Boston's Best Cellar, No Argument Accepted
Back Bay · Boston · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 5, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Grill 23 & Bar’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Grill 23 lands on the table like a small novel — 1,800 to 2,200 selections deep, organized with the kind of precision that tells you immediately this place takes its cellar seriously. Wine Spectator has handed out Grand Awards here every year since 2017, and one look at the list tells you why. This isn't a steakhouse that happens to have wine; it's a wine program that happens to serve excellent beef.
California and Burgundy anchor the list with heavy hitters — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, Kistler — but the depth extends well beyond the obvious flex picks. Piedmont is genuinely excellent with both Giacomo Conterno and Gaja represented, and the Rhône section features E. Guigal's La Landonne, which is exactly the kind of producer that separates a real list from a trophy case. Germany and Champagne round things out smartly: Egon Müller's Scharzhofberger alongside Krug and Salon means you can open a meal as well as you can close it. The Loire and Alsace sections are quieter but present, giving the list geographic range that most Boston restaurants don't bother with.
Forty to sixty options by the glass is an almost absurd number to maintain well, but a four-person sommelier team — Paul Lee, Tori Testa, Katie Stotler, and Erik Cancelmo — keeps things rotating and current. Pours run $14 to $30, which is honest money for Back Bay and the quality being offered. If you're flying solo at the bar or just want to graze across a few regions before dinner, the BTG program is one of the better reasons to sit down here.
Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2020 — $195
Yes, $195 is real money, but Egon Müller Kabinett at any restaurant is a relative steal compared to what they charge for their Spätlese and Auslese tiers. This wine has the tension and precision to cut right through a rich ribeye, and most tables will walk right past it for a Napa Cab — their loss, your gain.
E. Guigal La Landonne Côte-Rôtie
Everyone at this table is ordering Burgundy or Napa. La Landonne is one of the great Syrah-based wines on earth — dark, smoky, structured, and built to handle a dry-aged steak in a way that a delicate Pinot simply can't. It's also the kind of bottle that makes the sommelier noticeably happy when you order it, which is usually a good sign.
Opus One 2020
At $425 a bottle, Opus One is doing exactly what Opus One always does — trading on its Mondavi-Rothschild pedigree at a price point that reflects the brand more than what's in the glass. There are better Napa Cabernets on this list for less money, and the sommeliers here know that. Ask them.
Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo 2019 + Dry-aged bone-in ribeye
Barbaresco at its best has the acidity and tannin structure to match fatty, intensely flavored beef without either overpowering the other. Gaja's Sori San Lorenzo brings enough fruit and complexity to hold its own against a serious dry-aged cut, and at $375 it's one of the more interesting value plays relative to what else is on offer at this level.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — one of the better kept secrets in Boston dining. A list this deep at half price is genuinely worth planning a week around.
The Bottom Line
Grill 23 is the real deal — a Boston institution with a cellar that earns every bit of its Wine Spectator Grand Award and a sommelier team that actually wants to help you spend your money well. Markups run steep across the board, but for a list this deep and a room this serious about wine, we'd send anyone here without hesitation.
· Boston · Steakhouse
The Palm Boston's wine list reads like someone handed a natural wine buyer a steakhouse budget and said 'do something interesting' — and they did, with six well-chosen bottles at prices that won't wreck your evening. It's too small to call it a destination for wine, but it's too good to ignore if you're already here for dinner. Ask about what's available by the glass and go straight for the Crochet Sancerre.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Seaport · Boston · Upscale American Steakhouse
Eddie Merlot's is a reliable date-night or business-dinner destination in the Seaport, and the wine program is functional enough to get the job done — but markup at this category of steakhouse tends to run steep, and the list probably isn't going to surprise you. If you're here for the Prime ribeye, order a glass of whatever Cab is open and don't overthink it; if you're here specifically to drink well, we'd want to see the actual list before making promises.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Back Bay · Boston · Contemporary American with International Influences
Ramsay's Kitchen is a reliable wine stop in the sense that you won't be embarrassed — the sommelier is there, the glassware is fine, and the list covers the bases. But at Back Bay price points with a celebrity premium baked in, you're paying for the room as much as the bottle. Go in with a food-first mindset, lean on the sommelier for guidance, and temper expectations on getting a steal.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North End · Boston · Italian, Steakhouse
A broad list with 29 glass pours, Italian and American bottle sections, and a From the Vault section that goes well into four figures. Start with the 2021 Mauro Molino Barolo at $26 a glass or the Batasiolo Gavi di Gavi at $15, and confirm vintages, since the list says they are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Back Bay · Boston · Seafood
A 12-page wine book that runs from $12 glasses to a $945 Opus One, with six- and nine-ounce pours for the still wines by the glass. Start with the $12 six-ounce Foral Alvarinho, or order the $59 Sur Lie Muscadet by the bottle, and confirm vintages before you go. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Back Bay · Boston · Contemporary Italian
An Italian-led list with bottles into the thousands and a glass page that gives you a way in. Order the $33 Giacosa Fratelli Barolo 2019 by the glass, or step up to a Coravin pour like the $54 Patrizia Cencioni Brunello di Montalcino 2018, and confirm prices before you go. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
· McLean · American Steakhouse
We don't fully understand how a six-bottle list this good ended up at The Palm Tysons Corner, but here we are. If you're eating here and care about wine at all, this list deserves your attention — especially that Sancerre at $23. It's a small program, but it's a thoughtful one, and in a category full of lazy steakhouse lists, that counts for a lot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· The Woodlands · American Steakhouse
We're working with event-night evidence, not a full house list, so drawing firm conclusions about Del Frisco's Grille's everyday wine program would be dishonest. What we can say is that a six-wine promotional dinner built around one producer family isn't a reason to make this your wine destination. Come for the steakhouse experience — but don't expect the wine list to be the main event.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Ashburn · American Steakhouse
Eddie Merlot's is a dependable upscale steakhouse that delivers on the beef side of the equation. The wine program appears to be functional rather than inspired — a crowd-pleasing list built to sell confidently, not to excite. If you're coming for a business dinner or a straightforward date night and want a Napa Cab with your prime-aged ribeye, you'll be just fine. If you want something to talk about on the drive home, you might need to bring your own bottle or do a little pre-visit homework.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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