Rare650
Long Island's Most Serious Steakhouse Wine Room
Syosset · Syosset · Steakhouse, Sushi · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walk into Rare650 and the floor-to-ceiling wine room hits you immediately — this is not a list thrown together by a manager who also handles the dessert menu. With 350-500 selections anchored by California, France, and Italy, the ambition is obvious before you even sit down. The dramatic conservatory setting only adds to the sense that someone here takes this seriously.
Selection Deep Dive
The list is built for people who know what they want and aren't afraid to spend on it — Screaming Eagle, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, and Opus One are all present, which signals a cellar that caters to big-night-out spenders. But there's real range beyond the trophy bottles: Silver Oak Alexander Valley, Stag's Leap, and Jordan give you California Cab at multiple price points, while the Italian contingent — Tignanello, Sassicaia — earns genuine respect. Sommelier Gavin Trepeta's fingerprints are visible in the list's structure, and the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence since 2024 backs that up. The one gap worth noting: if you're hunting outside the Big Three regions, you may hit a wall.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is a serious program for a Long Island steakhouse — most in this zip code offer you eight choices and call it a day. Glasses run $14 to $30, which keeps the entry point accessible even if the ceiling is high. We'd like to see more rotation and adventurous pours by the glass, but the breadth is hard to argue with.
Jordan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon — $60–$80 range
Jordan is the workhorse of California Cab — consistently well-made, food-friendly, and nowhere near as marked up as the cult bottles sharing shelf space with it. Next to Screaming Eagle on the same list, this one looks like a relative steal.
Dominus Estate
Sandwiched between Opus One and Screaming Eagle, Dominus gets overlooked by people chasing brand recognition. It's a Napa Bordeaux-style blend with more restraint and complexity than its flashier neighbors, and it's the kind of bottle that actually improves the conversation at the table.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus Special Selection is a crowd-pleaser, but at steakhouse markup it's paying a premium for a label that's become a little too comfortable in its own hype. The wine is fine — the price-to-excitement ratio at a place like this is not.
Marchesi Antinori Tignanello + Dry-aged ribeye
Tignanello's Sangiovese-Cabernet blend has the acidity to cut through dry-aged fat and enough dark fruit structure to match the intensity of the meat. It's the kind of pairing that makes the Italian section of a steakhouse list feel justified.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Rare650 is Long Island doing its best impression of a serious New York City wine destination — and largely pulling it off. The markups on trophy bottles are what they are, but with a real sommelier, a proper cellar, and a list this deep, we'd absolutely send a friend here for a big-night bottle.
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