Board & Batten

You don't expect to find Niepoort and Frédéric Esmonin tucked into a cozy bistro off a citrus grove in Mesa, Arizona — and yet here we are. The list is compact, maybe 30 bottles deep, but whoever built it was paying attention. This is not a wine list assembled by someone ticking boxes; it reads like a personal collection.

Board & Batten is fishing in waters most suburban Arizona restaurants don't even know exist. You've got Björnson Gamay from Oregon sitting next to Niepoort's 'Drink Me' Baga from Portugal, a Piccolomini Super Tuscan, and a Torbreck Sémillon from the Barossa — that's a genuinely interesting cross-section of the wine world. The Italian and French leanings make sense given the kitchen's direction, and the Spanish presence (Marqués de Riscal Verdejo, Scaia Rosé) rounds out the approachable end of the list without dumbing it down. The California presence is thin but intentional, and the Henri Perrusset Chardonnay from Mâcon is exactly the kind of pick that signals a curator who knows their Old World.

Ten options by the glass is a solid number for a room this size, with pricing running $12–$19 per pour and bottle or carafe equivalents listed so you can do the math yourself — which is a transparency move we respect. The range covers sparkling, white, rosé, and red with enough personality that you're not just choosing between 'red' and 'white.' Rotation frequency is unclear, but the current lineup punches well above the neighborhood average.