Burgundy-anchored and built to impress
Gold Coast · Chicago · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Brass Tack’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list lands like a serious statement — 300 to 500 bottles anchored in Burgundy, Bordeaux, and California, with enough firepower to make a wine director blush. This is not a list that happened by accident. Someone at Brass Tack actually cares, and it shows from the first page.
The French backbone is the real story here: Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage from the Rhône, Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet from Burgundy, and Château Lynch-Bages from Pauillac give the list legitimate old-world credibility. California holds its own with Kistler Vineyards, Ridge Monte Bello, and Opus One — the kind of names that justify a special occasion splurge. DRC appearing on a list in a modern American dining room on Walton Street is a flex, full stop. The gaps are real — no obvious Southern Hemisphere or natural wine presence — but within its lane, this list is deep and deliberately curated.
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is an ambitious pour program, with glasses running $14 to $22 — reasonable for the Gold Coast and for the caliber of wine on offer. We'd want to know how often the BTG list rotates, since a static pour program at this level is a missed opportunity. What's here is quality; we just hope someone's keeping it fresh.
Krug Grande Cuvée — $250
Yes, it's a splurge — but Krug Grande Cuvée retails around $200-plus and getting it in a proper dining room with the right glassware at this price is closer to fair than the markups you'd see elsewhere in Chicago's fine dining corridor. If you're celebrating, this is the bottle.
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
Most tables at a place like this gravitate toward the Burgundy or the Napa Cab. The Chave Hermitage is the move the regulars are quietly making — one of the Rhône's greatest addresses, full stop, and it tends to fly under the radar when DRC is listed a few rows above it.
Opus One
Opus One is fine wine, but it's also the most aggressively marketed Napa Cabernet on the planet. Restaurants mark it up hard because they can, and guests order it because the name lands. With Ridge Monte Bello on the same list, there's a better, more interesting California red that actually rewards curiosity. Save the Opus One spend for one of the French bottles.
Ridge Monte Bello + Dry-aged beef
Ridge Monte Bello is a Cabernet-dominant Santa Cruz Mountain blend with the structure and earth tones to handle serious red meat. It's the California answer to a Left Bank Bordeaux — tannic, focused, and built for exactly this kind of pairing.
The Bottom Line
Brass Tack has the bones of a genuinely great wine program — a Best of Award of Excellence since 2019 backed by producers like Chave, Leflaive, and Kistler doesn't lie. The pricing runs steep in spots, but if you're eating on Walton Street, you already knew the neighborhood.
Logan Square · Chicago · Italian
Come to Osteria Langhe for a focused trip through Piedmontese wine. Thursday’s advertised half-price selection is worth asking about, and Wednesday offers a wine pairing alongside the four-course menu. The linked wine list is dated December 2025, so confirm today’s bottles and prices before choosing.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Lincoln Park · Chicago · American Casual
Summer House is not a wine destination, but it's a reliable place to drink well enough without getting gouged on the low end — just steer clear of the big-name bottles where the markup climbs. Send your friend here if they want something easy and good; don't send them here if they're chasing something serious.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chicago · Italian
il Carciofo is doing something genuinely rare: building a wine list that treats Italian regional variety as the main event, not the footnote. If you're tired of the same Pinot Grigio and Chianti Classico circuit, this is exactly where you should be eating dinner.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chicago · Chicago · Steakhouse
STK Chicago is here to sell you a night out, and the wine list is just part of the set dressing. If you care about what's in your glass, eat here for the steak and order water.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chicago · French Brasserie
La Grande Boucherie Chicago is a reliable wine destination for anyone who wants a French-focused list executed with genuine effort and the occasional smart value. The markups aren't shy, but the BTG program and specials take some of the sting out — go in with a plan and you'll drink well.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Chicago · Steakhouse
This is not the wine list you expect to find at The Palm, and that's exactly why it earns attention. Six bottles, zero filler, genuinely fair pricing — if someone's tending this list, they deserve a raise.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Baltimore · American
Give the international and local sections a look before defaulting to Burgundy. Sula at $70 and Old Westminster at $90 offer different budget options. These are posted bottle prices, not guaranteed stock; confirm availability. This menu guide doesn't rate service or cellar conditions.
· Key West · American
Caroline's Café is not a wine destination, and it's not trying to be — the identical pricing across all five house labels makes that abundantly clear. If you're in Key West looking for something interesting in your glass, keep walking; if you just need a cold pour of Chardonnay with your lunch and aren't asking questions, $8 gets you there without drama.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kerns · Portland · American
Noble Rot is the rare restaurant wine program that would hold up as a standalone wine bar — deep list, sharp staff, fair prices, and a view that makes the whole experience feel earned. Send your friends here. Send yourself here.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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