Serious Bottles, Serious City, Serious Fun
South Beach / Embarcadero · San Francisco · American, Farm to Table · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 7, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Prospect’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list lands with the quiet confidence of someone who doesn't need to brag — 350-plus bottles, anchored by Burgundy and California, with enough Italy and Bordeaux to keep things interesting. William Pye runs the wine program, and you can feel that someone with an actual opinion built this thing. This isn't a list that was assembled by a distributor rep with a clipboard.
Burgundy is clearly where Prospect plants its flag — Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet and Domaine Dujac Morey-Saint-Denis both appear, which tells you this isn't window dressing. California gets its due too, with Ridge Monte Bello, Kistler, and Peter Michael's Les Pavots filling out a roster that hits the classics without being lazy about it. Italy shows up in the form of Giacomo Conterno Barolo, one of the most serious producers on the peninsula, and Bordeaux checks in with Château Léoville-Barton — a Saint-Julien that punches well above its second-growth price point. The gaps, if any, are likely in the Southern Hemisphere and natural wine territory, but for old-world depth and California prestige, this list is genuinely strong.
Sixteen to twenty-four options by the glass at $14–$22 is a respectable program — wide enough to satisfy a solo diner nursing a Pinot while the menu comes together, deep enough that you're not choosing between generic Chardonnay and generic Cabernet. The price ceiling at $22 is reasonable for San Francisco, where a glass of something decent can cost you more than a cocktail in most cities. We'd love to see more rotation and a few adventurous pours make their way onto the BTG menu.
Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Pinot Noir — $12–$60 estimated bottle range
Au Bon Climat is one of California's most undervalued producers — Jim Clendenen built a legacy in Santa Barbara that still doesn't get the hype it deserves. At a list that runs to Opus One territory, finding ABC here is a good sign that someone wanted an honest wine alongside the trophy bottles.
Domaine Dujac Morey-Saint-Denis
Most tables at a restaurant like this are ordering California Cab or something from the familiar Burgundy villages. Morey-Saint-Denis sits between Gevrey and Chambolle and tends to get overlooked — Dujac's version is precise, aromatic, and one of the more compelling addresses in the Côte de Nuits. If you're drinking Burgundy here, this is the move.
Opus One Napa Valley
Opus One is a perfectly fine wine that carries a price tag inflated almost entirely by its brand recognition. At a restaurant with Ridge Monte Bello and Peter Michael Les Pavots on the same list, there are more interesting ways to spend $300-plus — wines with more character and less marketing budget.
Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay + Wood-grilled salmon
Kistler's Chardonnay has the structure and richness to stand up to salmon off the grill — enough acidity to cut through fat, enough weight to complement the char. It's a California white that actually earns its price rather than just riding the Chardonnay wave.
The Bottom Line
Prospect is the kind of place where the wine list gets taken as seriously as the menu, and William Pye's curation earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence without question. If you're eating near the Embarcadero and care about what's in your glass, this is an easy yes.
West Portal · San Francisco · Italian wine bar and small plates
A wine-bar list built around Italian bottles, with prices from $41 to $600 on the Wine List page. Start with the Firmino Miotti Breganze Cabernet 2015 at $18/64 from the glass section, or take the Raina Le Campette Montefalco Rosso 2020 at $42 if you want a bottle, and confirm prices since neither page is dated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Fillmore · San Francisco · Indian, Regional
A South Indian dinner menu with two wine PDFs behind it: 17 pours on the glass PDF from 15 to 32, then a bottle PDF that starts with grower Champagne. Start with the chilled Florèz God's Own at 15 or the Aldo Viola Moretto at 17, and confirm both lists, since the PDFs are undated and the website Wines tab names some different producers. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Hayes Valley · San Francisco · Wine bar with California/Italian-leaning small plates
A wine-bar list that ranges from Lebanese sparkling and orange wine to Jura bottles and sherry by the 3 or 4 oz. Start with the Pardusco 2024 chilled red at $14 / $56 or the Apátsági 2022 juhfark at $17, and confirm prices, since the page itself points you to the wine wall for more. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks and bottle lists, not service, storage or markups.
North Beach · San Francisco · Italian
A pizzeria wine list with real range: 24 wines under the Glasses heading, Italian reds sorted by region, and New World reds that include Napa and Paso Robles Cabernet. Start with the $10/$40 house Chianti Superiore, or try the $13/$52 Planeta Ceresuolo with a Margherita, and confirm vintages and prices before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Potrero Hill · San Francisco · Italian
A list with two speeds: 29 glass pours from $13 to $45, and a bottle book that runs from $44 to $2,100. Start with the $13 Il Frappato or the $18 Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, then look at the Etna Rosso bottles (Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2023 is $82) if you want a bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.
Clipper Mill · Baltimore · American, Farm to Table
True Chesapeake is an oyster-first menu with a Maryland wine section, so order the wine around the oysters. Start with the Philippe Guerin Muscadet (13 | 45) alongside whichever oysters are on today's half-shell list, then try the Old Westminster 'Brine' (12 | 42) for a Maryland white. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or retail markups, so confirm today's pours, prices and the happy hour and Wednesday offers.
Wallingford · Seattle · American, Farm to Table
Atoma is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list was clearly built by someone who actually cares — Old World focus, fair prices, and a 2025 Wine Spectator credential that's earned rather than inherited. If you live near Wallingford and haven't been drinking Friulian whites with your pasta here, you're leaving value on the table.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Dorset · Dorset · American, Farm to Table
Barrows House isn't destination wine drinking, but it's honest, fairly priced, and thoughtfully stocked for what it is — a warm New England inn that wants you to enjoy your meal. If you're staying the night, you won't regret working through this list.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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