California dreaming in the Vermont countryside
White River Junction · White River Junction · Farm to Table, Seasonal · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 29, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to find a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in White River Junction, Vermont — but here we are, and the list earns it. The room is all exposed brick and warm light, which sets exactly the right tone for what turns out to be a seriously considered California-forward wine program. This isn't a wine list that happened by accident.
The list leans hard into California, and it does so with genuine conviction — names like Kistler, Flowers, Bedrock, Ridge, and the delightfully weird Scholium Project signal that whoever built this actually cares. There's a clear bias toward cooler-climate and terroir-driven producers, which makes sense given the farm-to-table seasonal kitchen they're supporting. You won't find 200 labels here, but what's here has been selected with intention rather than padded out with safe, bulk-production filler. Tablas Creek sneaks in as a nod to the Rhône side of things, keeping the list from feeling like a one-note California greatest hits reel.
We don't have a confirmed count on the by-the-glass program, but with four staff members credentialed and caring enough to build this list, we'd expect the glass pours to reflect the same thoughtfulness as the bottles. Come back on a Tuesday and the question becomes almost moot — half-price wine night turns this into one of the better wine deals in the Upper Valley regardless of what's pouring.
Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc 2022 — $52
Tablas Creek's Esprit Blanc is a Rhône-style white blend from Paso Robles that routinely overdelivers for its price point — complex, textured, and food-friendly in a way that makes it the smartest order on the table. At $52 in a restaurant setting, that's honest pricing for a bottle that drinks well above its weight.
Scholium Project The Prince in His Caves Chardonnay 2020
Most people will scroll past this because they've never heard of it, which is exactly why you should order it. Scholium Project is one of California's most idiosyncratic producers — low-intervention, oxidative, genuinely strange in the best possible way. If you're used to Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, this will confuse you. If you're ready for it, it'll be the best thing you drink all night.
Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay 2021
Kistler is legitimately great wine, no argument there — but at $112 on a restaurant list, you're paying a significant premium for a label whose retail price is well-known and widely available. The Scholium or Flowers will give you a more interesting night for meaningfully less money.
Copain Tous Les Jours Syrah 2021 + Wood-fired chicken with fermented chili glaze
Copain's Tous Les Jours Syrah is a cooler-climate, peppery, almost Northern Rhône-style California Syrah — and that savory, spiced profile meets the fermented chili glaze on the wood-fired chicken right in the middle. The smoke from the fire, the funk from the ferment, and the dark fruit from the Syrah all point in the same direction.
Tuesday — Half-price wine night every Tuesday — one of the better recurring wine deals in Vermont, full stop.
🎲 The Bottom Line
A Vermont farm-to-table spot with a Wine Spectator nod and a California list that was clearly built by people who drink this stuff — that's worth a detour. Add Tuesday half-price wine night and this becomes mandatory.
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