Island Fine Dining With a Serious Cellar
Block Island · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Restaurant 1879’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're on a small Rhode Island island, and the wine list lands on your table like it belongs in a Manhattan steakhouse. Over 200 bottles deep, anchored by California heavyweights and serious French names — this is not the laminated one-pager you were half-expecting. The Best of Award of Excellence going back to 2009 is not a fluke.
California and France carry this list on their shoulders, and they do it well. On the California side you've got the full prestige lineup — Caymus, Jordan, Stag's Leap, Duckhorn, Far Niente, and yes, Opus One if you're feeling bold. France holds its own with Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, and the quietly excellent Domaine Leflaive anchoring the Burgundy section. The list skews classic and crowd-tested rather than adventurous, but when the classics are this well-sourced, that's not a complaint — it's a commitment.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass with prices running $12–$18 keeps things accessible for the sunset-on-the-porch crowd. The range appears to mirror the bottle list's California-France focus, which means your glass pour should be solid even if it won't surprise you. No evidence of regular rotation or a standout BTG program, but what's there is respectable.
Jordan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon — $45–$65
Jordan consistently over-delivers for its price bracket — structured, food-friendly, and a natural match for the kitchen's prime beef. It's the bottle that drinks well above its weight on a list where prices climb fast.
Domaine Leflaive
Most tables are reaching for Caymus or Opus One, but Domaine Leflaive is one of Burgundy's most respected white wine names. It's quiet on a list like this, easy to overlook — which means you can snag it while your neighbor orders the obvious Napa Cab.
Opus One
A legend, sure, but Opus One is almost always marked up aggressively at resort-adjacent restaurants and you're paying a premium just for the name recognition. Save that money for multiple bottles of something equally good and far less theatrical.
Far Niente Chardonnay + Block Island Swordfish
Far Niente's Chardonnay brings enough richness and texture to stand up to a meaty local swordfish without bulldozing it. The wine's restrained oak and bright acidity keep the fish's ocean-fresh character front and center.
The Bottom Line
Restaurant 1879 earns its Wine Spectator hardware — a 200-plus bottle list with real depth in California and France is genuinely impressive for a remote island destination. Pricing runs on the steeper side, but you're on Block Island eating swordfish with a view, so calibrate expectations accordingly.
· Chula Vista · American
Yard House Chula Vista's wine list is what happens when wine is an afterthought at a beer-forward chain — familiar labels, steep markups, and zero sense of discovery. If you're here for the 130+ beers on draft, you're in the right place; if you came for the wine, grab the Jean-Luc Colombo rosé and manage expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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