Dallas's Italian anchor with a serious cellar
Downtown Dallas · Dallas · Italian
Updated November 2026
Reviewed April 9, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Monarch Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
When a wine list opens with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Château Pétrus in the first few pages, you know you're not dealing with a casual pasta joint. Monarch's list lands with weight — 400 to 600 selections anchored in the classic European canon, exactly what you'd expect from a Best of Award of Excellence holder. It's ambitious, intentional, and clearly built by people who take this seriously.
The list reads like a greatest-hits tour of the Old World's finest addresses. Burgundy is the crown jewel — Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, and Domaine Dujac Morey-St-Denis anchor a stellar lineup that skews Premier and Grand Cru. Piedmont shows up strong with Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto and Gaja Barbaresco representing both tradition and prestige. Spain gets its proper respect via Vega Sicilia Unico, and Champagne lovers have Krug Grande Cuvée and Salon Le Mesnil to fight over. Rhône fans aren't forgotten either — Guigal's Côte-Rôtie La Landonne earns its spot. The gaps are minor: if you're hunting under-the-radar natural producers or New World exploration, this isn't your playground.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is genuinely impressive for a list this prestige-focused — most restaurants at this tier make you commit to a bottle or nothing. The range of $14–$28 per glass suggests there's real breadth here, not just filler pours. Monday's half-price wine night turns this program into one of the better deals in Dallas, full stop.
Domaine Dujac Morey-St-Denis 2019 — $185
Dujac is one of Burgundy's most beloved estates and Morey-St-Denis is chronically underrated next to its Gevrey and Chambolle neighbors. At $185, this is likely the most accessible entry point into serious Burgundy on the list — grab it before they wise up.
Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto 2016
Most tables ordering Piedmont here will reach for Gaja on name recognition alone. Don't. Giacosa's Falletto from the 2016 vintage is a benchmark Barolo from one of the greatest traditional producers alive — structured, long, and built to outlast anything you're eating tonight. At $295 against Gaja's $325, it's also the smarter spend.
Château Margaux 2015
At $950 a bottle, you're paying peak trophy-wine markup on one of the most recognized labels in the world. Margaux 2015 is a genuinely great wine, but restaurant pricing on first-growth Bordeaux at this tier is brutal — you can drink far better relative value elsewhere on this list without the four-figure anxiety.
E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2019 + Short Rib Agnolotti
La Landonne is one of Guigal's single-vineyard Lallande wines — inky, iron-driven, and loaded with dark fruit and smoke. Against the braised richness of short rib stuffed into fresh pasta, it finds a groove that neither wine nor dish could reach alone. This is the bottle you order when you want to remember the night.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — applies to bottles from the wine list. One of the best recurring wine deals in Dallas.
The Bottom Line
Monarch is doing the serious work — a deep, well-curated cellar, a knowledgeable four-person sommelier team, and a Monday half-price program that makes an otherwise steep list genuinely accessible. Yes, the marquee bottles carry marquee markups, but the value plays are real and the staff knows where to point you.
· Dallas · Spanish/Latin
Rosa Negra is clearly built around tequila and tapas, and the wine list confirms that wine is an afterthought at best. If you need a glass of something with dinner and price is the only criterion, $7 works — but don't come here expecting anything beyond the most basic pour. Order the cocktails and let the wine list do what it does: exist quietly in the background.
Grocery Store
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Dallas · Steakhouse
Perry's is a reliable steakhouse wine program — fair pricing, a broad glass selection, and enough variety to keep most tables happy without any real effort on your part. If you want adventure or discovery, look elsewhere; if you want a competent, frictionless list that won't embarrass you on a work dinner, Perry's delivers exactly that.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Dallas · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Dallas brings a reliable, if uninspired, wine list that leans on brand recognition over discovery — the Bodega Garzón Albariño and Zuccardi Malbec are the standouts in a sea of familiar faces. If you're here for the meat, the wine list will keep you covered; just watch the markup on the glass pours, which can quietly run up a tab. We'd send a friend here for the experience, not specifically for the wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Dallas · Dallas · Steakhouse
STK Dallas is a place to be seen, not a place to drink well — the wine list is a predictable lineup of brand names with almost no by-the-glass program to speak of. Order a cocktail, or commit to a bottle and go straight for the Twomey.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Dallas · Steakhouse
Y.O. Ranch's wine list does the job without doing much else — it's a safe, brand-heavy selection that keeps the room happy but won't make any wine drinker's night. Come for the beef, order the Malbec or the Il Poggione, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Dallas · Steakhouse
Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse takes its wine as seriously as its beef, which is rarer than it should be. The Cabernet runs deep, the global bench is real, the Coravin program lets you drink up, the markups are fair for the tier, and the Texas section gives the whole thing a personality. Skip the trophy-label tax, lean on the Rioja, the Pinot, and the homegrown Texas pours, and you'll eat and drink like the buyer clearly intends.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
· Dacula · Italian
Antonetas isn't a wine destination, and it isn't trying to be — it's a family-friendly neighborhood Italian with a wine list that covers the basics and stays out of the way. If you're after a solid glass of something red with your Lasagna in a no-fuss setting, you won't be disappointed. Just don't show up expecting to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Italian
Crust is a solid neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list is a supporting player, not the headliner — and that's fine. Come for the rigatoni alla vodka and garlic knots; order a glass of whatever red they're pouring and don't overthink it. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation, just not for the wine list alone.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Marietta · Italian
Vespucci's isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be — and that honesty is refreshing. The one move that earns real respect here is the Monday half-price bottle deal, which turns an ordinary weeknight into a genuinely good value. Show up on a Monday, order the Eggplant Parmigiana, grab a bottle at half price, and you've had a solid dinner without thinking too hard about it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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