Paris on 14th Street, Wine List Included
Washington · French · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed April 11, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Le Diplomate’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Le Diplomate feels like someone airlifted a corner brasserie straight from the 6th arrondissement and dropped it on 14th Street. The wine list lands with the same confidence — French-forward, focused, and clearly put together by someone who actually cares. This isn't a menu assembled to check a box; it's a menu assembled to make you feel like you're somewhere worth being.
The list runs roughly 250-350 bottles and stays firmly planted in France, which is exactly the right call for a restaurant doing this bit this well. Burgundy gets the most love — Domaine Drouhin and Louis Jadot anchor the reds, while Chablis and Bourgogne Blanc hold down the whites. Bordeaux shows up with serious names like Château Lynch-Bages and Château Pichon Baron for the table that wants to spend, and the Rhône is covered by Chapoutier and Guigal with enough depth to satisfy. Champagne selection is genuinely strong — Billecart-Salmon and Pol Roger alongside grower options like Larmandier-Bernier signal that someone here is paying attention beyond the obvious commercial picks. Loire and Alsace get their due with Henri Bourgeois Sancerre and Trimbach Riesling rounding out a list that covers the French map without feeling scattered.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass is a serious commitment, and Le Diplomate earns it. You can work your way through Vouvray, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Chablis, and Bourgogne Rouge without ever committing to a bottle — a rare freedom at a restaurant running this busy. The glass pours skew affordable in the $16-$24 range, which means you can actually explore the list rather than defaulting to the cheapest white.
Domaine du Clos du Roi Chablis 2021 — $20
Twenty dollars for a proper Chablis by the glass at a packed DC brasserie is a genuine deal. Clean, mineral, and exactly what you want with escargots or a plateau de fruits de mer. Don't overthink it — just order it.
Champagne Larmandier-Bernier Latitude Premier Cru Extra Brut NV
Most tables here are going to reach for Billecart or Pol Roger by reflex, and those are fine choices. But Larmandier-Bernier is a grower Champagne with genuine character — leaner, more mineral, more interesting than the big house stuff — and at $24 a glass it's the smartest pour on the list.
Louis Jadot Burgundy
Louis Jadot is fine — it's always fine — but at a restaurant with this much French depth, ordering a negociant Burgundy you can find at any wine shop feels like a missed opportunity. The list has better options at similar price points; use them.
Château de Tracy Pouilly-Fumé 2022 + Escargots
Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire has the flinty, herb-edged character to cut right through garlic butter without fighting it. The Château de Tracy at $19 a glass makes this one of the better five-dollar decisions you'll make all week.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — one of the better weekly deals in DC for working through a serious French list at approachable prices.
The Bottom Line
Le Diplomate is doing exactly what it should — a focused, France-first list with fair pricing, a sommelier who knows what's in the cellar, and a Wednesday half-price night that should be on your calendar. Send your friends here, especially if they think they don't care about wine.
· Washington · Mediterranean
Zaytinya's wine list is one of the more focused and honest Greek programs you'll find at a mid-to-high scale restaurant in D.C. The by-the-glass selection is wide, the pricing doesn't insult you, and the Greek variety depth is genuinely impressive. If you've been waiting for a reason to finally figure out what Xinomavro tastes like, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Washington · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão's wine list is exactly what a national Brazilian steakhouse chain's wine list looks like: functional, familiar, and priced for margin rather than your benefit. The by-the-glass count is impressive on paper, but most of the options are labels you've seen at your grocery store for a fraction of what they're charging here. If you're coming for the meat — and you should be — stick to the Catena Malbec and enjoy the show.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Washington · Washington · Steak House
A 20-wine by-the-glass list with every pour between $14 and $30, split across four sparkling, six white, two rosé and eight red. With a steak, start with the $26 Clos Duval Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or the $22 Monte Antico Supremus; for the cheapest glass, take the $14 Dr. Loosen Riesling. Pour sizes aren't posted and the page is undated, so confirm today's wines. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown DC · Washington · Steakhouse
A steakhouse beverage menu with 30 wines by the glass and a bottle list that is mostly California, with some France, Italy and Portugal. Start with the $9/glass happy hour Bonanza Cabernet if you arrive in the window, or the Eroica Riesling, the only Riesling on the glass list, and ask for prices because regular wine prices aren't posted. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Georgetown · Washington · Seafood, Steakhouse
An unpriced list that is easier to read for what it offers than for what it costs. If you want Bordeaux, ask for the 2020 Margaux de Brane Cantenac, or look at the Brunello di Montalcino in Sommelier's Selections, and get the price before you commit. This unrated guide covers the posted Beverage Menu, not service, storage or markups.
Washington · Washington · Latin, Vegetarian
A wide-ranging list with 14 wines by the glass from $17 to $95 and a bottle book that runs from $60 to $1,275. Start with the $17 Eichinger Grüner Veltliner or the $20 Pêcheur Trousseau, and ask for the Natural Wines section if you want something low-intervention. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River Market · Kansas City · French
A French-led list with 25 two-price wines up front and a long run of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône bottles behind them. Start with the Chinon Le Garenne at 42 or the Cornas 'Granit 60' at 88, ask which number is the glass price, and confirm prices, since the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Meatpacking District · New York · French
A French wine list with a wide price ladder: $16 glasses, $40 half bottles and $60 full bottles at the bottom, Pétrus and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti at the top. Start with the $16 Famille Coulon Rhône white by the glass, or spend $115 on the Marcel Deiss Alsace pinot noir, and check prices because the two PDFs show different bottle prices for Delos. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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