Santa Monica's Natural Wine Headquarters Done Right
Santa Monica · Los Angeles · Wine bar with Californian small plates and oyster bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Esters Wine Shop & Bar’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Esters feels like someone finally asked a wine-obsessed friend to design a bar — the list lands on the table and it's immediately clear this isn't a restaurant that sells wine, it's a wine shop that happens to feed you. The Art Deco bones give the room a relaxed chicness that doesn't try too hard, and the list itself has the same energy: confident, curious, zero filler.
250-plus labels sounds like a lot until you realize nearly all of them earn their spot. France, Italy, Spain, and California anchor the list, but the real story is the producer curation — Occhipinti, Envinate, Lopez de Heredia, Arnot-Roberts, Dirty & Rowdy — these are names serious drinkers chase down, not filler bottles lifted from a distributor catalog. The natural and small-producer lean is genuine rather than performative, and the geographic range means you're not locked into a single style or worldview. If there's a gap, it's that the New World presence outside California stays thin, but that's a deliberate choice, not an oversight.
Roughly 15 to 20 pours rotate seasonally, which means the list you saw last month may not be the list tonight — in a good way. Prices run $13 to $20 a glass, which for the caliber of producers on this list is genuinely reasonable by Los Angeles standards. The rotation keeps things interesting and rewards repeat visitors who want to work through different regions and styles.
COS Frappato — $58
Frappato from COS is one of Sicily's most food-friendly reds — bright, low tannin, works with everything on the table — and it typically retails around $25-$30. At this price point relative to the competition on this list, it's the bottle that drinks above its weight without making you do math all night.
Jolie-Laide Trousseau Gris
Most people walk past anything labeled Trousseau Gris because they've never heard of it, which is exactly why you should order it. Jolie-Laide is one of the few producers working seriously with this obscure Californian-adopted variety, and the result is a textural, copper-tinged white that sits somewhere between skin-contact and conventional — interesting enough to talk about, easy enough to drink through without thinking too hard.
Lopez de Heredia Viña Cubillo Crianza Rioja 2015
Lopez de Heredia is a legendary producer and Viña Cubillo is a genuinely great wine, but at $72 on the list against a $32 retail price, you're paying a 125% markup for a bottle you can pull off the shelf at any decent wine shop for half the price. Love the wine, hate the math here — save this one for home.
Clos Cibonne Tibouren Rosé Tradition NV + Oysters
Clos Cibonne's Tibouren rosé from Provence has a saline, almost briny minerality that mirrors the oyster bar in the best possible way. It's dry and textured enough to stand up to a half-dozen on the shell without steamrolling the delicate brine. Classic pairing logic, but it works because the wine actually delivers on the premise.
The Bottom Line
Esters is the rare wine bar where the list genuinely reflects a point of view — curious, producer-driven, fairly priced for what it is — and the staff can actually talk you through it. If you're in Santa Monica and care about what's in your glass, this is the first call you make.
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Butchr Bar is doing something genuinely different: a tight, weird, well-priced wine list in a space where you'd expect a refrigerator of craft beer. Go for the Arneis, stay for the field blends, and don't overthink it.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Wine shop & bar
Adams is doing something genuinely rare in LA: a community-anchored wine bar with actual conviction behind the list and staff who can back it up. Send your friends here, especially the ones who think they don't like wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
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Augustine is doing the work: a genuinely eclectic 66-bottle list, half of it available by the glass, with pricing that respects what it's selling. If you like exploring wine without having to commit to a full bottle, this is exactly where you want to be.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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Buvons is for people who already know what natural wine is and want nine well-chosen pours without a 50-page list getting in the way. If that's you, you'll feel right at home.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French Bistro / Wine Bar
Bar Etoile is doing exactly one thing, and it is doing it with conviction — if you want grower Champagne from serious small producers in a French bistro setting, this is your room. If you want options, look elsewhere.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Los Feliz · Los Angeles · Wine Bar
Tabula Rasa is the kind of wine bar that rewards regulars — the list rotates, the prices are fair, and the room alone is worth the visit. We'd send friends here on a Tuesday without hesitation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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