Paris on 14th Street, Wine List Included
Washington · Washington · French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Le Diplomate’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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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.
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