Santa Monica's Natural Wine Headquarters Done Right
Santa Monica · Los Angeles · Wine bar with Californian small plates and oyster bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 21, 2026 · How we review
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.
· Los Angeles · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão's wine list isn't trying to be a destination — it's trying to support a meat-forward meal without emptying your wallet, and it largely succeeds. The South American focus makes geographic sense, the pricing is fair for LA, and there are a few genuinely good bottles hiding in a otherwise safe list. If you're going for the full churrasco experience, grab the Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc or the Catena Alta Chardonnay and let the gauchos do the rest.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian
Il Cielo punches above its list size with some genuinely smart Italian picks and pricing that — especially on the Barolo — borders on generous. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a thoughtful one, and in Beverly Hills that's worth something. If you're going for a special occasion bottle, head straight to the Piedmont and Montalcino section and don't look back.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian
A big-ticket Italian and Napa list with a genuine glass section: 14 wines by the glass from $15 to $85, then 89 bottles from $55 to $3,000. Start with the Prunotto Barolo at $30 a glass, or the Guidalberto at $145 if you want a Bolgheri bottle, and confirm prices because the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks page, not service, storage or markups.
Westwood · Los Angeles · American, Steakhouse
A Cabernet-first list with 30 glasses and a long bottle book, but no wine prices posted online. If you want a known price, the $9 happy hour Bonanza Cabernet by Caymus is the one posted figure, and if you want to step away from Cabernet, try the Il Bruciato Super Tuscan by the glass. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Hollywood · Los Angeles · Neapolitan Italian, Pizza
An all-Italian list that runs from a $50 Bardolino to a $300 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, with 15 wines poured by the glass. Start with the 18 / 72 Rocca del Principe Fiano di Avellino next to the $25 Margherita, or the 16 / 64 Primo Monte orange Trebbiano if you want something off the Chianti track, and confirm prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French-inspired, New American
A 19-wine glass list where 17 pours land between $14 and $18. Start with the $13 Noble Vines Pinot Grigio or the $14 Intercept Pinot Noir, and put the $17 French onion soup next to a $52 bottle of Whispering Angel; confirm prices, since the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp