Serious Cellar, Serious Mountains, No Compromises
Telluride · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed New Sheridan Chop House’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're in a historic Telluride landmark at 8,750 feet, and the wine list lands on the table like it means business. Four to six hundred selections anchored by California heavyweights, serious Bordeaux, and Italian icons — this isn't a mountain resort list padding its pages with bulk-buy Pinot Grigio. Wine Spectator has been handing this place a Best of Award of Excellence since 2019, and one look at the list tells you why.
The three pillars — California, France, Italy — are stacked deep and with purpose. You've got Screaming Eagle and Opus One sitting alongside Château Margaux and Lynch-Bages, with Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Antinori Solaia holding down the Italian flank. Kistler Chardonnay and Stag's Leap round out a California program that goes well beyond the usual suspects. If there's a gap, it's probably in the Southern Hemisphere and natural wine space, but honestly, that's not who this list is trying to be.
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is generous for a steakhouse at altitude, and the team here — Ignacia Aedo, Aaron Goldstein, and Debra Carlson running the floor — keeps the program credible rather than just voluminous. Expect proper stems matched to what's in them, which is more than most mountain towns bother with. Rotation details aren't fully transparent, but with three knowledgeable staff members steering the ship, you're not getting mystery pours.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon — $60+
Silver Oak is one of the most recognizable California Cabs on any list, and at a mountain resort steakhouse you'd normally expect it to be priced as a trophy. It sits at the more accessible end of this list's range, making it the smart move if you want serious Napa fruit without climbing into the three-digit stratosphere.
Château Lynch-Bages
Everyone's eyes go straight to Margaux on a list like this, but Lynch-Bages is one of the great overachievers of Pauillac — consistently punching above its fifth-growth classification. It's the kind of Bordeaux that actually makes sense with a bone-in strip, and it tends to fly under the radar next to the flashier names around it.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus Special Selection is a fine wine, but it's also become a steakhouse menu fixture that commands a significant premium on brand recognition alone. At a list this deep, you can find more interesting California Cab — or jump to something like Dominus for comparable money — without paying the Caymus tax.
Sassicaia + Prime dry-aged ribeye
Sassicaia's Cabernet-forward structure and savory, cedar-edged character is purpose-built for red meat. Against a prime dry-aged ribeye — where the funk and fat are already doing heavy lifting — it locks in and elevates both sides of the equation. This is the pairing that justifies the altitude and the bill.
The Bottom Line
New Sheridan Chop House is the rare mountain steakhouse where the wine list is genuinely worth the trip, not just an afterthought to the scenery. Markups are steep, but the depth, the staff, and the caliber of producers on this list make it a legitimate destination for anyone who eats and drinks seriously.
· Telluride · Wine Bar
Communion is a focused, deliberate wine bar that built a short list with real intention — anchored on Leitz, punctuated by a standout Chave Selections white, and thoughtful enough to include non-alcoholic options alongside the serious stuff. We don't have pricing data to confirm value, and the list is compact enough that adventurous drinkers may want more range — but what's here is chosen with care. If you're in Telluride and want wine that someone actually thought about, this is your stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Mountain Village · Telluride · Contemporary American Mountain Cuisine
The Peak is a reliable, if unambitious, wine program that does its job — nobody leaves thirsty and the bottles are stored properly. Just don't come here expecting discovery; come expecting a decent glass of something familiar with a genuinely spectacular mountain backdrop.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Telluride · Telluride · Cocktail bar with light bites
Liberty is a cocktail bar that accidentally has a wine list worth paying attention to — especially on Mondays when half-price bottles make even the steep markups forgive themselves. It's not a wine destination, but it's a wildly better option than you'd ever expect at 8,750 feet.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Gondola Base / Downtown · Telluride · Barbecue and American Comfort Food
Oak isn't a wine destination — it's a BBQ and bourbon bar that happens to have a decent wine list and one of the best midweek wine deals in Telluride. If you're here on a Wednesday, order a bottle and consider yourself lucky.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
On-Mountain (Top of Polar Queen Express) · Telluride · French-inspired alpine dining
Bon Vivant has no business being this interesting for a ski mountain lunch spot, and the all-French, all-by-the-glass format is a genuine swing. Markups are resort-level steep, but the curatorial effort earns it a pass — just order something you couldn't find at the hotel bar.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
On-Mountain (Lift 4 area) · Telluride · Mountain lodge / ski resort dining
Nobody expects a French-focused wine list at an on-mountain ski lodge, which is exactly why Gorrono Ranch earns a second look. The markups are real and there's no sommelier in sight, but the selection itself punches way above its surroundings — order the Cab Franc, skip the Champagne, and enjoy the view.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · American
RH Yountville is a genuinely beautiful place to drink wine — the room earns that much on atmosphere alone, and the California-forward list will keep most guests happy without any friction. But in Yountville, where the competition includes some of the most serious wine programs in the country, 'happy without friction' isn't the same as memorable. Go for the experience, order confidently by region, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · American
Yard House Bakersfield is a beer hall that happens to sell wine, and the list makes no effort to hide that. Markups are aggressive, selections are safe to the point of being anonymous, and the only reason to open a bottle here is if your table voted against another round of IPAs. If you're wine-focused, redirect your budget to the Jean-Luc Colombo Rosé by the glass and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · American
The Kitchen at Priest Ranch is a one-winery show, and that's exactly the point. If you want to spend an evening exploring what a single Napa estate produces across whites, rosé, Zinfandel, Merlot, and multiple Cabernet expressions — including older large-format bottles — this is a genuinely interesting way to do it. Just don't come expecting breadth or outside discovery. Send a friend here if they love Priest Ranch or want to.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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