Sonoma's Backyard, Bottled and Done Right
Healdsburg Plaza · Sonoma · Fine Dining / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 26, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Dry Creek Kitchen’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Six hundred labels in Healdsburg wine country — this is not an accident. Dry Creek Kitchen wears its address like a badge of honor, and the wine list backs it up immediately with a depth and regional focus that makes clear someone here genuinely cares. It reads less like a restaurant wine list and more like a love letter to Sonoma County.
The list is anchored in Sonoma — Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Coast — and it name-drops producers that wine nerds actually get excited about: Rochioli, Williams Selyem, Cobb, Morlet, A. Rafanelli, Donelan. These aren't grocery store fillers or vanity labels; these are wines that take years to source and require relationships to get. There's also a Champagne presence (Palmer & Co Blanc de Noirs out of Reims) that signals the list doesn't just wave the local flag — it knows when to reach across the Atlantic. If there's a gap, it's that 600 labels centered so heavily on one region can feel myopic to someone craving a red Burgundy deep dive, but that's a philosophical quibble, not a real complaint.
Twenty-plus by-the-glass options is genuinely generous for a fine dining room, especially when the pours skew toward serious producers rather than anonymous négociant bottles. We'd expect the glass program to rotate seasonally given the caliber of the list — a place stocking 2021 Cobb Riesling isn't pouring it by accident. That said, we don't have confirmed rotation details, so treat this as a high-probability upside rather than a guarantee.
2021 A. Rafanelli Merlot, Dry Creek Valley — Unknown
Rafanelli is a cult Dry Creek producer with a mailing list that most people never crack. Getting their Merlot on a restaurant list at any price is a coup — and drinking it five minutes from the vineyard is the whole point of being in Healdsburg.
2021 Cobb Riesling, Abigail's Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Most people scroll past Riesling at a Sonoma restaurant assuming it's an afterthought. A Cobb Riesling from Abigail's Vineyard is anything but — it's a cold-climate, site-driven white from one of the Coast's most meticulous producers, and it will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about California Riesling.
MV Palmer & Co Blanc de Noirs, Reims, Champagne
Palmer & Co is a solid cooperative Champagne but it's widely available and not exactly an undiscovered gem. In a room full of Rochioli and Williams Selyem, spending up on a Champagne that you can find at a decent wine shop feels like leaving money on the table. Order something you can only get here.
2018 Donelan Syrah Cuvée Christine, Sonoma County + Grilled or roasted meat entrée
Donelan's Cuvée Christine is a Northern Rhône-style Syrah with enough savory backbone and dark fruit weight to stand up to anything coming off a serious grill or roast. In a New American kitchen with access to premium local proteins, this is the bottle you order when you want the wine to match the moment.
The Bottom Line
Dry Creek Kitchen is the rare restaurant where the wine list is genuinely worth the trip on its own merits — deep, local, curated by someone with taste and access. If you're in Sonoma and you care about wine, this is a must.
· Sonoma · California and Mediterranean
Sante is doing more with its wine list than the average hotel restaurant bothers to — 120 labels anchored in Northern California producers, 25 by-the-glass options with real range, and picks like Failla Sonoma Coast Pinot and Denner Nightshade that signal genuine curation. The steep markup at the top end is real, and the lack of any structured specials program means you're paying full freight every time — but if you order thoughtfully, there's genuinely good wine to be found here.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
· Sonoma · French bistro
Bistro Ralph is exactly what a wine-country neighborhood bistro should be: unpretentious, locally rooted, and honest about what it is. We can't call out specific bottles from what's available, but the Sonoma-forward identity and relaxed room make this a solid stop for a glass or two alongside the chicken paillard or pot de crème. Come for the setting, stay for the wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · California and Mediterranean
Sunflower Caffe isn't trying to compete with the big resort wine lists down the road, and that's exactly why it works. The list is small, local, fairly priced, and built around bubbles — which, in Sonoma, is actually a smart and honest choice. If you want a deep cellar or a Burgundy rabbit hole, go elsewhere; if you want a glass of Scribe Nouveau Pinot Noir on what is presumably a lovely patio, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · California and New American
Sonoma Valley Farmhouse runs a tight, thoughtful list that punches above its size. The all-by-the-glass format and fair pricing make it easy to drink well without a game plan, and the producer selection — Bedrock, Lasseter, Talisman, Albini — reflects someone who actually cares about what ends up in your glass. If you're in Sonoma and want to drink local without getting gouged, this is a genuinely solid stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · Food Truck / New American
The Fig Rig is the kind of place that should not have a wine list this good, and that's exactly what makes it worth seeking out. Fair prices, genuine range, and a clear Rhône-forward point of view — if you're in Sonoma and skeptical of the usual tourist-trap markups, this is where we'd send you first.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · French and California
Cafe La Haye has assembled a 63-bottle list that punches well above its count — thoughtful French-California crossover, honest pricing on most of the list, and enough unusual picks (Gaudron Chenin Blanc, Pangloss White Rhone, grower Champagne from Pierre Paillard) to suggest real curation rather than default distributor choices. If you're in Sonoma and want a wine list that respects both the region and your intelligence, this is a reliable stop — with enough Wild Card energy to keep it interesting.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Newport · Fine Dining / New American
Castle Hill's wine list is a quiet overachiever in a setting that could easily get away with doing far less. The by-the-glass depth is real, the format variety is a genuine bonus, and the Lustau Fino alone justifies scanning the list carefully. Prices trend steep as you'd expect from a waterfront inn, but the curation earns some goodwill — just don't autopilot to the Cabernet.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Monterey · Fine Dining / New American
Foray's wine list is the rare kind that rewards the curious and doesn't punish the budget-conscious — a Picpoul at $15 and Krug at $195 can coexist on the same list without the whole thing feeling schizophrenic. The eclectic regional reach, fair markups, and genuinely unusual picks like the Armenian Yacoubian-Hobbs earn this a Wild Card badge: it's not the deepest list on the Central Coast, but it's easily the most interesting one in Monterey. If you care about what's in your glass, this is the right room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
· Medford · Fine Dining / New American
Alchemy is doing something genuinely interesting in Southern Oregon — a sparkling-centric wine program with real depth and fair pricing that you wouldn't necessarily expect to find in Medford. If bubbles are your language, this list is worth the trip.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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