Napa's Backyard, Bottled and Properly Priced
Downtown Napa · Napa · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 13, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Charlie Palmer Steak Napa’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Charlie Palmer Steak Napa and cracking open the wine list feels like the right move in the right zip code — you're sitting in wine country, and the list knows it. Three hundred to five hundred selections greet you with a confident mix of local heavy-hitters and Old World depth that earns its real estate on the table. This isn't a wine list that's just there to fill space; someone thought hard about it.
The Napa Valley Cabernet section is predictably strong — you'd expect nothing less a few blocks from some of the most famous vineyards on earth — but what keeps things interesting is the genuine Old World presence: Rhône Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Spain, Germany, and Italy all show up with enough seriousness to satisfy anyone who doesn't want to go full California all night. West Coast Pinot Noir gets real coverage up and down the coast, which is a smart call for a steakhouse that also pushes seafood. The standout detail is the direct-from-the-winery back vintages, which give the list actual collectible depth instead of just current-release safe plays. Gaps are minimal — this is a grown-up list.
Twenty by-the-glass options running $12 to $45 is a serious pour program, not the usual six-wines-and-a-rosé routine. The range means you can open with a lighter pour, work up through the meal, and not feel locked into a bottle commitment. We'd love to see more rotation, but the breadth here keeps things from feeling stale.
Peju Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2014 — $28
A Napa Cab at $28 a glass in the middle of wine country is the kind of math that actually works in your favor. Peju is a legitimate Napa producer with a strong estate reputation, and the 2014 vintage was a great year in the valley. This is the glass you order when you want to drink well without doing the post-dinner bill math in your head.
Justin Isosceles Paso Robles 2014
Most tables at a Napa steakhouse are going to tunnel-vision on local Cabernet and never look south. That's their loss. Isosceles is Justin's flagship Bordeaux-style blend from Paso Robles, and the 2014 is drinking beautifully in its window. It's $45 a glass, yes, but it's a wine with serious structure and complexity that tends to get overlooked the moment people see 'Paso Robles' on a Napa menu.
Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Yellow Label Brut MV
At $29 a glass, Veuve Yellow Label is a fine Champagne — but it's also the most default, autopilot Champagne order in existence. You're in Napa. There are more interesting bubbles to explore, and the prestige of the brand here is doing more work than the wine itself. Save the $29 and put it toward something with a story.
Peju Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2014 + Steak
Classic for a reason: a well-structured Napa Cab with the tannin and dark fruit to stand up against a properly seared cut of beef. The 2014 vintage has enough age on it to have softened into something that complements rather than competes. This is the combination Charlie Palmer built the room around.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Charlie Palmer Steak Napa is exactly what a wine-country steakhouse should be — a deep, thoughtful list at prices that don't make you feel robbed, served by people who actually know what's in the bottle. Send your friends here and tell them to order the Peju.
Calistoga · Napa · Seasonal Modern American
TRUSS is a competent, well-staffed wine program that plays to its audience and its address — if you're here for deep cuts or value hunting, lower your expectations and enjoy the views. But if you want a reliable, properly stored Napa-focused list with real sommelier guidance and a solid glass pour selection, this is exactly what it's supposed to be.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Napa · Napa · Italian with California Influence
Ristorante Allegria is a solid, honest wine destination for a downtown Napa dinner — not a list that'll make you gasp, but one that respects the room and the food. Watch the markups on the commodity bottles and lean toward the producers that actually earned their spots on the list.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Yountville · Napa · American comfort food / family-style
Ad Hoc's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a Thomas Keller casual concept: well-curated, California-centric, and priced for people who didn't blink at the reservation. It won't blow your mind, but it'll hold its own against the fried chicken.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Napa · Napa · Contemporary American and Mediterranean-inspired
The CIA at Copia is the rare Napa restaurant where the wine list isn't trying to take your wallet hostage. If you're in downtown Napa and want serious producers at prices that don't require a second mortgage, this is the move.
Solid Range
Steal
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Yountville · Napa · New American
Lucy is a well-run hotel wine program that takes itself seriously — proper glassware, a sommelier who shows up, and a California list with genuine depth. The markups are Napa-level steep, but you're in Yountville; nobody's coming here expecting Brooklyn prices.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Downtown Napa · Napa · Contemporary New American
Torc earns its place at the top of Downtown Napa's wine scene — deep list, smart producers, a sommelier who presumably earned the title. Bring your appetite and a card that can handle a Napa markup, because the wine here is worth the conversation.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Unknown · Bloomington · Steakhouse
LongHorn's wine list exists to check a box, not to elevate your meal. Stick to the Riesling or the Meiomi, enjoy your steak, and don't expect the wine program to be the reason you came.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Unknown · Bloomington · Steakhouse
Logan's Roadhouse is a perfectly fine place to eat a steak and throw peanut shells on the floor — but the wine list is an afterthought, and the markup makes ordering a bottle feel like a small punishment. Stick to one glass of the Riesling or pivot to a beer.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Gulfport · Gulfport · Steakhouse
The Rack House wine list is exactly what a Gulf Coast steakhouse should be — unpretentious, fairly priced, and wide enough by the glass that you don't feel cornered. We'd send a friend here without hesitation, just with the note to skip the Moscato and go straight for the Ste. Michelle.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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