Tacos, Margaritas, and a Serious Wine List
Downtown · Aspen · Bar / Mexican
Reviewed July 27, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Las Montañas Bar Area’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into what looks like a lively taco-and-margarita spot in downtown Aspen and then the wine list lands on the table. Ninety-plus labels, a sommelier on staff, and a 2017 Harlan Estate sitting at the top of the page — this is not what you ordered. The cognitive dissonance is part of the charm.
The list leans hard into California, which is the right call: Heitz Cellar and Matthiasson cover the Napa Cabernet bases at very different price points, while Santa Barbara Pinot gets two strong representatives in Hitching Post and Tyler. What elevates this beyond a standard steakhouse wine play is the Pacific Northwest presence — Martin Woods is doing something genuinely interesting with Grüner Veltliner in Oregon, and Analemma's Godello from the Columbia River Gorge is the kind of wine that makes you stop mid-taco and ask questions. The list is compact, but it has range and a clear point of view. Gaps exist — don't come looking for deep European coverage — but what's here feels intentional.
Nineteen by-the-glass options pulling from six different countries is a legitimately impressive spread for a bar program, let alone one attached to a Mexican-leaning kitchen. We don't have confirmed pour prices, but in Aspen's midrange restaurant tier you're looking at $14–$32 a glass, which tracks with the bottle range. The international breadth of the BTG list suggests the sommelier is using it as a discovery tool, not just a clearinghouse for house pours.
Tyler Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County — Bottle pricing not confirmed
Tyler consistently punches above its price bracket in Santa Barbara Pinot — bright, precise, and food-friendly enough to handle a full taco spread without overpowering it. It's the move here if you're splitting a bottle with the table.
Analemma Godello, Columbia River Gorge
Godello from the Columbia River Gorge is a sentence that shouldn't exist and yet here we are. Analemma is one of the more compelling small producers in the Pacific Northwest and this wine — lean, mineral, with real aromatic complexity — is the kind of thing you'd never expect to find next to a queso dip. Order it before someone else does.
2017 Harlan Estate Red Blend, Napa Valley
At $3,400 a bottle, Harlan Estate is a flex play in a casual bar environment where the surrounding atmosphere, glassware, and table energy don't match what the wine deserves. Save this for a setting that can do it justice — or at minimum, a night when you're not sharing a table next to the margarita station.
Martin Woods Grüner Veltliner, Oregon + Guacamole
Grüner's signature white pepper snap and citrus-driven acidity cut right through the richness of guacamole while picking up on the lime and herb notes in the bowl. It's a pairing that sounds odd on paper and tastes completely obvious once you try it.
The Bottom Line
Las Montañas is the rare bar where the wine list deserves more attention than the cocktail menu — a sommelier-curated, California-forward selection with enough Pacific Northwest surprises to keep things interesting. Aspen markups are what they are, but the quality and intentionality here are real.
· Aspen · Seafood and Oyster Bar
Clark's Oyster Bar Aspen earns the Wild Card badge by doing something almost no oyster bar does: ditching the dry wine playbook entirely and building a focused, globally-sourced dessert wine list with real producers at fair prices. It's a bizarre and commendable choice. Come for the oysters, stay for the Madeira — just don't expect a Muscadet to wash them down.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Aspen · Hotel dining
MOLLIE runs one of the most thoughtful compact lists in Aspen, and the all-by-the-glass format means you can drink your way through France without committing to a bottle. The pricing is fair for the altitude and the address, and the curation punches above a typical hotel program. If you're passing through and want a smart glass of wine without a thesis-length wine list, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Aspen · Historic hotel dining
Hotel Jerome's Living Room list is a pleasant surprise in a market where hotel wine programs often coast on tourist ignorance and Famous Names. The selection is short but curated, with enough Old World intrigue — the Vajra Barbera, the Quintodecimo, the Bandol rosé — to reward the curious. Markups are real and Aspen-appropriate, so set your expectations accordingly. If you're staying at the hotel or catching a drink after a ski day, you'll drink well here without feeling insulted.
Small but Thoughtful
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Acceptable
· Aspen · Italian
Mezzaluna's wine list is a missed opportunity in a town that could easily support something far more interesting. The markups are real — Santa Margherita at $64 and Joel Gott Cab at $60 are doing the heavy lifting on margin — and the selection never ventures beyond brands your parents recognize. If you're eating here, drink the Frescobaldi or the Ruffino Riserva and call it a night; don't expect the list to surprise you.
Grocery Store
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Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Aspen · Seasonal New American
AspenX Beach Club is exactly what it advertises: a spectacle first, a wine program second. There's a sommelier on staff and the Champagne-and-rosé focus is at least intentional and coherent, but pricing at this address in this atmosphere is going to sting. Go for the experience, order something cold and bubbly, and don't stress about the list — that's clearly not the point.
Plays It Safe
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Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Aspen · Japanese-Peruvian
Nobu Aspen's wine list won't win awards for depth or value, but it earns respect for its unexpected Australian backbone and a by-the-glass program that actually has range and structure. If you're dropping serious money at this address anyway, lean into the Swinney Grenache or the Domaine Laroche Chablis — someone cared enough to put them there.
Small but Thoughtful
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One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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