessible without dumbing down the selection. This isn't a list trying to impress a visiting New York critic; it's built for the locals and the lucky visitors who found their way here.

The list runs 150–250 bottles deep and leans hard into the California bench strength you'd expect a few miles from some of the state's most celebrated vineyards. Ridge Monte Bello, Kosta Browne, Williams Selyem, Rochioli, Littorai, Peter Michael — these aren't filler names, they're the real deal. The Valette Proprietary Red (estate) is a smart anchor move: the restaurant putting skin in the game with their own wine. The list won't dazzle you with obscure Jura producers or Georgian naturals, but it delivers on what it promises — serious California wine in the place where a lot of it was born. Wine Spectator has handed them an Award of Excellence every year since 2016, and you can see why.

Twelve to twenty pours by the glass at $14–$22 is a solid program for a restaurant this size. The range keeps both the 'just a glass with dinner' crowd and the more curious drinker reasonably happy. We'd like to see a bit more rotation to keep things fresh, but what's on the board is well-chosen.