Emeril's Kitchen Has Serious Cellar Game
· New Orleans · Restaurant · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 6, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Sixty-eight labels isn't a massive list, but Emeril's opens strong — Champagne up front, half-bottles throughout, and aged Napa Cabs that suggest someone actually cares what's sitting in the cellar. The price ceiling at $2,650 tells you this isn't a casual patio pour situation. You're in a serious room.
The white side leans confidently into France — Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet at two levels, Matrot Bourgogne Blanc, Champlou Vouvray, and a Chateau Carbonnieux Blanc from Pessac-Léognan give this list an old-world backbone most New Orleans restaurants don't bother with. The Oregon and Spanish nods (Ovum Sinnerman from Oregon, Do Ferreiro Albariño from Rías Baixas) show range without overextending. Reds are Napa-heavy — Revana, Plumpjack, Cade, and multiple vintages of Opus One — which plays well for the clientele but leaves Burgundy and Rhône fans wanting. The half-bottle program is a genuine differentiator: getting aged Champagne or a proper white Burgundy in a half-bottle at a restaurant is rarer than it should be.
By-the-glass options weren't detailed in the available data, which is itself a mild red flag — a list this size should be shouting its pours. If the glass program mirrors the bottle list, there's potential, but we can't confirm counts or rotation from what's here.
Matrot Bourgogne Blanc, Burgundy 2018 — null
Entry-level village Burgundy from a reliable Meursault producer — this is how you get white Burgundy character without climbing to the Ramonet prices. The 2018 vintage brought richness and weight to the appellation. Worth ordering before you blow the budget upstairs.
Champlou Vouvray, Loire Valley 2020
Vouvray gets ignored on lists dominated by California Chardonnay and Champagne. Champlou is a benchmark Vouvray producer and the 2020 has density and honeyed texture without going full dessert wine. In a room full of Napa Cab drinkers, this is yours for the taking.
Opus One, Napa Valley 2011
Opus One is a fine wine but it is also the most aggressively marked-up label on any American restaurant list. You're paying for the name recognition at a serious premium over retail, and the 2011 vintage — while solid — isn't the reason to spend that money here. Save it for a wine shop.
Do Ferreiro Albariño, Rías Baixas 2018 + Gulf seafood
Rías Baixas Albariño was practically engineered to cut through rich, briny coastal seafood. In New Orleans, that means it belongs next to anything coming out of the Gulf — shrimp, crab, oysters. The 2018 has enough age to soften the acidity without losing its saline edge.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Emeril's wine list punches above its size with smart French selections and a genuine commitment to aged bottles — but the markup is real and the by-the-glass story is unclear. Go in knowing what you want and you'll drink well; go in blind and your wallet may feel the consequences.
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