El Paseo's Dependable Catch for California Pours
El Paseo · Palm Desert · American, Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Pacifica Seafood Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Pacifica reads like a greatest hits of California with a few French cameos — you know every name on this list, and that's kind of the point. White tablecloths, dim lighting, polished seafood room: the list matches the room, not the other way around. Wine Spectator has been handing them an Award of Excellence since 2018, and the list earns that credential without really pushing beyond it.
At 100-150 bottles, the list is plenty deep for a seafood destination in the desert, leaning hard on California with some Washington and Louis Jadot holding down the French corner. You'll find the Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay and Jordan Chardonnay doing the heavy lifting alongside crowd favorites like Rombauer and Duckhorn Merlot — reliable names that practically sell themselves. The Stag's Leap Artemis Cab shows up for the steak-ordering table that wandered into a seafood restaurant, which is fair. What you won't find is much to surprise you: no esoteric producers, no natural wine detour, no real adventure beyond the recognizable label wall.
Twelve to eighteen options by the glass is a solid showing for a restaurant this size, with prices running $10–$16 — reasonable by El Paseo standards where restaurants routinely charge more for less. The Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling appearing in the pour lineup is a smart call for a seafood-forward menu. We'd like to see the glass list rotate more aggressively, but what's there gets the job done.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay 2021 — $55
It's the most food-friendly bottle on the list at the most accessible price point. Washington Chardonnay with enough acidity to actually cut through a bowl of cioppino — and at $55 it's not trying to impress anyone, it's just doing its job well.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Everyone at this table is ordering Chardonnay or Cab, and nobody is touching the Riesling — which is a mistake. Riesling and fresh seafood is one of the great underrated restaurant moves, and this one brings enough brightness to make the lobster tail sing.
Rombauer Chardonnay 2022
At $95 a bottle you're paying serious money for a wine that retails around $35-40. Rombauer is delicious and everyone knows it, which is exactly why restaurants charge what they do for it. Order the Jordan or the Sonoma-Cutrer instead and keep the extra money.
Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay + Seared Scallops
Russian River Chardonnay has the stone fruit richness to match the caramelized crust on the scallops without bulldozing the delicate sweetness underneath. It's a classic for a reason.
Tuesday — Half-price wine bottles on Tuesdays — the single best reason to rearrange your week.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Pacifica is exactly what it needs to be for El Paseo: polished, reliable, and stocked with wines people actually want to drink with their seafood. The markups sting a bit, but Tuesday's half-price wine night turns this from a shrug into a genuine recommendation.
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Mitch's has held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2013, and the list earns it on reliability — not ambition. If you're a California Cab loyalist dining on El Paseo, you'll be perfectly comfortable here; just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Eddie V's is a reliable, well-stocked California wine program that gives you exactly what you came for — no surprises, no disappointments, no discoveries. Send your California Cab-loving friend here without hesitation; send your natural wine friend somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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Lillian is the rare spot where the wine list is more ambitious than the address suggests — a focused, France-and-Italy-forward program with legit producers, a knowledgeable floor lead, and bottle prices that don't feel punitive. Send a friend here, tell them to sit at the counter, order oysters, and ask PJ what's open.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
River North · Chicago · American, Seafood
Terrace 16 earns its Wine Spectator badge and delivers a respectable, California-and-France-focused list in one of Chicago's most dramatic dining rooms. Just don't expect to be surprised — the wine is as reliable as the skyline view, and nearly as expensive.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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