Tacoma's Quiet Overachiever Finally Gets Noticed
Downtown Tacoma · Tacoma · Wine Bar with Small Plates · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bordeaux Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Bordeaux Wine Bar, the list reads like someone actually thought about it — not just grabbed a distributor sheet and called it a day. The Old World anchor is real, but there's enough Pacific Northwest and New World representation to keep things interesting. For Tacoma, this is punching well above its weight class.
The list leans hard into its namesake region with Left Bank blends, Right Bank Merlot-dominant pours, and a legitimately interesting Bordeaux Blanc showing up in the whites. Spanish Rioja and Ribera del Duero give it some European breadth, and the Italian corner — likely Barolo or Barbaresco territory — keeps serious drinkers from feeling underserved. Washington State gets a nod through Quilceda Creek's 'CVR' Blend and Dossier's Flagship Cab, which is a smart local flex. The gaps are mostly in the Southern Hemisphere and anything remotely natural or orange, so don't come here hoping to find skin-contact Gewürz.
The glass program is one of the stronger reasons to show up. With options ranging from the entry-level Majestic Esprit Bordeaux Blanc at $8 to the L'Esprit de Chevalier Rouge at $25, there's a real spread without forcing you to commit to a bottle. Orin Swift makes two appearances by the glass — Abstract and 8 Years in the Desert — which will keep the crowd happy even if they're not exactly obscure picks.
Domaine Bousquet Finca Lalande Red Blend 2020 — $10/glass, $30/bottle
At $30 a bottle, this Argentine red blend is an easy yes. Domaine Bousquet is a certified organic producer in Mendoza making genuinely good wine, and $10 a glass for something this food-friendly is hard to argue with when everything else on the list trends higher.
NV Lingot Martin Bugey-Cerdon Gamay Rosé
Most people at a Bordeaux-themed bar are going straight for the Cab or Merlot, which means this lightly sparkling, slightly sweet Gamay rosé from the Bugey appellation in eastern France gets ignored. It shouldn't be. Bugey-Cerdon is one of the most underrated bottles for a charcuterie-heavy evening — the gentle fizz and red fruit cut right through the fat.
Orin Swift Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
At $285 a bottle with no retail anchor to check it against, Mercury Head is aspirational pricing for a wine that retails around $100-120 at most shops. It's a great Napa Cab, but you're paying heavily for the occasion here. The Quilceda Creek 'CVR' at $165 is a better story and a more interesting bottle.
L'Esprit de Chevalier Rouge 2020 + Charcuterie and Cheese Board
L'Esprit de Chevalier is the second wine of Domaine de Chevalier, a Pessac-Léognan estate that knows exactly what it's doing with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. At $25 a glass it's the most serious pour on the BTG list, and its earthy, graphite-edged profile turns a charcuterie board from a snack into an event.
The Bottom Line
Bordeaux Wine Bar is the kind of place Tacoma deserves more of — focused, knowledgeable, and priced for real people to actually drink well on a Tuesday. Skip the Mercury Head splurge, order a glass of Chevalier Rouge, and stay longer than you planned.
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
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Basic Stemmed
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Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
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Small but Thoughtful
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Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
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Proper
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