June 23, 2026 By Joe Bonadio The restaurant business is a difficult one, there’s no question; in fact, only one half of new restaurants survive past their fifth year. Winemaking is similarly risky, and it’s a notoriously expensive, typically long-term pursuit. And a pursuit the market does not always reward: with young people drinking less wine, today nearly half of wineries are reporting flat revenue growth, and hundreds of wineries across California have called it quits. It takes a certain kind of person to take on odds like that. Cesar Reyes and Juve Carrillo are two of them. A chemist and expert winemaker with over 25 years under his belt, Reyes makes wine in both Mexico (under his Cē Ācatl label) and Napa (under Prohibido Wines). Many of those wines are served at Carrillo’s three celebrated San Francisco restaurants, Cantina Los Mayas, Taqueria Los Mayas and Violet’s. Cesar Reyes (L) and Juve Carrillo talk at a recent barrel tasting for their new Reca wine label, now under development. | Photo: Joe Bonadio The two met in 2021 when Carrillo was building the wine list for his second restaurant Cantina Los Mayas, which would premier as the nation’s first exclusively Mexican wine bar just one year later. Having spent many hours with both of them—developing menus, tasting and comparing wines, and talking a good amount of trash—I’ve gotten to know them pretty well. Reyes and Carrillo are very competitive, and both seem to require a serious challenge in order to thrive. As fellow immigrants (Reyes is from El Salvador, and Carrillo hails from Yucatán, Mexico) the two have developed the kinship of outsiders. They laugh and argue in turns, like brothers—and usually, they challenge one another to do better. Both of their careers have been on the upswing for the last few years, with Reyes vastly expanding his wine production across Mexico, and Carrillo adding a third restaurant, Violet’s, to his group. Now, after working together for nearly five years, the two are joining forces to create a brand-new wine label: Reca Wines. With nearly a half century of wine and hospitality experience between them, Reyes and Carrillo have high hopes for their new wine label.| Photo: Joe Bonadio Last week I met with Reyes and Carrillo in Napa for the initial barrel tastings, and got the chance to witness a little bit of history as it unfolded. The details are forthcoming, but suffice to say, the juice is very good. We tasted Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir and Rose, some of the usual suspects. We also tried a few that I was unfamiliar with, including a uniquely floral Tinto Cão, a native Portuguese grape from the Douro region. They were all delicious, and keep in mind, the Wine Doctor hasn’t even done his magic yet. I should explain: as an expert chemist and wine consultant, Reyes is the man that winemakers call when they suspect their cuvée might be going sideways. In wine country, Reyes is known as the Wine Doctor, and his services are highly coveted by the best producers in the region. What it comes down to is fine-tuning the wine on the molecular level: tweaking the proportions of water, alcohol and volatile acids to create just the aromas and flavors that the winemaker desires. It’s something that has become second nature to Reyes, and he has the chemistry background (not to mention the proprietary technology) to do it properly. That makes him a unique figure in the wine world. It also makes him an exacting winemaker. Cesar Reyes raises a glass at the highly celebrated Cantina Los Mayas, the first San Francisco venue to serve his Mexican wines.| Photo: Joe Bonadio When we first spoke about the current trend toward minimal intervention, “natural” wines, Reyes was outspoken on the topic. “When someone says their wine is minimal intervention, they’re just saying they didn’t work on the wine,” the winemaker stressed. “They just put it in a bottle, I guess? That’s lazy. There are hundreds of years of winemaking knowledge. And that’s not how you make beautiful wines.” Reyes ought to know. The winemaker has been winning Gold and Double-Gold medals at wine competitions in Napa and Mexico for over ten years, and he’s got a reputation for delivering stellar single-varietal wines, often at by-the-glass prices. His Cē Ācatl Mexican offerings have recently been making serious inroads in San Francisco, doing particularly well in the bars of North Beach. Mexican wine seems to be having a moment in the traditionally Italian neighborhood, and frankly the timing couldn’t be better for Reyes. Meanwhile, Reca Wines will give the winemaker a chance to pivot back to Napa, at a time when the region is undergoing an industry-wide correction. With wine consumption down, there is a glut of premium grapes on the market, sometimes at unheard-of prices. For someone like Reyes, that’s a unique opportunity to get his hands on premium juice, often from some of the most exclusive vineyards in California. Though it’s still very early in the process, Reyes gave us an idea of what to expect from the Reca label. “Like a lot of what I make, these will all be limited production wines,” Reyes told me. “Some of the styles we’re planning will be no more than two or three barrels of production.” For the new label, Reyes is sourcing grapes from some of the most sought after vineyards in his Napa backyard, but also carefully chosen lots in Sonoma, Mendocino and Paso Robles. “We’re planning to do some unusual bottlings, and to highlight some grapes you don’t typically see out there,” he told me. “It’s really exciting.” An acclaimed chef and an award-winning winemaker; two distinct palates, working together to create something delicious. Reca Wines are expected to be available by year’s end, and rest assured I’ll be keeping you apprised in these pages. Meanwhile, you can find Reyes’ Cē Ācatl wines at these San Francisco venues: . Cantina Los Mayas 431 Balboa Street Richmond District Tupelo 1337 Grant Avenue North Beach Belle Cora 565 Green Street North Beach Friend Of A Friend Wine Shop 705 Columbus Avenue North Beach Otherwise Brewing 1402 Grant Avenue North Beach .