A. 801 Chophouse
Big steaks, solid pours, no surprises
Downtown · Kansas City · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 27, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at 801 Chophouse arrives the way the room looks — dark, serious, and dressed for the occasion. It's an award-winning list built to complement a bone-in ribeye, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. You're not here to discover an obscure Jura producer; you're here to drink well with a very large piece of beef.
Selection Deep Dive
The list leans hard into California Cabernet territory, which makes sense when your menu is anchored by USDA Prime dry-aged cuts. You'll find familiar, crowd-pleasing names like Daou and Justin sitting alongside more interesting callouts — Fontanafredda Barolo is a legitimate nod to old-world red meat drinking, and L'Ecole No. 41 Merlot shows someone was paying attention when they built this list. Oregon gets a seat at the table via Adelsheim Pinot Noir, and Argentina checks in with Catena Malbec. It's not a list that takes many risks, but it covers its bases competently and then some.
By the Glass
Eighteen-plus options by the glass is generous for a steakhouse, and the price range — $14 to $55 a pour — tells you they're not holding back on the top shelf. That's a real program, not an afterthought. We'd love to see more rotation or a defined seasonal selection, but what's here gives you legitimate choices before you've even opened the bottle list.
Adelsheim Pinot Noir — $14
At the entry point of the by-the-glass range, Adelsheim is a reliably well-made Willamette Valley Pinot from one of Oregon's most consistent producers. It's the move if you're not going full red-meat mode and want something that actually has some nuance to it.
Fontanafredda Barolo
Most tables here are going straight for California Cab, which means this Barolo is sitting quietly while everyone else grabs the obvious choice. Fontanafredda is a storied Piedmontese producer, and Barolo's tannic structure and dried cherry depth is actually a killer match for a dry-aged steak — arguably better than your average Napa Cab at this price point.
Rombauer Chardonnay
Rombauer is a perfectly fine wine that has been marked up aggressively at every white-tablecloth restaurant in America for the past two decades. You're paying for the name recognition here, not the juice. If you want Chardonnay, you can do better elsewhere on this list.
L'Ecole No. 41 Merlot + Bone-in Ribeye
Washington Merlot at this level has a dark fruit depth and structured tannin that holds up to the fat and char of a bone-in ribeye without the sometimes overpowering oak bomb you get from heavier Cabs. L'Ecole is the kind of wine that makes the steak taste better and vice versa — that's the whole point.
✔️ The Bottom Line
801 Chophouse does exactly what a downtown steakhouse wine list should do — it gives you enough range to drink well, a sommelier who knows the list, and proper glassware to match. The markups sting, but you knew that when you sat down in a room with white tablecloths and a dry-age program.
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