Pacific Northwest Pride, Priced Like They Mean It
Downtown · Seattle · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 15, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed 2120 Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list opens with a clear sense of place — Washington and Oregon producers dominate, and it reads like someone actually thought about this region instead of just ordering from a generic distributor catalog. At 80-plus labels with 18+ by-the-glass options, there's real range here without the bloat of a list that's trying too hard to impress.
Columbia Valley and Willamette Valley anchor the list, with names like DeLille Cellars, Bledsoe Family Winery, and Mark Ryan doing the heavy lifting on the red side. The white game is solid too — Poet's Leap Riesling from Long Shadows and Willakenzie Estate Chardonnay give you proper Willamette character without resorting to grocery-store filler. Champagne representation is thin but Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée 1785 at least shows some ambition beyond house bubbly. The one real gap is international depth — if you're craving Burgundy, Barolo, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, you're largely out of luck.
Eighteen-plus pours is a genuinely strong glass program, and the spread across styles means you're not locked into Cab or Chardonnay like some Belltown neighbors. Prices run $13.52 to $25.10 a glass, which is honest for the Seattle market — you're not getting gouged just because the restaurant has nice lighting. The rotation appears static rather than seasonal, which is the one thing holding this program back from being truly exciting.
Matthews 'Blackboard' Merlot 2021 — $14/glass
At $14 a glass with a retail bottle running $40, the markup is almost shockingly reasonable. Merlot gets slept on in general, and Matthews does Columbia Valley Merlot better than most — this is a confident, food-friendly pour that competes with bottles twice the price.
Long Shadows Poet's Leap Riesling (Columbia Valley)
Most people scanning a New American menu skip straight to Chardonnay or Pinot Gris without a second thought. Poet's Leap is one of the most underrated Rieslings in the entire Pacific Northwest — made in the Mosel tradition by a winery that takes the grape seriously. It's the kind of wine that quietly steals the table's attention by the second pour.
Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée 1785 (Champagne)
Champagne markups in restaurants are almost always brutal, and there's no reason to think this is an exception. If you want bubbles with Pacific Northwest sensibility, Treveri Cellars Brut Blanc de Blancs from Yakima Valley is right there on the same list — likely at a fraction of the price and worth every dollar.
Delille Cellars D2 Bordeaux-style Blend (Columbia Valley) + Roasted meat or braised short rib (New American menu staple)
D2 is DeLille's workhorse blend — Cab, Merlot, and Cab Franc that's structured enough to stand up to rich, slow-cooked beef but polished enough not to club you over the head with tannin. It's the kind of pairing that makes a weeknight dinner feel like a special occasion without requiring a second mortgage.
The Bottom Line
2120 is a reliable, regionally thoughtful wine program in a neighborhood full of lists that coast on name recognition and gouge accordingly — it doesn't reinvent anything, but it earns your trust pour by pour. Send a friend here, tell them to order the Merlot by the glass, and let the Pacific Northwest do its thing.
Downtown · Seattle · Brazilian Churrascaria
The real headline here is the half-price South American bottles — available Monday through Thursday, all day, on bottles under $150 — which turns a polished steakhouse into a legitimately reasonable wine night. The list won't excite anyone who came for the wine, but if you came for the meat and want a solid regional bottle at a fair price, this deal is worth planning around.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
Ballard · Seattle · Italian
A short, Italian-leaning list with most of its bottles in the Old World red section. Order the $11 Montepulciano by the glass, or the $69 Travaglini Gattinara if you want to splurge a little, and confirm prices on the day. This unrated guide covers the posted wine menus, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown · Seattle · Pacific Northwest / New American
A hotel wine list with a Pacific Northwest page up front, Champagne, Bordeaux and Italian sections behind it, and a separate glass list on the drink menu. Start with the $12 Treveri Blanc de Blancs at happy hour or the Mark Ryan 'Goldfinch Tavern Red Blend', and check the current list before you go, since the restaurant says menus are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list and drink menu, not service, storage or markups.
Lake Union · Seattle · Steakhouse
A long, Northwest-first steakhouse list with plenty of bottles under $100 as well as a $300-to-$550 tier of Leonetti and Quilceda Creek Cabernets. Start with the $20 Five Star Cellars “Prime” Cabernet by the glass, or the same wine at $55 on the bottle pages, and confirm prices because the list says vintages and availability change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Italian
An all-Italian list that is easy to navigate: 11 wines by the glass from $13 to $30, a bottle list sorted by region, and $8 house wine during Apericena. Order the Soave at $13 or the $17 Kerner by the glass, or the Villa Venti Sangiovese with the tagliatelle al ragu, and confirm prices because the page says they are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Central District · Seattle · Seafood
A mostly natural, mostly French bottle list that stretches from $60 Muscadet to a $455 Champagne, with a deep run of Jura, Savoie and Loire bottles. Start with the $60 Hautplanty Muscadet or the $72 Laurent Herlin Cabernet Franc, and ask about the list’s ◆ and ◉ key if you want help choosing between classic and wild. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
· Round Rock · New American
Whiskey Cake Round Rock isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the all-by-the-glass format keeps things approachable, the pricing is honest, and there are a couple of genuinely good pours hiding in a short list. If wine is your priority tonight, look elsewhere; if you're here for the vibe and want something decent in your glass, Chehalem and Altocedro have you covered.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Columbia · New American
Motor Supply Co. Bistro appears to put its energy into the kitchen, and that may be the right call — but three wines is not a wine program. Until this list gets a serious rethink, order a cocktail or call ahead to ask about corkage.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · New American
THREE isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that abundantly clear. If you're here for cocktails or the bar scene, you're probably in the right place — but if wine matters to you even a little, this four-item lineup isn't going to do much for you. Order the House Champagne at $5, accept the situation for what it is, and move on.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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