Estéban Restaurant

The wine list at Estéban is short — 16 labels — but it earns its keep with a tight regional story: Monterey County locals sitting alongside a handful of Spanish bottles that actually make sense on a tapas menu. It's not trying to be a wine destination, and that honesty is kind of refreshing. What catches our eye immediately is how deliberately the list mirrors the cuisine rather than just defaulting to California's greatest hits.

The white side of the list is the strongest corner: Scheid Vineyards Grenache Blanc from Monterey County is an unexpected move, and Morgadio Legado del Conde Albariño from Rías Baixas is a genuinely smart call alongside a Spanish kitchen. On the red side, Joyce Submarine Canyon Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highlands keeps things local and credible, while the Montana Crianza Rioja adds a second Spanish anchor that works hard for the concept. Gaps exist — no Tempranillo outside the Rioja, no Garnacha, no Verdejo — but for 16 labels, the curation shows more thought than most hotel restaurants muster. The California-heavy middle section does lean toward crowd-pleasers like Hahn Chardonnay and Flume Crossing Sauvignon Blanc, which feel a little safe given how interesting the edges of the list get.

Six to eight pours by the glass is a workable range for a list this size, and the Sunday Shucking Social cuts bottle prices in half, which effectively transforms the whole program into a by-the-glass bargain one night a week. We'd push toward the whites on glass pours — the Sauvignon Blancs and the Albariño in particular shine in this format with oysters in hand. Rotation and seasonal updates aren't well-documented, so don't expect the glass list to surprise you on a second visit.