Four Seasons polish, actually interesting wine choices
Napa Valley · Napa · Tasting Menu / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed September 7, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Auro at Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a Four Seasons in Napa, you brace for a wine list that's 80% Opus One and Caymus at stratospheric markups — the kind of list that exists to impress expense accounts, not wine drinkers. Auro surprises. At 67 labels, this is a tight list, but whoever built it was paying attention. There's genuine curiosity here, and that's not something you expect from a resort wine program.
The list skews heavily toward California, which makes sense given the address, but the producers they've chosen aren't the obvious trophy picks. You'll find Massican's Annia — a Friulian-inspired white blend of Ribolla Gialla, Tocai Friulano, and Pinot Bianco from a Napa producer who barely anyone talks about — sitting alongside Robert Sinskey's aromatic blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer. These are left-field choices for a resort list, and they're genuinely exciting. The red side leans on Grenache-forward options like the Minuty Provence rosé and Saracina Grenache, plus a Renato Ratti Nebbiolo from Piedmont that has no business being this affordable relative to the rest of the list. The Champagne section is a flex — Krug and Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle sitting at relatively honest prices for the format — but the overall bottle range of $65 to $1,150 tells you this list has ambitions that go beyond the neighborhood go-to.
Twenty-five by-the-glass options is genuinely impressive for a list of 67 total labels — that's more than a third of the list available without committing to a bottle. The glass program spans sparkling, white, rosé, red, and dessert categories, and at $18–$95 a pour, there's real range. The Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle by the glass at $105 is a standout flex if you want to splurge without a full bottle commitment.
Renato Ratti Nebbiolo Ochetti 2023 — $105
In a list where bottles regularly push $150–$200 for comparable quality, a Renato Ratti Nebbiolo from Piedmont at $105 is a genuine find. Ratti is a serious, respected producer, and Nebbiolo at this price point in a Four Seasons dining room is the kind of deal you don't see coming.
Massican Annia (Ribolla Gialla + Tocai Friulano + Pinot Bianco) 2024
Most tables at Auro will default to a Napa Chardonnay and never look back — their loss. The Massican Annia is a Napa producer doing Friulian-style whites with real texture and energy. It's the most interesting white on the list and almost nobody will order it.
Gran Moraine Chardonnay 2022
At $150 a bottle, Gran Moraine is a solid Yamhill-Carlton Chardonnay — but it's not $150 solid. You're paying a steep resort premium for a wine you can find at retail for significantly less, and the Marineau Mills Chardonnay sitting next to it makes a stronger case for the category even at $200.
Robert Sinskey Riesling + Pinot Gris + Gewurztraminer 2019 + Tasting menu seafood course
The Robert Sinskey aromatic blend has the residual texture and spice-forward character to stand up to delicate fish preparations without bulldozing them — it's the kind of food-wine synergy that a multi-course tasting format is built for, and it'll outperform any single-varietal white at the same price point here.
The Bottom Line
Auro's wine list is better than it has any right to be for a resort property, and the by-the-glass program alone makes it worth exploring. Just go in knowing the markups are resort-tier — this is a place to drink something interesting, not to find a bargain.
Yountville · Napa · New American
Redd checks the boxes a serious Napa dining room should: sommelier on staff, a regional identity that makes geographic sense, and a kitchen putting out dishes like Sonoma lamb loin and cold foie gras that deserve a proper bottle alongside them. We don't have enough verified wine list detail to point you at specific picks — and we won't fake it — so go in ready to lean on the floor staff and budget for Napa-level markups. If you're here for a special occasion, the infrastructure to drink well exists; just bring questions and a flexible budget.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
St. Helena · Napa · Wine Bar
Elsewhere is doing something genuinely useful in St. Helena — keeping the lights on after dinner and keeping the list interesting enough to justify the detour. We need more time with the actual list before we'd call it a must, but the bones are right.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Napa Valley · Napa · Hotel Restaurant / New American
The Elene is doing something genuinely uncommon for a Napa hotel restaurant: it's built a wine list with a real perspective. Pricing is fair, the whites and sparkling section is worth the visit on its own, and if you're tired of being handed the same Napa Cab lineup every time you sit down, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Napa Valley · Napa · Hotel Bar / Lounge
In the heart of Napa Valley, this hotel lounge has assembled a seven-bottle list with zero local wines and markups that would make a Vegas pool bar blush — order a cocktail and wait until dinner. There are better places to drink wine within walking distance of almost anywhere in this region.
Plays It Safe
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
St. Helena · Napa · Resort Restaurant / Contemporary American
Meadowood's wine program is doing exactly what it should at this price point — a focused, deeply intelligent list with real range and the staff to back it up. The markups are steep because the room is expensive, but if you're already here, drink well and don't second-guess it.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Napa · Wine Bar / Contemporary American
Napa Kitchen & Wine earns its place as a solid, unfussy option for anyone who wants a wide glass selection and fair pricing without committing to a bottle — just don't come here expecting to discover anything. It's a reliable pour, not a destination.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Truckee · Tasting Menu / New American
Trokay is quietly doing something most mountain-town restaurants don't bother with: building a wine list that respects the guest's intelligence and wallet simultaneously. The fortified and dessert by-the-glass section alone is worth the detour, and the overall curation suggests someone in this kitchen actually thinks about wine. If you're passing through Truckee and assumed you'd just drink beer — reconsider.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Paso Robles · Tasting Menu / New American
In Bloom is the kind of place Paso Robles needs more of — a tasting-menu-driven room that treats the wine program as a genuine extension of the cooking, not an afterthought. We can't quote you specific bottles or prices from our current research, but the combination of a Wine Spectator spotlight, a thoughtful regional focus, and a Sunday sparkling night with fried chicken is enough to make us say: go, and let the team guide you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· Carmel · Tasting Menu / New American
Freeland's is doing something genuinely interesting with wine in a suburb that doesn't require it of them — and the pricing is fair enough that you should take advantage. Send your friends here; just make sure they order off the middle of the list, not the top.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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