Ski Town Bistro With Serious Wine Ambitions
Downtown / West End edge · Aspen · French Bistro · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Petit Trois at MOLLIE’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a French bistro tucked inside a boutique ski hotel sounds like a trap — overpriced pours, a list built for expense accounts. But Petit Trois earns a second look fast. The France-heavy card has actual conviction behind it, with Burgundy, Jura, and Alsace getting real shelf space instead of a token Sancerre and a shrug.
About 100 bottles sounds modest until you see what they did with the space. France anchors the list hard — Burgundy and Jura are clearly where someone's attention went — but California slots in with genuine picks rather than filler. Hirsch 'San Andreas Fault' Pinot Noir and Presqu'ile Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills signal that the buyer actually drinks wine outside of Europe. Steve Matthiasson's Napa 'Village' Cab is the kind of low-intervention, thoughtful California red you'd expect at a natural wine bar, not a hotel bistro. The gaps? South America and the Southern Hemisphere are essentially ghosts, and if you want to go deep on Champagne you may hit a wall.
An estimated 12–18 by-the-glass options is strong for a room this size, and the list skews toward the same France-plus-California axis as the bottles. We don't have glass prices locked down, but in Aspen expect to budget accordingly — nothing here is happening at Denver neighborhood bar rates. Rotation frequency is unclear, which is the one thing that would push this program from good to great.
Presqu'ile Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills — Price not confirmed
Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay from a producer this focused on site expression is a serious pour in any context. In a room where the default move is to grab a safe Burgundy at twice the price, this California bottle gives you tension, freshness, and terroir without the markup that a Meursault would demand.
Steve Matthiasson Napa 'Village' Cabernet Sauvignon
Most people at a French bistro are not reaching for a Napa Cab — and that's exactly why this one is sitting there waiting. Matthiasson's Village bottling is the anti-Napa Napa Cab: restrained, herb-edged, built for a table and not a tasting room score. Most guests walk right past it for something French. Don't.
Generic Burgundy anchor bottles
The research data doesn't surface specific overpriced bottles by name, but in a room like this — hotel bistro, Aspen zip code, clientele that will pay — the standard-appellation Burgundy bottles are almost certainly carrying the steepest markups on the list. When in doubt, the California picks here offer more wine per dollar than the flagship French stuff.
Hirsch 'San Andreas Fault' Pinot Noir + Steak frites
Hirsch's San Andreas Fault bottling runs cool and savory — iron, dark cherry, coastal Sonoma grit. Against the char and salt of steak frites, it holds its own without going full Bordeaux on you. It's the kind of pairing that makes the French purists at the next table quietly jealous.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Petit Trois Aspen is a Wild Card because it has no business being this interesting inside a ski hotel — but here we are. The list has a real point of view, the staff backs it up, and a few bottles are genuinely worth seeking out. Just keep one eye on the markup and let the California picks carry you.
Downtown · Aspen · Cafe / Wine-Friendly
This is a Wild Card in the truest sense — a museum rooftop café with no sommelier and steep markups that still manages to stock Lapierre, William Fevre Grand Cru, and Pierre Peters. The prices will get you, but the list itself deserves credit. Come for the view, stay for the Gruner.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / The Little Nell · Aspen · Wine Bar / Lounge
Element 47 is the rare mountain resort wine program that could hold its own in any major city — 3,300 labels, proper storage, knowledgeable staff, and glassware that actually fits the wine. Prices are high because Aspen is high, but if you're going to spend serious money on a bottle somewhere, this is a place that respects the investment.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Aspen · Bar / Mexican
Las Montañas is the rare bar where the wine list deserves more attention than the cocktail menu — a sommelier-curated, California-forward selection with enough Pacific Northwest surprises to keep things interesting. Aspen markups are what they are, but the quality and intentionality here are real.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Aspen · Upscale Italian (Milanese café and restaurant)
Sant Ambroeus Aspen is a genuinely good Italian wine program wearing a resort-town price tag — the producers are real, the Franciacorta selection alone is worth your attention, and the staff actually knows what's on the list. Just go in knowing you're paying Aspen rates for everything, and let that Bellavista do its thing.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / St. Regis · Aspen · Lounge / Mediterranean
Snow Lodge delivers exactly what a St. Regis resort lounge should: proper glassware, knowledgeable staff, and a list that won't embarrass anyone. Just don't come looking for discovery — this list is built for comfort, and the markups reflect the altitude in more ways than one.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / St. Regis · Aspen · Mountain American / Hotel Restaurant
Velvet Buck is a reliable, well-run hotel wine program doing exactly what a St. Regis in Aspen is supposed to do — impress people without surprising them. If you're after adventure, look elsewhere; if you're after a great glass of Far Niente after a day on the mountain, you're in the right place.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Los Alamos · Solvang · French Bistro
Bell's is the rare small-town restaurant where the wine list is as considered as the food, and the two actually talk to each other. If you're anywhere near Los Alamos, this is a destination — not a detour.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / South Main Street · Canandaigua · French Bistro
Bon Ami is a genuinely pleasant wine surprise in a town more famous for Riesling trails than bistro lists — the picks are thoughtful, the by-the-glass program is generous, and a few bottles here are legitimately exciting finds. The markups on premium bottles drag it down, and the absence of any local Finger Lakes producers is a strange miss, but for a cozy French dinner in Canandaigua, the wine list will more than hold its own.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Uptown/Stockade District · Kingston · French Bistro
Le Canard Enchaine isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it earns its keep with fair prices, a France-forward list that matches the kitchen, and enough value picks to make every table feel well taken care of. Send your friends here — just make sure they order the Petit Chablis.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.