Sky-high views, earthbound markups on the big names
Downtown LA · Los Angeles · Contemporary American
Updated October 2026
Reviewed June 21, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed 71Above’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
When a restaurant sits on the 71st floor of a Downtown LA skyscraper, you expect the wine list to match the altitude — and at roughly 1,350 labels, it does. The sheer scale is immediately impressive, and a dedicated sommelier on staff signals this isn't just a list padded out to look good. The room is special-occasion serious, and the wine program mostly keeps pace.
Dig in and the list earns its heft. There's genuine international breadth here, but the most interesting moves are closer to home — Santa Barbara County and the Central Coast get meaningful representation, which is exactly the kind of regional pride a Los Angeles restaurant should be showing. Champagne selections are plentiful and specific, with grower producers like J-M Sélèque appearing alongside the standard prestige cuvées. The depth is real, though the list skews heavily toward crowd-pleasing California Cabernet territory when you get to the higher price points.
Twenty to twenty-five options by the glass is a genuinely strong program, and the $18–$35 range reflects the upscale room without feeling punitive at the lower end. The inclusion of J-M Sélèque Extra Brut Soliste 1er Cru Champagne as a pairing pour shows the glass program has some real thought behind it — that's not a wine most restaurants bother stocking, let alone pouring by the glass. Rotation details aren't well-documented publicly, but the sommelier presence suggests it's curated rather than static.
J-M Sélèque Extra Brut Soliste 1er Cru Champagne — $35/glass
A grower Champagne from a serious Épernay producer by the glass at a fine dining spot in the sky — this is the move. Sélèque doesn't show up everywhere, and getting it as a glass pour while watching the LA basin light up at dusk is hard to beat dollar-for-experience.
Santa Barbara County selections (Central Coast producers)
Most people at a place like this reach straight for the Napa Cab or the Burgundy, but the Central Coast picks are where 71Above actually has a point of view. Local, thoughtful, and almost certainly priced more reasonably than the prestige bottles. Ask the sommelier what they're pouring from Santa Barbara — that's the real list inside the list.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
At $285 against a $90 retail price, this is a 216% markup on a wine that's already everywhere. Caymus is a fine bottle at your local shop; at 71Above it's a trophy pour for people who don't know what else to order. The sommelier will steer you somewhere better if you ask.
J-M Sélèque Extra Brut Soliste 1er Cru Champagne + Rotating seafood entrée (halibut or similar)
The Extra Brut dosage keeps this lean and mineral, and it cuts right through whatever butter or cream situation the kitchen puts on the halibut. Champagne and white fish is never wrong, but a grower Champagne with actual texture makes it something worth remembering.
The Bottom Line
71Above has the list, the staff, and the setting to be something truly special — what holds it back is predictable fine-dining markup that punishes you for reaching toward the recognizable names. Come with a budget, lean on the sommelier, and stay away from the trophy bottles.
· Los Angeles · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão's wine list isn't trying to be a destination — it's trying to support a meat-forward meal without emptying your wallet, and it largely succeeds. The South American focus makes geographic sense, the pricing is fair for LA, and there are a few genuinely good bottles hiding in a otherwise safe list. If you're going for the full churrasco experience, grab the Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc or the Catena Alta Chardonnay and let the gauchos do the rest.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian
Il Cielo punches above its list size with some genuinely smart Italian picks and pricing that — especially on the Barolo — borders on generous. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a thoughtful one, and in Beverly Hills that's worth something. If you're going for a special occasion bottle, head straight to the Piedmont and Montalcino section and don't look back.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian
A big-ticket Italian and Napa list with a genuine glass section: 14 wines by the glass from $15 to $85, then 89 bottles from $55 to $3,000. Start with the Prunotto Barolo at $30 a glass, or the Guidalberto at $145 if you want a Bolgheri bottle, and confirm prices because the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks page, not service, storage or markups.
Westwood · Los Angeles · American, Steakhouse
A Cabernet-first list with 30 glasses and a long bottle book, but no wine prices posted online. If you want a known price, the $9 happy hour Bonanza Cabernet by Caymus is the one posted figure, and if you want to step away from Cabernet, try the Il Bruciato Super Tuscan by the glass. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Hollywood · Los Angeles · Neapolitan Italian, Pizza
An all-Italian list that runs from a $50 Bardolino to a $300 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, with 15 wines poured by the glass. Start with the 18 / 72 Rocca del Principe Fiano di Avellino next to the $25 Margherita, or the 16 / 64 Primo Monte orange Trebbiano if you want something off the Chianti track, and confirm prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French-inspired, New American
A 19-wine glass list where 17 pours land between $14 and $18. Start with the $13 Noble Vines Pinot Grigio or the $14 Intercept Pinot Noir, and put the $17 French onion soup next to a $52 bottle of Whispering Angel; confirm prices, since the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Vinings · Atlanta · Contemporary American
So has a wine list built to please a suburban dinner crowd without ruffling any feathers, and it largely succeeds at that narrow goal. The markup is real — most bottles sit at 3–4x retail — but the by-the-glass breadth gives you options to keep the tab reasonable. If you're a wine-first diner, this isn't your destination; if you're here for the scene and the food, you'll find something perfectly fine to drink.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Toledo · Contemporary American
Sabira has built something genuinely worth noticing for Toledo: a compact, mostly European list that takes real swings with appellations like Grasparossa di Castelvetro and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Pricing data isn't available to us, and the BTG program is unclear — so call ahead or ask on arrival. If the staff knows this list as well as whoever curated it seems to, this is an easy recommendation for anyone tired of the same regional Chardonnay-and-Cab circuit.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Sarasota · Sarasota · Contemporary American
A one-page list that mixes Greek, Italian and French bottles with Cristal, Taittinger and Laurent-Perrier Champagnes, and posts many prices as two unlabeled numbers. Start with the Gai'a Assyrtiko (70 / 17) alongside the wood-fired octopus, or take the Les Girelles Picpoul (48 / 12) on a Tuesday, when the list says bottles at $99 and less are half off (bubbles and Champagne excluded). This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list carries no printed date, so confirm current availability and ask which number is the glass.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
