Sacramento's Firehouse With a Serious Cellar
Midtown · Sacramento · New American, seasonal farm-to-table · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Mulvaney's B&L’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a converted firehouse with 80-plus bottles on the list is exactly the kind of surprise Midtown Sacramento keeps delivering. The Champagne section alone signals that someone here actually cares — this isn't a list built to check boxes. It's curated, seasonal, and just adventurous enough to make you read it twice.
The list leans into Champagne harder than almost any farm-to-table spot in Sacramento has a right to, with serious grower pours from Frederic Savart, Chartogne-Taillet, and H. Goutorbe sitting alongside Laurent-Perrier. Beyond the bubbles, there's genuine range: Corsican Nielluccio from Yves Leccia, an Aglianico from Rhyme Cellars out of Tuolumne County, and Northern California bottles that go well beyond the expected Napa Cab corridor. The gaps are in broader European coverage — don't come hunting for Burgundy depth or Spanish verticals — but what's here is thoughtfully assembled to mirror the kitchen's local-and-seasonal ethos. It's a list that rewards curiosity.
Ten to sixteen pours by the glass is a solid window for a restaurant of this size, and the rotation appears to mirror the daily-changing menu, which is exactly how it should work. We'd push for more transparency on what's actually pouring on a given night — the website doesn't always reflect real-time options — but regulars report the glass program punches above its weight.
Chartogne-Taillet 'Sainte Anne', Merfy, France — null
Chartogne-Taillet is one of the most respected grower-Champagne houses in the Marne, and 'Sainte Anne' is their entry-level cuvée that still drinks like a serious bottle. At a restaurant, getting this at a fair markup instead of a wine bar upcharge is the move — it's complex, mineral, and far more interesting than any Big House Champagne on the table next to yours.
Yves Leccia Nielluccio 'Patrimonio', Corsica, France
Most tables sleep on this one because Corsica is still a mystery to most American diners. Nielluccio is Sangiovese's island cousin — earthy, herby, with real structure — and Yves Leccia's 'Patrimonio' is a benchmark producer. It's the kind of bottle that makes someone at the table ask 'what is that?' halfway through the glass.
Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé, Tours-Sur-Marne, France
Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé is a beautiful bottle, but it's also one of the most widely distributed, heavily marked-up Champagnes on restaurant lists everywhere. You're paying a premium for the recognizable name and the iconic frosted bottle. With Savart and Chartogne-Taillet on the same list, this is the least interesting choice per dollar.
Rhyme Cellars Aglianico, Tuolumne County, California + Locally sourced meat special
Aglianico is built for red meat — high acid, firm tannin, dark fruit with an earthy edge. Rhyme Cellars' version from Tuolumne County brings a California brightness to a grape that usually leans old-world rustic. Whatever locally sourced meat is on the menu that night, this is your bottle.
The Bottom Line
Mulvaney's is doing something genuinely unusual for Sacramento: serious grower Champagne and left-field regional picks in a converted firehouse that doesn't take itself too seriously. If you eat here and order the house red without looking at this list, that's on you.
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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At $9 a glass across the board, the pricing is about the only thing we can confidently praise here. Until Karma Brew tells us what's actually in the bottle, this is a coin flip dressed up as a wine program.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Nine Spanish wines, fair prices, and zero apologies — The Nook is a wild card worth taking. If you want a broad international list, look elsewhere; if you want a focused, confident program that actually knows what it's doing, pull up a stool.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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The Snug is a cocktail bar first and a wine destination never — but for what it is, the wine list is shockingly well-curated and worth exploring if you're the one at the table who doesn't want a Negroni. Don't come here for a deep wine night; do come here knowing the glass of Gamay you order between cocktails will be better than it has any right to be.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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