Gardens, Glassware, and Genuinely Good Bottles
Kennett Square · American · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed 1906 at Longwood Gardens’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Eating inside a living conservatory is already a flex, but the wine list earns its own attention — this isn't a tourist-trap afterthought. A 300-500 bottle program with a dedicated sommelier in Greg Carozzo signals that someone here actually cares. Wine Spectator handed them a Best of Award of Excellence in 2025, and honestly, the list backs it up.
The list leans hard into California and France, which suits the crowd — think Stag's Leap, Silver Oak, Jordan, Far Niente, and Opus One on the California side, with Louis Jadot and Domaine Drouhin Oregon anchoring the more Burgundian end of things. It's a greatest-hits approach more than a deep-cuts record store, but the execution is clean and the producers are legit. You won't find a lot of adventurous outliers or natural wine surprises here — this is a crowd-pleasing cellar that happens to be very good at what it does. Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling nods toward some range, but broader European depth beyond France feels thin.
With 20-35 pours available, the by-the-glass program is genuinely strong for a destination dining experience. Glasses run $12-$25, which tracks with the upscale setting even if it stings a little. The selection mirrors the bottle list — California and French-forward — so don't expect anything too left-field in the glass.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — $12
At the lower end of the glass pricing, this is the sleeper of the list — Riesling from one of Washington's most consistent producers, and it'll cut through a rich duck breast or scallop dish better than anything else at this price point.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir
Most people at a table like this reach straight for the Caymus or the Silver Oak, but Drouhin's Oregon project is quietly one of the best Willamette Valley producers going — French-trained winemaking in the Pacific Northwest, and it stands out as the most interesting bottle in a California-heavy room.
Opus One
Look, Opus One is a great wine. It's also the most marked-up name on any list it appears on. You're already paying a premium to dine in a botanical conservatory — stacking Opus One on top of that is a double splurge that the Silver Oak or Jordan will satisfy at a fraction of the damage.
Far Niente Chardonnay + Seared scallops
Far Niente's Chardonnay is rich without being obnoxious — it has enough weight to meet the sweetness of seared scallops and enough acidity to keep the whole thing moving. It's a classic California white doing exactly what it should.
The Bottom Line
1906 is a genuinely Wild Card situation — a fine dining wine program thriving inside a botanical garden that most people visit for the flowers. The list won't blow away serious collectors, but Greg Carozzo's curation and the California-France backbone make it absolutely worth lingering over a bottle.
· Yountville · American
RH Yountville is a genuinely beautiful place to drink wine — the room earns that much on atmosphere alone, and the California-forward list will keep most guests happy without any friction. But in Yountville, where the competition includes some of the most serious wine programs in the country, 'happy without friction' isn't the same as memorable. Go for the experience, order confidently by region, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · American
Yard House Bakersfield is a beer hall that happens to sell wine, and the list makes no effort to hide that. Markups are aggressive, selections are safe to the point of being anonymous, and the only reason to open a bottle here is if your table voted against another round of IPAs. If you're wine-focused, redirect your budget to the Jean-Luc Colombo Rosé by the glass and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · American
The Kitchen at Priest Ranch is a one-winery show, and that's exactly the point. If you want to spend an evening exploring what a single Napa estate produces across whites, rosé, Zinfandel, Merlot, and multiple Cabernet expressions — including older large-format bottles — this is a genuinely interesting way to do it. Just don't come expecting breadth or outside discovery. Send a friend here if they love Priest Ranch or want to.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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