Chang's Chinatown Joint Hides a Serious Cellar
Chinatown · Los Angeles · Asian, Californian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Majordōmo’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into a loud, industrial Chinatown warehouse expecting sake and Tsingtao, and then the wine list lands on the table — 400-plus bottles deep, with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Château Rayas sitting next to California cult Pinots. It's a genuine double-take moment. This is not the wine list that belongs here, and that's exactly the point.
The list is anchored in France, California, and Italy, and each pillar is built with real intention. Burgundy goes all the way up — Leroy and DRC are present if your credit card is feeling brave — while the Rhône section leans on heavyweights like Château Rayas and Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. California is equally serious, with Kistler and Williams Selyem on the Pinot side and Ridge and Opus One flying the Cabernet flag. Italy rounds things out with Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa covering Barolo and Barbaresco at the top end, and Champagne lovers have Krug and Billecart-Salmon to choose from. The gap, if there is one, is anything outside these three regions — don't come hunting for Iberian wines or anything too leftfield.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass is genuinely strong for a restaurant where most tables are splitting whole ducks and sharing rib cap — the pour program keeps pace with the format. Prices run $15 to $25 a glass, which is fair for the Los Angeles market and the caliber of producers in the building. Hana Liu runs the wine side of the house, and the glass list feels curated rather than just pulled from whatever's open.
Billecart-Salmon Champagne — $60+
Billecart-Salmon is a perennial overachiever in the Champagne category — consistently well-made, widely respected, and still priced below the prestige cuvées that dominate lists like this one. Against the backdrop of Krug, it's the smart call to start the table.
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Everyone fixates on the Burgundy section and walks right past the Rhône. Vieux Télégraphe is one of the most consistent estates in the appellation — structured, savory, and built to hold up against the rich, fatty proteins that Majordōmo's kitchen sends out. Most tables miss it entirely.
Opus One
Opus One is a perfectly fine Napa Cabernet that has been priced on brand recognition for decades. On a list this good, there are almost certainly better California reds at lower markups — and at a restaurant built around bold, spiced, umami-driven food, a plush Napa showcase Cab isn't the move anyway.
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape + Whole roasted duck
Châteauneuf-du-Pape has the structure to cut through rendered duck fat and the earthy, herbal depth to match the kitchen's layered spice. Vieux Télégraphe specifically brings enough acidity to keep things lively across a long, communal meal — it doesn't fold under the weight of the dish the way a bigger Napa red might.
The Bottom Line
Majordōmo is the rare restaurant where the wine program genuinely surprises you — a Best of Award of Excellence list hiding inside a buzzy, communal Chinatown spot. Markups keep it from being a Rager, but Hana Liu's curation and the sheer depth of the cellar make it worth the detour.
· Los Angeles · California small plates
If this four-wine snapshot is the full extent of AOC's current public-facing wine program, it doesn't come close to living up to the restaurant's wine bar billing. The pricing is fair and the Vinho Verde earns its spot, but four uniform options with no dish context and no visible deeper list is not what you go to a place called AOC expecting. Come for the reputation — just hope the full list is hiding somewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian Seafood
Marea Beverly Hills brings genuine depth and regional curiosity to a wine list that could have easily coasted on crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and overpriced Super Tuscans — and it didn't. The markups are high, as expected for this zip code, and without clearer intel on staff knowledge or specials programming, the full experience is harder to guarantee. But the list itself earns serious respect, and if you navigate it well — start with the Strasserhof, finish with the Rossese — you'll drink far better than most tables around you.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Prime rib and steakhouse
Lawry's is a Los Angeles institution and the prime rib is genuinely the point — the wine list exists to support that experience, not steal the show. If you hit the weekday happy hour window between 5 and 6 PM, you might find the value equation improves considerably. Come for the beef, enjoy whatever Cab they pour, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian and French Café
Bottega Louie West Hollywood is a solid, reliable choice when you want wine that doesn't distract from the occasion — the room, the company, the cannoli. The Sunday half-price glass program is the single most compelling reason to choose this spot specifically for wine, and we'd encourage you to use it. Just don't expect the list to surprise you; this is a place that knows its audience and plays to them without apology.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Italian pasta
Cento is a destination for the pasta first, and the wine list seems to know its supporting role without phoning it in. We'd want a verified menu in hand before steering you toward specific bottles, but the regional focus and the evident care in the room give us real confidence this isn't a place that treats wine as an afterthought. Go for the spicy pomodoro, ask what's pouring by the glass, and let the night unfold.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · French tasting menu
Mélisse is a destination for Champagne completists willing to pay fine dining prices for the privilege of choosing between four Philipponnat vintages or three Krug editions in a single sitting. But if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of a French tasting menu — with depth across regions and styles — the narrowness here will leave you wanting. Come for the bubbles, manage your expectations for everything else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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