Big Napa Energy, Big Napa Prices
South Coast Metro · Irvine · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Mastro's Steakhouse – Costa Mesa’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Mastro's Costa Mesa arrives like the restaurant itself — heavy, intentional, and not shy about what it is. This is a Napa Cabernet temple dressed in old-Hollywood lighting, and the list makes no apologies for it. If you showed up hoping for adventurous pours, you read the room wrong.
Four hundred to six hundred labels sounds impressive until you realize a significant chunk is Napa Cabernet in various expressions and price brackets — Caymus Special Selection, Stag's Leap CASK 23, Opus One, Screaming Eagle if you're lucky. Bordeaux and Burgundy get respectable representation, and Washington State sneaks in a few bottles worth noticing. The white wine program — anchored by Aubert and Peter Michael Chardonnay — is genuinely strong for a steakhouse, though it's clearly the supporting act. Don't come looking for natural wines, Italian deep cuts, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere.
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is a generous count, and the price floor starts around $18 and climbs fast — you're regularly looking at $30–$50 for anything worth ordering. Silver Oak Alexander Valley shows up as a recognizable pour that at least delivers on the promise. Rotation appears minimal; this list is built to be stable, not surprising.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — $80–$120/bottle (est.)
In a list full of three-digit trophy wines, Silver Oak Alexander Valley is the one that actually drinks proportionally to what you're paying. It's approachable, reliable, and won't require a post-dinner financial audit.
Peter Michael Chardonnay
Everyone at the table is ordering Cabernet and ignoring this. Peter Michael makes some of the most serious Chardonnay in California, and here it sits on a steakhouse list getting skipped by every table ordering the bone-in. Order it with the seafood tower and feel very smart.
Screaming Eagle
If it's available by the bottle, the markup will be theatrical. Screaming Eagle belongs in a cellar or a charity auction, not a steakhouse environment where you're splitting attention between a Wagyu and a live piano set. The juice is real; the value proposition at restaurant markup is not.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars CASK 23 + Bone-in Filet Mignon
CASK 23 has the structure to stand up to a serious cut of beef without steamrolling the tenderness that makes a filet worth ordering. It's the right amount of Napa gravitas without going full cult-wine circus.
The Bottom Line
Mastro's Costa Mesa does exactly what it promises — a polished, deep, Napa-forward list in a room built for expense accounts and anniversaries. If you want value or discovery, you're at the wrong restaurant; if you want the definitive Orange County steakhouse wine experience done with genuine care, this delivers.
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Puesto is a fun spot, but the wine list is essentially decorative — five Baja bottles isn't a program, it's a placeholder. Order a mezcal cocktail and revisit this decision when they decide to take wine seriously.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Tustin/Irvine · Irvine · Steakhouse / Seafood
The Winery is a reliable date-night pick for wine drinkers who want something beyond generic and don't mind paying for the atmosphere. We'd want more pricing transparency before calling it a destination, but as a polished local option in Irvine, it's doing the work.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · Steakhouse / New American
Del Frisco's Grille is a reliable wine stop if you know what you're doing and keep expectations tuned to 'comfortable chain steakhouse' rather than 'serious wine destination.' The sommelier presence is real, the list is competent, and a few smart picks — particularly in the whites — reward guests who look past the Rombauer and Whispering Angel.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Irvine · New American / Gastropub
Bosscat is a solid spot for craft cocktails and a good time — the wine list just isn't the reason to come. If you're committed to wine, go Emmolo or Austin Hope and call it a night; everything else is paying a premium for the familiar.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · California / Casual
Tender Greens puts real care into its food, and that makes the wine list feel like an even bigger letdown — six bottles, no pricing transparency, and zero curiosity. Order the food, drink the water, and come back when they decide the wine program deserves the same attention as the salad.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · Burger / New American
Eureka built a genuinely solid burger-and-beer concept, and the wine list confirms they know exactly where their priorities lie. Come for the burgers, come for the beer — but if wine matters to you tonight, eat somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Steakhouse
Il Premio is a steakhouse that took its wine list seriously enough to skip the obvious plays, and the result is one of the more interesting Italian-focused lists in Atlanta right now. It's compact, priced fairly across the board, and built for exploration — whether you're going glass by glass through the Italian regions or just need a solid bottle of Chianti Classico at $72 to make a steak dinner feel right. We'd send a friend here specifically for the wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Steakhouse
Stark's is the rare steakhouse that treats wine as something other than an afterthought or a cash grab. The list is compact but genuinely considered, markups are fair across the board, and the full bottle-to-glass availability is a policy every restaurant should copy. If you're eating in Healdsburg and want to drink well without overpaying, this is a legitimate stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Order by the glass and explore: the posted menu gives you Riesling, Chablis, Cahors and Rioja without a bottle commitment. Pentimento at $16 is our price-conscious red starting point. Check the current list before ordering; the complete cellar, service and storage haven't been independently verified.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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