Brentwood's Big Game List, No Apologies
Brentwood · Los Angeles · American · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Baltaire’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Baltaire lands with the same confidence as the room itself — dim, plush, and clearly not worried about your budget. At 400-600 bottles deep with a Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 2022, this is a list that means business. You're in Brentwood, and Baltaire wants you to know it.
France is the backbone here, with serious Burgundy representation including Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin and Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, plus first-growth Bordeaux like Château Margaux and Château Pétrus that would make any collector nod approvingly. California holds its own with cult heavyweights — Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Opus One, and Kistler — sitting alongside Italian stalwarts like Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin. The list skews heavily toward trophy bottles, and if you're looking for under-the-radar producers or natural wine exploration, you'll mostly be disappointed. But if you came here to drink well and flex a little, the depth is genuinely there.
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is a strong showing for a steakhouse format, and the range stretches from $15 accessible options up through more serious picks that reward the adventurous. We'd love to see more rotation and a clearer narrative around the glass program, but the sheer volume of options means you're unlikely to feel stuck. Monday's half-price wine night makes the by-the-glass program significantly more interesting — that's when to experiment.
Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay 2021 — $185
In a list dominated by four-figure bottles, $185 for Kistler Vine Hill is one of the few moments where you feel like the house isn't completely running up the score. It's a benchmark Sonoma Coast Chardonnay that holds its own against the Burgundy heavyweights sitting nearby on the list — and it's actually approachable enough to order without second-guessing yourself.
Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin
Everyone at the table is eyeing the DRC and the Screaming Eagle, but the Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin is the move for anyone who actually wants to drink great Burgundy without the full spectacle. It's one of the most respected names in all of Pinot Noir, and in a room full of headline-grabbing bottles, it tends to get overlooked.
Opus One 2020
At $525 a bottle, Opus One is doing what Opus One always does at restaurants — trading on name recognition at a markup that doesn't reflect how widely available it actually is. It's a good wine, but it's not a great value, and in a list with this much depth, your $525 works a lot harder pointed almost anywhere else.
Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin + Dry-Aged Ribeye
A dry-aged ribeye needs something with real structure and a savory edge — not a fruit bomb. Rousseau's Gevrey delivers earthy depth, firm tannins, and the kind of umami-forward character that matches the funky intensity of dry-aged beef without overwhelming it. It's the pairing that makes you look smart without trying too hard.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — applies to bottles and makes this list dramatically more accessible. Best night to explore.
The Bottom Line
Baltaire is unambiguously a trophy-bottle list in a trophy-bottle neighborhood, and it earns its Wine Spectator credential with genuine depth across France and California. The markups sting and there's no sommelier to guide you through it, but Monday night half-price wine makes this one of the better value plays in LA if you time it right.
· Los Angeles · California small plates
If this four-wine snapshot is the full extent of AOC's current public-facing wine program, it doesn't come close to living up to the restaurant's wine bar billing. The pricing is fair and the Vinho Verde earns its spot, but four uniform options with no dish context and no visible deeper list is not what you go to a place called AOC expecting. Come for the reputation — just hope the full list is hiding somewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian Seafood
Marea Beverly Hills brings genuine depth and regional curiosity to a wine list that could have easily coasted on crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and overpriced Super Tuscans — and it didn't. The markups are high, as expected for this zip code, and without clearer intel on staff knowledge or specials programming, the full experience is harder to guarantee. But the list itself earns serious respect, and if you navigate it well — start with the Strasserhof, finish with the Rossese — you'll drink far better than most tables around you.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Prime rib and steakhouse
Lawry's is a Los Angeles institution and the prime rib is genuinely the point — the wine list exists to support that experience, not steal the show. If you hit the weekday happy hour window between 5 and 6 PM, you might find the value equation improves considerably. Come for the beef, enjoy whatever Cab they pour, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian and French Café
Bottega Louie West Hollywood is a solid, reliable choice when you want wine that doesn't distract from the occasion — the room, the company, the cannoli. The Sunday half-price glass program is the single most compelling reason to choose this spot specifically for wine, and we'd encourage you to use it. Just don't expect the list to surprise you; this is a place that knows its audience and plays to them without apology.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Italian pasta
Cento is a destination for the pasta first, and the wine list seems to know its supporting role without phoning it in. We'd want a verified menu in hand before steering you toward specific bottles, but the regional focus and the evident care in the room give us real confidence this isn't a place that treats wine as an afterthought. Go for the spicy pomodoro, ask what's pouring by the glass, and let the night unfold.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · French tasting menu
Mélisse is a destination for Champagne completists willing to pay fine dining prices for the privilege of choosing between four Philipponnat vintages or three Krug editions in a single sitting. But if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of a French tasting menu — with depth across regions and styles — the narrowness here will leave you wanting. Come for the bubbles, manage your expectations for everything else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Yountville · American
RH Yountville is a genuinely beautiful place to drink wine — the room earns that much on atmosphere alone, and the California-forward list will keep most guests happy without any friction. But in Yountville, where the competition includes some of the most serious wine programs in the country, 'happy without friction' isn't the same as memorable. Go for the experience, order confidently by region, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · American
Yard House Bakersfield is a beer hall that happens to sell wine, and the list makes no effort to hide that. Markups are aggressive, selections are safe to the point of being anonymous, and the only reason to open a bottle here is if your table voted against another round of IPAs. If you're wine-focused, redirect your budget to the Jean-Luc Colombo Rosé by the glass and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · American
The Kitchen at Priest Ranch is a one-winery show, and that's exactly the point. If you want to spend an evening exploring what a single Napa estate produces across whites, rosé, Zinfandel, Merlot, and multiple Cabernet expressions — including older large-format bottles — this is a genuinely interesting way to do it. Just don't come expecting breadth or outside discovery. Send a friend here if they love Priest Ranch or want to.
Plays It Safe
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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