San Diego's wine list finally grew up
Del Mar · San Diego · Californian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 5, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Addison by William Bradley’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
When a wine list clocks in at 3,000 to 4,000 selections, you feel it before you even open it — there's a weight to the thing, a seriousness of purpose. Addison isn't playing dress-up with fine wine; this is a Grand Award list that has been earned and maintained since 2009 in a city not exactly known for its cellar depth. From a bluff-top dining room with soaring ceilings, the experience sets the bar high the moment you sit down.
The list reads like a greatest-hits record of the wine world's most obsessively collected regions: Burgundy anchors everything, with names like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Henri Jayer, and Leroy doing the heavy lifting at the top end, while Domaine Leflaive holds it down for white Burgundy fans who'd rather not sell a kidney. California is equally serious — Marcassin, Kistler, Screaming Eagle, and Harlan Estate all make appearances, which tells you this isn't a list that stops at Stag's Leap and calls it a day. Rhône and Bordeaux fill in the flanks with Guigal's La Landonne and Château Pétrus and Château Margaux anchoring those sections, and the Champagne and Germany pages — hello, Salon Blanc de Blancs and Egon Müller Scharzhofberger — make it clear someone here actually cares about bubbles and Riesling. The one honest gap: if you came in hoping to find natural wine outliers or anything from, say, the Canary Islands or Georgia, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is a serious program for any restaurant, let alone one operating at this level, and the range suggests the kitchen team and wine staff have actually coordinated. Expect options that span from Champagne entry points to California heavyweights, though the specific rotation wasn't fully detailed in our research — this is a list where asking your sommelier what's open tonight is genuinely worth your time.
Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay — $80–$120 (est. range)
In a list packed with four-figure Burgundy, Kistler represents California Chardonnay at its most serious — complex, age-worthy, and a relative bargain next to the Leflaive and DRC bottles flanking it on the page.
Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling
Most tables at Addison are laser-focused on the Burgundy and California sections, and they're sleeping on one of Germany's most legendary producers. Egon Müller makes Riesling that commands the kind of respect usually reserved for DRC, and at a fine dining table with delicate tasting menu courses, it absolutely earns its place.
Château Pétrus
Pétrus belongs on a list like this — but ordering it here means paying a fine dining markup on top of an already eye-watering secondary market price. Unless you're celebrating something life-changing, the value math doesn't work. The Rhône and California sections will give you more pleasure per dollar.
E. Guigal La Landonne + Japanese A5 Wagyu
La Landonne is one of the great structured, brooding Syrahs on earth — all dark fruit, iron, and grip. Against the intense fat and umami of A5 Wagyu, it doesn't compete; it completes. This is the pairing you'll still be talking about at breakfast.
The Bottom Line
Addison has built one of the most complete wine lists in California, full stop — not just in San Diego. The pricing is unambiguously steep, but the depth, the staff, and the setting make it worth the investment at least once.
· San Diego · Steakhouse
The Grove Steakhouse is a solid pick if you're in a celebratory mood and want serious Champagne options with your cut of beef — the sparkling program alone is worth a look. The rest of the list doesn't take many risks, and the markups on recognizable labels are exactly what you'd expect from a steakhouse at a casino property. Go in with eyes open, steer toward the value picks, and you'll have a good night.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Barona Oaks Steakhouse clears the bar that most casino dining rooms can't be bothered to reach: fair prices, enough depth in the whites to reward some exploration, and a pair of aged Burgundy grands crus that nobody saw coming. If you're heading to the Barona resort, don't default to cocktails — the wine list has earned a look.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Jolla · San Diego · Italian
Dora Ristorante is a genuinely interesting addition to La Jolla's dining scene — a sommelier-run Italian list that stretches into Friuli and Sardinia is not something you stumble across every weekend. We can't verify specific bottles or prices from current data, so treat this as a confident lead rather than a full report, and go in ready to ask your server what's pouring.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Little Italy · San Diego · Mediterranean
Barra Oliba is doing something genuinely interesting for San Diego — a Spain-focused wine program in a polished Little Italy setting, backed by real culinary intent and a sommelier keeping things honest. We'd send a friend here without hesitation, especially if they're ready to let the staff steer. The full list isn't something we've been able to verify in detail, so consider this a strong lead worth confirming in person over a glass of Albariño.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Seafood
The Fish Market's wine list is a workhorse, not a showpiece — it covers the basics for a seafood crowd without asking too much of anyone, including itself. If you're looking for a thoughtful wine experience to match the kitchen's seafood focus, you'll want to adjust your expectations; if you just want a cold glass of Albariño with your fish tacos, you're in fine shape. Seek out the Martín Códax and let the rest of the list do its thing for the table next to you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · French
Fleurette is running one of the more thoughtful all-glass wine programs in San Diego — small, curated, and genuinely interesting rather than safe. If you want a bottle-heavy cellar experience, this isn't your spot. But if you want to drink well by the glass with a French-leaning list that actually has opinions, it absolutely is.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Monterey · Carmel By The Sea · Californian
Montrio is the rare restaurant where the wine list earns the same respect as the kitchen — regionally focused, fairly priced, and backed by staff who can actually help you navigate it. Add Tuesday's half-price bottle promotion and you've got one of the better wine nights on the Central Coast.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Sixth & Mission · Carmel By The Sea · Californian
Grasing's doesn't have the deepest list on the Monterey Peninsula, but the by-the-glass-everything model and genuinely fair pricing make it worth your time. Send a friend here if they want to drink well without being locked into a bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Napa · Napa · Californian
Carpe Diem punches above its weight for a 12-bottle list, and Monday half-price night makes this one of the better deals in downtown Napa. Just watch the bottle markups on the bigger names — you're in wine country, not getting a discount for it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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