L'Opera Ristorante
Long Beach's most serious Italian wine cellar
Downtown Long Beach · Long Beach · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at L'Opera lands with the kind of weight that makes you slow down and actually read it. This is a 300-500 bottle program that has held a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence since 2017, and you feel that pedigree immediately. California, Italy, and France are the three pillars, and none of them are treated as afterthoughts.
Selection Deep Dive
Italy is the heart of this list — you'll find Antinori Tignanello, Sassicaia, and serious Brunello di Montalcino from both Banfi and Poggio Antico sitting alongside Barolo from Ceretto and the always-commanding Gaja. The California section leans into the classics: Caymus, Opus One, Silver Oak, Far Niente, and Grgich Hills represent the greatest hits of Napa and Sonoma without much adventurousness. France gets a nod through Louis Jadot Burgundy, which holds its own but doesn't quite match the depth of the Italian selections. If you came for old-world Italian firepower, this list delivers; if you were hoping for a Rhône or Loire discovery, look elsewhere.
By the Glass
With 20-35 pours available between $12 and $22, the by-the-glass program is genuinely useful rather than just decorative. That range is wide enough to cover a pre-dinner Chardonnay and a proper red alongside the main course without feeling like you're drinking from the bottom shelf. We'd love to see more rotation and discovery-driven pours, but what's here is solid for an Italian fine dining context.
Louis Jadot Burgundy — $40–$60 range
Jadot is a reliable Burgundy producer that consistently overdelivers at the entry level — in a list that skews toward triple-digit Italian collectibles, a well-priced Jadot is your smartest play for a full bottle with dinner.
Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino
Most tables here reach for the Caymus or Tignanello on autopilot, but Poggio Antico is a Brunello producer that rewards attention — structured, age-worthy, and genuinely exciting in a way that crowd-pleasing Napa Cab just isn't.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine, but at a restaurant with Sassicaia and Gaja on the same list, ordering it feels like flying first class and asking for a Diet Coke. The markup on a name this recognizable rarely leaves you ahead, and the list has far more interesting options at similar or lower prices.
Ceretto Barolo + Osso Buco
Barolo and braised veal shank is one of the great Italian table certainties — the wine's tannin structure and earthy depth cut through the richness of the braise while the shared regional roots (Piedmont and Lombardy, neighbors in the Italian north) make the whole thing feel intentional rather than accidental.
🔥 The Bottom Line
L'Opera is one of the most credible Italian wine programs in Southern California, full stop — the cellar is deep, sommelier Scott Fisher knows his stuff, and the room is built for a long dinner with a serious bottle. The markups lean steep and the list plays it safe on discovery, but if you want to drink Tignanello or a great Brunello in a room that deserves them, this is your place.
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