Gram & Dun

The list at Gram & Dun reads like a confident steakhouse-adjacent program — heavy on California Cabs, a few smart European anchors, and just enough Oregon Pinot to signal they're paying attention. Seventy-five labels is a reasonable depth for this kind of room, and the price ceiling of $95 on most bottles keeps things accessible before you hit the trophy shelf. That said, the upper tier escalates fast, and the jump from $65 Chianti to $475 Opus One feels like a gap you could drive a truck through.

The California backbone is strong — Chateau Montelena, Sea Smoke Southing, Chappellet Pritchard Hill, and the VinZant house labels give the list real credibility across Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cab. Oregon gets a nod with the Ken Wright Carter Vineyards Pinot and the Cortell-VinZant, which is a nice touch for a Kansas City-area list that could easily ignore the Willamette entirely. Italy shows up with a pair of Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riservas and an Andremily Santa Barbara red that sneaks in some character. The glaring gap is the Old World depth — beyond Chianti and a Macon Villages Chardonnay, France and the rest of Europe are largely absent.

The by-the-glass program spans a wide range of styles — rosé, sparkling, Chardonnay, Pinot, and Cab are all represented — which is more than most comparable spots in this market offer. Prices run $9 to $26 a glass, and the VinZant Sentinel Cab at the top of that range is the most interesting pour if you're only having one. The selection feels curated enough to navigate without a wine list interrogation, though rotation appears minimal.