Trophy Bottles and Tuesday Deals in the Alps
Aspen · American
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Cloud Nine’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Cloud Nine lands in Aspen's rarefied air with a wine list that makes no apologies for who it's courting — this is a room full of people who just got off a private flight, and the list is dressed accordingly. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (held since 2022) signals that someone here actually cares, and with sommelier Alex Sunseri on staff, you're not flying blind. The mountain views and sleek room set expectations high, and the wine program mostly meets them.
The list leans hard into France — Burgundy and Bordeaux dominate, with names like Domaine Armand Rousseau, Château Lafite Rothschild, and the obligatory DRC appearance. It's a prestige-forward curation that reads more like a flex than an exploration; you're not going to find an unexpected Jura producer or a Slovenian orange wine lurking in the back pages. Guigal's Côte-Rôtie La Landonne and Sassicaia from Tuscany round out the heavy hitters with a nod toward broader European ambition. For a list with this much firepower, the range feels narrow — it's all bull's-eyes, no curveballs.
Specific by-the-glass options weren't available during our research, which is a gap worth noting — in a room priced at this level, a strong and rotating glass program is table stakes. What we do know is that Alex Sunseri is running the floor, so ask directly; the right answer is probably one conversation away. The half-price wine night on Tuesdays is the real headline here — more on that below.
Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2019 — $650
In a list dominated by four-figure Burgundy and Bordeaux royalty, La Landonne is the closest thing to a relative deal — it's one of the Northern Rhône's most serious wines, and at $650 it won't feel cheap, but on a Tuesday at half price you're looking at $325 for a bottle that holds its own against anything else on this list.
Sassicaia 2020
Super Tuscans get overshadowed when DRC and Pétrus are in the room, but Sassicaia 2020 is a fantastic vintage from one of Italy's benchmark estates. Most tables here are chasing French prestige and walk right past it — don't be that table.
Pétrus 2019
At $3,800 a bottle with no retail anchor to check the markup against, this is a leap of faith we're not ready to make. Pétrus is always going to be expensive, but without transparency on what you're actually paying above retail, it's a blank check signed in Merlot.
Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin 2018 + Wagyu beef tartare
Rousseau's Chambertin is silky, complex, and built on a foundation of red fruit and earth — it doesn't overpower raw beef, it converses with it. The richness of Wagyu tartare needs something with structure and depth, not weight, and this is that wine.
Tuesday — Half-price wine on Tuesdays — a legitimately rare offer at this price tier. This is the move. Book accordingly.
The Bottom Line
Cloud Nine is a trophy-list restaurant in a trophy-list town, and it earns its Wild Card badge for keeping things interesting with a real sommelier, a legitimate French focus, and a Tuesday half-price program that's practically criminal at this level. If you're not dining on Tuesday, go in with eyes open on price — but go in.
Downtown · Aspen · Cafe / Wine-Friendly
This is a Wild Card in the truest sense — a museum rooftop café with no sommelier and steep markups that still manages to stock Lapierre, William Fevre Grand Cru, and Pierre Peters. The prices will get you, but the list itself deserves credit. Come for the view, stay for the Gruner.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / The Little Nell · Aspen · Wine Bar / Lounge
Element 47 is the rare mountain resort wine program that could hold its own in any major city — 3,300 labels, proper storage, knowledgeable staff, and glassware that actually fits the wine. Prices are high because Aspen is high, but if you're going to spend serious money on a bottle somewhere, this is a place that respects the investment.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Aspen · Bar / Mexican
Las Montañas is the rare bar where the wine list deserves more attention than the cocktail menu — a sommelier-curated, California-forward selection with enough Pacific Northwest surprises to keep things interesting. Aspen markups are what they are, but the quality and intentionality here are real.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Aspen · Upscale Italian (Milanese café and restaurant)
Sant Ambroeus Aspen is a genuinely good Italian wine program wearing a resort-town price tag — the producers are real, the Franciacorta selection alone is worth your attention, and the staff actually knows what's on the list. Just go in knowing you're paying Aspen rates for everything, and let that Bellavista do its thing.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / St. Regis · Aspen · Lounge / Mediterranean
Snow Lodge delivers exactly what a St. Regis resort lounge should: proper glassware, knowledgeable staff, and a list that won't embarrass anyone. Just don't come looking for discovery — this list is built for comfort, and the markups reflect the altitude in more ways than one.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / St. Regis · Aspen · Mountain American / Hotel Restaurant
Velvet Buck is a reliable, well-run hotel wine program doing exactly what a St. Regis in Aspen is supposed to do — impress people without surprising them. If you're after adventure, look elsewhere; if you're after a great glass of Far Niente after a day on the mountain, you're in the right place.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Bellevue · American
13 Coins Bellevue earns its Wild Card badge by being a late-night diner that actually cares enough about wine to stock a geographically diverse list — not groundbreaking, but genuinely unexpected for the format. If Sunday happy hour is your move, this place becomes a legitimately fun spot to drink Washington wine over a Caesar salad at 11pm, which is a sentence we didn't think we'd be writing.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Newport News · American
Cheddar's is a casual comfort-food chain, and the wine list reflects exactly that level of ambition — none. Order a beer or a cocktail and save the wine conversation for somewhere that wants to have it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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