Piedmont Royalty Meets Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood · West Hollywood · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Alba lands like a greatest-hits album of Italian and French fine wine — Giacomo Conterno, Biondi-Santi, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti — names that make serious drinkers put their phones down. At 350–500 bottles, this is not a list assembled by accident. Someone here actually cares, and it shows from the first page.
The Italian spine is the real story: Barolo from Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja, Brunello from Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri, Barbaresco from both Gaja and the ever-reliable Produttori del Barbaresco. The Super Tuscan shelf — Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto — reads like a flex, but the Burgundy section holds its own with Grand Crus from DRC and Leroy plus white Burgundy from Domaine Leflaive and Ramonet. California Cab gets its seat at the table with Ridge Monte Bello, Opus One, and Screaming Eagle, though that corner skews toward status pours over discovery. The one gap: if you're hunting outside Italy, France, and California, you may find the edges thin.
Eighteen to twenty-eight options by the glass at $15–$30 is a serious commitment for a restaurant of this size and style. The range suggests daily drinkers sit alongside more ambitious pours, which is exactly how a by-the-glass program should work. We'd love to see more rotation and seasonal changes — right now the program feels settled rather than alive.
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco — $60–$80 (estimated bottle range)
Produttori is a co-op that punches well above its price point — structured, age-worthy Nebbiolo without the Gaja markup. On a list full of trophy bottles, this is the pick for anyone who wants to drink seriously without wrecking the dinner budget.
Borgogno Barolo Cannubi
Cannubi is one of Barolo's most celebrated single vineyards, and Borgogno is an old-school producer that doesn't get the hype of Conterno or Giacosa. Most tables will scroll past it chasing bigger names — their loss, your gain.
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
Look, Screaming Eagle is a trophy wine and it's priced accordingly — then marked up on top of that. In a restaurant this deep in Italian wine, ordering a cult Napa Cab feels like going to a sushi bar and ordering a burger. Skip it, stay in the peninsula.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino + Truffle-y agnolotti stuffed with caramelized onions
Monfortino is about as serious as Barolo gets — tar, roses, iron, and a decade of patience baked in. The earthy truffle and sweet caramelized onion in the agnolotti need something with that kind of weight and complexity to hold up. It's a big spend, but this is the pairing you'll talk about for years.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Alba has a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and sommeliers named Giovanni and Fabio — this is not a restaurant that treats wine as an afterthought. The markups are real and the list skews toward collector territory, but the depth and credibility here are genuine, and that earns the Rager.
West Hollywood · West Hollywood · Mexican, Seafood
Casa Madera is a Wild Card worth playing — a hotel restaurant on the Sunset Strip that actually took the time to build a list with a sommelier's hand behind it. The markups are real and the list leans conservative, but there's enough here to drink well if you know where to look.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
West Hollywood · West Hollywood · Californian, Spanish
Somni is operating at a level where the wine program isn't a supporting act — it's co-headlining with the kitchen, and the cellar is stocked to prove it. If you're going to spend a serious evening in West Hollywood, this is where the bottle list actually justifies the bill.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
West Hollywood · West Hollywood · American, Steakhouse
BOA is exactly what it wants to be: a glamorous, well-stocked steakhouse list on the Sunset Strip where the wine program can hold its own with the best rooms in LA. Markups are real and unapologetic, but Wednesday's half-price bottle night is a genuine opportunity to drink at this level without the full sticker shock.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Downtown Provo · Provo · Italian
La Dolce Vita earns its stripes as a dependable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that actually respects the cuisine it's serving. It's not a destination wine program, but in Provo, it's one of the better options on the table — and that house pour at $4 a glass is almost disarmingly honest.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Odessa Retail Corridor · Odessa · Italian
The wine list at Olive Garden Odessa does exactly what Olive Garden's wine list is supposed to do — it's inoffensive, familiar, and gets out of the way of the breadsticks. If you're here for a serious glass of wine, you're in the wrong zip code.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lakeland · Lakeland · Italian
Carrabba's isn't where you go to discover wine, but it's where you go to drink something decent without getting ripped off. Send a friend here if they want a familiar Italian night with a glass that makes sense — just steer them toward the Italian side of the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.