Circa 1886

Circa 1886 hands you a multi-page document that opens with Champagne and doesn't let up. The sparkling section runs from Veuve Clicquot and Drappier to grower-style Chapuy Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru. Whites cover Rombauer and Brewer-Clifton on the New World side with French regions well represented. The red list is the backbone: California Cabernet deep (Jordan, Silver Oak, Stonestreet, Trione), Oregon Pinot serious (Belle Glos, Dutton-Goldfield, Failla, Nicolas-Jay), and Italian reds covering Chianti, Barolo, and Amarone. By the glass, you get Illi Prosecco at $13, Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc at $15, Hartford Court Pinot Noir at $20, and Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove via Coravin at $32. The half-bottle list is a separate page covering Barolo, Amarone, and serious Pinot Noir in 375ml, which is ideal for tasting-menu pairing without committing to full bottles. A working estimate puts the total list between 250 and 400 SKUs. This is a program with infrastructure.

Three things separate Circa 1886 from restaurants that just have big lists. First, the Coravin program opens premium wines by the glass that you'd normally need a full bottle for, including Super Tuscans. Second, a dedicated half-bottle list lets two-tops build mini-pairings across a tasting menu without financial ruin. Third, a named sommelier featured in the restaurant's own communications signals that wine guidance is part of the experience, not an afterthought. Star Wine List recognizes the program. Markups are classic fine-dining steep, but the mid-tier is where value lives: Belle Glos Dairyman Pinot at $78 is solid if retail sits in the mid-$30s. The half-bottle Barolo and Amarone at $54-65 are the move for tasting-menu nights.