Champagne Obsession With Serious Depth
Santa Monica · Los Angeles · French-leaning fine dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Citrin’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Open the wine list at Citrin and the first thing that hits you is: this place has a Champagne problem — and we mean that as a compliment. What could easily be a rote fine dining list turns out to be a near-obsessive deep dive into prestige cuvées, with multiple vintages of Philipponnat Clos des Goisses and Krug stacked like a collector's cellar. It's a bold statement of intent.
At 78 labels, this isn't a sprawling list — but what Citrin lacks in breadth it makes up for in vertical depth. The Champagne section alone is a masterclass: four consecutive vintages of Philipponnat Clos des Goisses (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014), three consecutive Krug editions (170th, 171st, 172nd), three vintages of Cristal (2002, 2004, 2015), and a Dom Pérignon run from 2006 through 2015 including the P2 2004. Bollinger R.D. 2007, Salon Blanc de Blancs 2013, and Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2006 round out a section that would embarrass most dedicated wine bars. Beyond Champagne the data gets thinner — the 78-label total suggests other categories exist but the list's clear center of gravity is sparkling France.
By-the-glass specifics aren't documented in what we have, and given the prestige-heavy nature of the bottle list, we'd expect a small, carefully curated pour program rather than a sprawling BTG menu. If you're going to drink here without committing to a bottle, ask your server what's open — at a place this focused, whatever's pouring will likely be worth it.
The Bottom Line
Citrin isn't trying to be all things to all wine drinkers — it's built a serious Champagne cellar and committed to it. If you're celebrating, curious about prestige cuvée verticals, or just want to drink the good stuff with a great meal, this list rewards you. Come with a budget and a plan.
· Los Angeles · California small plates
If this four-wine snapshot is the full extent of AOC's current public-facing wine program, it doesn't come close to living up to the restaurant's wine bar billing. The pricing is fair and the Vinho Verde earns its spot, but four uniform options with no dish context and no visible deeper list is not what you go to a place called AOC expecting. Come for the reputation — just hope the full list is hiding somewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian Seafood
Marea Beverly Hills brings genuine depth and regional curiosity to a wine list that could have easily coasted on crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and overpriced Super Tuscans — and it didn't. The markups are high, as expected for this zip code, and without clearer intel on staff knowledge or specials programming, the full experience is harder to guarantee. But the list itself earns serious respect, and if you navigate it well — start with the Strasserhof, finish with the Rossese — you'll drink far better than most tables around you.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Prime rib and steakhouse
Lawry's is a Los Angeles institution and the prime rib is genuinely the point — the wine list exists to support that experience, not steal the show. If you hit the weekday happy hour window between 5 and 6 PM, you might find the value equation improves considerably. Come for the beef, enjoy whatever Cab they pour, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian and French Café
Bottega Louie West Hollywood is a solid, reliable choice when you want wine that doesn't distract from the occasion — the room, the company, the cannoli. The Sunday half-price glass program is the single most compelling reason to choose this spot specifically for wine, and we'd encourage you to use it. Just don't expect the list to surprise you; this is a place that knows its audience and plays to them without apology.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Italian pasta
Cento is a destination for the pasta first, and the wine list seems to know its supporting role without phoning it in. We'd want a verified menu in hand before steering you toward specific bottles, but the regional focus and the evident care in the room give us real confidence this isn't a place that treats wine as an afterthought. Go for the spicy pomodoro, ask what's pouring by the glass, and let the night unfold.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · French tasting menu
Mélisse is a destination for Champagne completists willing to pay fine dining prices for the privilege of choosing between four Philipponnat vintages or three Krug editions in a single sitting. But if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of a French tasting menu — with depth across regions and styles — the narrowness here will leave you wanting. Come for the bubbles, manage your expectations for everything else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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