Brickell's Bordeaux and California Power Play
Brickell · Miami · American, French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Lafayette lands with weight — physically and symbolically. A 300-500 bottle program anchored in California Cabernet and Bordeaux tells you exactly what kind of restaurant this is: somewhere that takes the steak as seriously as the wine that goes with it. The art-forward, architecturally dramatic room in the heart of Brickell sets expectations high, and the list mostly delivers.
California and France are the twin pillars here, and they're built thick. You'll find Opus One, Stag's Leap CASK 23, Ridge Monte Bello, Silver Oak, Caymus Special Selection, and Jordan all sharing real estate with Chateau Margaux, Lynch-Bages, and Leoville-Barton — that's a credible Bordeaux section by any measure. The depth is real but it skews heavily toward crowd-pleasing icons; if you're hunting for anything outside Napa and the Left Bank, you're going to feel the walls close in quickly. Wine Spectator handed them a Best of Award of Excellence in 2025, and looking at the list, it's deserved — this is a serious program, just not a particularly adventurous one.
With 20 to 40 by-the-glass options, Lafayette is more generous than most steakhouses at this price point. The pours likely mirror the bottle list — California-heavy, Bordeaux-leaning — which means solid options but not much room for spontaneity. We'd love to see a few more rotating selections to keep the program from feeling static.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $60–$80 (est.)
Jordan consistently overdelivers for its price tier. At a restaurant where Opus One and Margaux dominate the upper shelves, Jordan is the move if you want serious Alexander Valley Cab without the four-digit hangover.
Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot
Everyone in a steakhouse wants Cab, and Duckhorn Merlot gets overlooked for exactly that reason. It's a shame — this is a genuinely complex, age-worthy wine that holds its own against any ribeye on the menu and typically prices out more reasonably than its Napa Cab neighbors.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus Special Selection is a fine wine, but it's also one of the most heavily marked-up labels in American restaurant programs. You're paying a premium for a name that every table in the room already knows. The juice is good; the value equation at restaurant pricing is not.
Chateau Lynch-Bages + Steak
Lynch-Bages is everything you want from a Pauillac with a great cut of beef — structured tannins, cassis, cedar, and enough acidity to cut through the fat. It's the classic combination executed at a restaurant built specifically for it.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Lafayette is a steakhouse wine list done right — deep in the regions that matter for big red meat meals, stocked with names that earn their reputations, and serious enough to land a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in its first year. The markups are real and there's no sommelier to guide you through it, but if you know what you want, you'll find it here.
Miami · Miami · Mediterranean
Casa Neos earns its Wine Spectator nod with a focused, well-executed list guided by someone who clearly knows wine — just know the markups are Miami-level and plan accordingly. Send a friend here who wants a serious wine experience alongside serious Mediterranean food; they won't leave disappointed.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Brickell · Miami · Mexican
Chateau ZZ's is the kind of place where the setting does half the work and the sommeliers do the other half — if you let them. The list may not be adventurous, but it's professionally managed, properly stored, and served in a room that makes even a straightforward Chardonnay feel like an event.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Miami · Miami · Steak house
Hereford Grill earned its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence on the back of a respectable, if predictable, California-focused cellar that does exactly one thing well: getting a serious Cab on the table next to a serious steak. If you're hunting for discovery or value, look elsewhere — but if you want a classic steakhouse wine experience with Venezuelan flair on the plate, this delivers.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Miami · Miami · Italian, Steakhouse
Sofia is a polished Italian-steakhouse with real ambition behind the wine list — the Italian producers are legit and the Wednesday half-price night is one of the better deals in Miami. Just go in knowing you're paying for the room as much as the wine, and order accordingly.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Miami · Miami · American
Michael's Genuine earned its Wine Spectator nod with a French-focused list that's more considered than most Miami restaurants bother to be. It's not a destination wine experience, but it's a genuinely reliable place to drink well while eating well — and in this city, that counts for a lot.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
South Beach · Miami · Asian
Lucky Cat earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence on the strength of solid French producers, even if the list plays it a bit safe for a restaurant this loud and bold. Send a friend here for Champagne and sashimi — just don't expect the wine program to keep up with the room's ambition.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Huntly · Huntly · American, French
Houndstooth is the kind of place you'd never stumble across, which is exactly why we're telling you about it. Drive out, let someone else drive back, and let the list do the work.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Huntington Beach · Huntington Beach · American, French
Henry's is a reliable, well-tended California wine program with a genuine expert behind it — not flashy, but consistently good. If you're eating on PCH and want a bottle that was actually chosen with care, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
West Fargo · West Fargo · American, French
Maxwells is the kind of wine program that earns real respect in context — a thoughtfully stocked, sommelier-guided list in a city where 'wine program' often means a Merlot and a Pinot Grigio. If you're passing through West Fargo or lucky enough to live there, this is where you drink.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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