“I think this is one of the best restaurant wine lists in the country that nobody knows about,” says Selby’s wine director, Jaime Pinedo.
The secret may be out for this restaurant in Atherton, California, operated by Bacchus Management Group. Bacchus is no stranger to distinguished wine lists as the operator of Wine Spectator Grand Award winners The Village Pub and Spruce.
Those two other world-class wine lists notwithstanding, Bacchus partner and president of fine dining Andrew Green says Selby’s, which opened in 2019, is the deepest yet. “We started accumulating wine two and a half years before we opened, with a commitment to have a large wine program,” he says.
Selby’s 20,000-bottle inventory is well-rounded, spanning the world’s key winegrowing regions but offering remarkable breadth in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa and Italy, including hard-to-find bottlings. Deep-pocketed wine lovers can easily drop four figures for library vintages of Domaine Leflaive, Château Cheval Blanc, Harlan Estate and countless others.
Green and Pinedo say provenance has played a huge role in their focus. Working with key distributors like Kermit Lynch and Chambers & Chambers for two decades, as well as companies like Duclot Wine Merchants, has allowed them to build a first-rate list of impeccably kept bottles. As a result, the 130-page list offers impressive depth, including verticals and horizontals across many noteworthy producers.
“One thing that distinguishes Selby’s are the pages dedicated to showcase producers that we think are among the class of their region,” explains Pinedo. Currently, producer-focused pages include Napa’s Diamond Creek Vineyards, with vintages dating to the early 1980s, including the Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Gravelly Meadow 1983 ($1,400), and Italian Barolo collectible Giacomo Conterno, with its Barolo Monfortino Riserva bottlings as far back as 1947 ($4,076). Savvy wine buyers will also discover excellent values, such as Diatom Chardonnay Santa Barbara County 2022 ($60) and Cobb Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2021 ($98), plus nearly 40 by-the-glass offerings and a hefty selection of half-bottles.
Selby’s list primarily caters to its affluent neighborhood. Situated along a busy strip of El Camino Real, a historic route that once connected California’s 21 Spanish missions, Atherton may not register on everyone’s radar, but its location—45 minutes south of San Francisco at the northern edge of Silicon Valley—is home to everyone from tech executives to professional athletes. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha, have been known to slip through the back entrance and enjoy a quiet meal in the upstairs dining room.
Yet while Selby’s remains a contemporary neighborhood restaurant, it is also a refreshing reminder that classics never go out of style, conveying a restrained sense of Hollywood golden age elegance with a sophisticated, art deco glamor inside its two-story, ivy-covered building.
“We want the restaurant to be the second living room of the community,” explains Green. “An environment where, when you walk through the door, whatever challenges the day has brought, they can fall off, and [you] know you’ll be well taken care of.”
Bacchus’ fine-tuned and accommodating service, starring sociable and knowledgeable staff, is second to none in the Bay Area. The restaurant’s wine professionals essentially double as maître d’s, often chatting with guests while offering wine recommendations.
With 20-plus years of serving the Bay Area, Bacchus understands how to satisfy its patrons. The cuisine is in lockstep with the wine, service and vibe. Drawing from the success of Spruce and the Village Pub’s dining format, a three-course dinner is offered, with options for added doses of luxury, including supplementary courses or add-ons such as caviar service or prime beef cuts. An à la carte menu is available in the bar and lounge.
The menu offers elevated takes on seasonal continental cuisine. “Chef Mark Sullivan, when he was putting together the menu, pulled out classic cookbooks from the 1950s and ’60s. A fair amount of re-engineering was needed, but we tried to end up with a fresh look at old classics,” explains Green.
For example, a skillfully prepared entrée of Alaskan halibut with potato “scales” reflects a classic technique fashioned by legendary French chef Paul Bocuse. Sullivan completes the plate with a sauce of vin jaune and glazed asparagus. Another signature dish, the honey-lacquered duck breast, takes its origins from Imperial China and gets a French twist; it’s finished tableside with a bigarade sauce, a classic coupling for duck à l’orange.
Good food and warm service are hallmarks of a great restaurant, but Selby’s extraordinary wine program takes it to the next level. Green notes that not being in a major city can make it feel like a destination but reiterates that wine has been part of Selby’s identity from day one, jesting, “If you build it, they will come.”
Selby’s
Address: 3001 El Camino Real, Atherton, Calif.
Telephone: (650) 546-7700
Website: selbysrestaurant.com
