Yountville

Lucy is a beautiful room with a wine list that plays it safe but plays it well — especially with sommelier Yoel Marcelo steering the ship. If you're in Yountville and want a dependable, California-deep experience without any curveballs, this is your spot; just go in knowing the markups reflect the zip code.

Bottega is doing everything right: a deep, well-curated list, a knowledgeable sommelier, and a Wednesday half-price wine night that makes an already-excellent program genuinely accessible. Yes, some bottles are steep — this is Yountville — but the bones of this wine program are as good as the neighborhood demands.

The French Laundry's wine program is one of the few in America that genuinely justifies the Grand Award — 2,000-plus selections, a sommelier team that knows the list cold, and enough depth across California, Burgundy, Rhône, and beyond to reward every kind of serious drinker. The markups are steep across the board and this is never going to be the place you stumble into for a casual glass, but if you're already committing to the tasting menu, commit to the wine list too.