Caffe Aldo Lamberti
South Jersey's Italian Wine Vault, No Passport Required
Cherry Hill · Cherry Hill · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Caffe Aldo Lamberti lands like a serious statement — this is not a restaurant that threw together a few Chiantis and called it a day. We're talking 400-plus bottles anchored in Italy's greatest regions, with California and Bordeaux heavyweights rounding out the bench. White tablecloths, proper stems, and a list that's held a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence since 2008 — the room means business.
Selection Deep Dive
Italy is the undisputed star here, and it shows in the depth. Piedmont brings out Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa Barolos — names that belong in the cellar conversation — alongside Gaja Barbaresco for when you want the showstopper. Tuscany is equally stacked: Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello, and Biondi-Santi Brunello all make appearances, covering the Super Tuscan and traditional flanks without compromise. California and Bordeaux play a strong supporting role — Caymus, Silver Oak, Opus One, and Chateau Margaux for the crowd that wants the classics. The gaps are real though: natural wine, anything from the Southern Hemisphere, and left-field regions like Jura or Ribera del Duero aren't part of this story.
By the Glass
With 20 to 35 options by the glass, there's genuine range here — enough to explore without committing to a bottle on a weeknight. The program leans on reliable crowd-pleasers rather than rotating adventurously, so don't expect rotating grower Champagne or skin-contact anything. What you do get is well-kept, properly served, and a cut above the usual restaurant by-the-glass wall.
Tignanello (Antinori) — $120
Tignanello benchmarks at a premium almost anywhere you find it, but at a white-tablecloth institution like this, getting the Antinori flagship Super Tuscan in proper stems with Italian food is about as honest a transaction as the category allows. It's the bottle that makes the table feel like a real occasion without selling a kidney.
Barolo (Bruno Giacosa)
Most tables at a place like this gravitate toward the Sassicaia or the Opus One — names people recognize from the wine shop. Bruno Giacosa Barolo flies under that radar for the uninitiated, but it's one of the most important addresses in Piedmont. If you're sitting in front of a whole fish or a braised meat pasta, this is the bottle the serious drinkers are quietly ordering.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine, but it's also one of the most heavily marked-up bottles in the American restaurant trade. You can find it at every steakhouse in the tri-state area at roughly the same premium. In a room with Giacomo Conterno Barolo on the list, ordering Caymus feels like going to Rome and eating at McDonald's.
Brunello di Montalcino (Biondi-Santi) + USDA Prime Beef
Biondi-Santi Brunello is one of Italy's most structured, long-lived reds — all dried cherry, iron, and leather with serious spine. It needs something substantial to meet it, and a USDA prime cut delivers exactly that. The fat and char in the meat softens the wine's edges; the wine's acidity cuts right back through. This is the pairing that justifies the whole evening.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Caffe Aldo Lamberti is South Jersey's best Italian wine cellar, full stop — Biondi-Santi, Giacosa Barolo, and Ornellaia in one list is not something you stumble into. The markups are real and there's no sommelier to guide you through it, but the depth and provenance of this list more than earn its long-running Wine Spectator recognition.
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