Historic Bordeaux for dinner in the center of Lucca

A Bordeaux bottle from the 1980s does not need a long speech. It should be opened at the table, with the right amount of time ahead and something to eat that does not pretend to be more important than the wine. That is why we offer historic Bordeaux with dinner in the center of Lucca: for those who want to drink a bottle that has already lived a great deal, without turning the evening into a lecture.

We are at Via Calderia 12, just a short walk from Piazza San Michele. We are open in the evenings, Monday through Saturday. Our list features nearly 200 labels, mostly Italian and French, selected bottle by bottle and updated often. Tuscany remains the main reason many guests come through our doors. Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri, Sangiovese, Vermentino, great Tuscan vintages. Then there is France, which is a distinct part of our identity: Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux.

Why open a historic Bordeaux with dinner

A young Bordeaux can be bright, compact and still full of energy. A Bordeaux with a few decades behind it tells a different story. We are not looking for a special effect, or a bottle to photograph before it has even been poured. We are looking for balance, depth and the calm that arrives when the wine has nothing left to prove.

In our Bordeaux Experience, you will find châteaux from the 1980s onward. These are bottles selected to be drunk, not kept as trophies. Conditions vary from vintage to vintage and from château to château, and it would be irresponsible to promise the same result every time. That is precisely the point: a historic Bordeaux is not a standardized product. It has character, and sometimes a less predictable side. At dinner, that is its virtue for us.

This is not a choice reserved for collectors. It can be the right bottle for a couple spending two evenings in Lucca who want a dinner different from the usual. It can be a table of friends who start with a glass of white and then decide to stay. It can be a Lucca guest who wants to return during the week for a bottle they do not often come across elsewhere.

Tuscany first, then Bordeaux

We do not pretend that people arriving in Lucca are looking for Bordeaux first. Most of our tables want to drink Tuscany, and that is perfectly normal. A Chianti Classico, a Brunello di Montalcino or a Bolgheri is often the most natural place to start. We also have wines from small Tuscan producers, for those who want to drink something less obvious that they are unlikely to find again once they return home.

Bordeaux arrives when dinner calls for another step. It does not replace Tuscany; it puts it into perspective. A Sangiovese can be taut, direct and bright. An old Bordeaux can broaden the rhythm of the table, with more mature aromas and a slower texture. There is no hierarchy. There is a choice to make based on your appetite, the number of people and how much time you really have.

If there are two of you and you want to start simply, we can pour one of the wines by the glass, a selection that changes often. For those who live around Lucca, the Piana and Versilia, this is a good reason to come back: there is no need to wait for an anniversary to drink something different. The by-the-glass selection changes, the bottles in the cellar change, and the evening changes too when you give yourself time to sit down.

A bottle to share, not a test to pass

With a historic Bordeaux, we always suggest thinking about the table, not the fame of the label. For two people, a bottle can make for a long, well-paced dinner. For four, it can become the center of the evening, perhaps after a lighter first round. If you are short on time, we will tell you. If you are looking for a bottle to stay with until the end of the evening, we will tell you that too.

This approach matters more than any formula. Historic vintages deserve attention, but not rigidity. You do not need to arrive prepared. All you need is the desire to drink well and let dinner do its work.

What to eat with a bottle that has history

The kitchen is concise. That is fine by us. We do not want to build a compulsory journey around the wine, but to offer dishes that stay in their place and make you want another sip.

The beef roast is slow-cooked and arrives with chimichurri sauce and its own jus. It is the most natural dish when the table chooses an important red, Tuscan or French. It has depth without needing special effects, and leaves room for the wine. The sweet-and-sour pork spare ribs have a more decisive character and work well for those who want a less formal dinner, with a bottle to share and hands that are not too clean. No problem — we are, after all, a wine bar with a kitchen.

The toasted sourdough focaccia is made for the center of the table: focaccia, Cilento tomato, Tuscan olive oil and Maldon salt. Tear it apart with your hands. It can open dinner with a white wine or accompany the wait while we choose the bottle. It is simple, authentic and unpretentious. It does not try to compete with a Bordeaux from the 1980s, and so it does it a favor.

Then there is the pantry. Culatta di Parma, Jamón 100% Ibérico de Bellota, Italian and French cheeses, from Tuscan pecorino to Jura Comté, Gillardeau oysters and caviar. For a light dinner, that may be enough. For a table that wants to drink more slowly, it is often the best choice. A bottle with a few years behind it does not necessarily ask for a large dish. It asks for good products and a little restraint.

The cellar is serious, but dinner does not have to be too serious

Our list received a Silver Star in the Best Newcomer List category at the Star Wine List of the Year International Open 2025, and another in the Best Medium-Sized List category in 2026. Wine Spectator awarded us the Best of Award of Excellence in 2025 and 2026. These recognitions please us, especially because they came for a cellar built one bottle at a time.

But they are not the reason you should come. The reason is more concrete: to find an extensive list without having to endure a stiff evening. You can choose a Brunello, stick to one glass, order a bottle of Bordeaux with a few decades behind it, and have the beef roast and cheese. Or drink a Vermentino and share focaccia and olives. Quality does not require a serious face.

For those who want more context when exploring our French selection, we organize guided tastings that can be booked online, such as the Burgundy Reds and Champagne tasting flights (minimum 4 people); Tomkat’s Choice starts from 20 euros, even for one person. They are designed for drinking bottles and discussing them together, not reciting names and dates. We also hold them for small groups and private occasions, always centered on what we actually have on the list and in the cellar.

An evening in Lucca, without rushing

If you are looking for historic Bordeaux with dinner, book with one simple idea in mind: do not choose only a bottle, choose the rhythm of your evening. Come for a glass or for Tuscany. Stay if you find the right Bordeaux. We will help you understand what to open, but the decision remains at the table.

Via Calderia 12 is in the historic center, near Piazza San Michele. For an evening passing through or a Wednesday when you do not feel like going straight home, it is close enough that you do not have to think about it too much. You can book on OpenTable or call us at +39 376 203 5395.

Come with an appetite, curiosity or simply a good reason to drink a bottle. We will take care of the rest.

Pier Giulio Bendinelli