Jersey's Italian wine room nobody saw coming
Bordentown · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ristorante Lucca’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're on Route 130 in Bordentown, New Jersey — not exactly the address you'd expect to find a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence list anchored by Barolo, Brunello, and Sassicaia. But here we are, and the list lands with a confidence that says this program is the real deal, not a decoration.
Sommelier Daniel Bossi has built a 200-350 bottle list that reads like a love letter to the Italian peninsula — Piedmont and Tuscany get the most ink, and they earn it. You've got serious Barolo producers sitting alongside Brunello di Montalcino, Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Tignanello, Amarone della Valpolicella, and Chianti Classico Riserva rounding out the middle tier. This isn't a list that just checks Italian boxes; it's curated with actual conviction. The depth skews old world exclusively, so if you need a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc as a security blanket, you're in the wrong room.
With 20-35 pours by the glass, there's enough rotation to keep regulars from drinking the same Chianti every visit. A program this Italy-focused at this level typically means the glass options go well beyond the basic house pour territory — you'd expect at least a Brunello or an Amarone to show up somewhere on that list. The by-the-glass range is a genuine strength here, not an afterthought.
Chianti Classico Riserva — $55
At the lower end of the bottle range, a well-sourced Chianti Classico Riserva in a program like this routinely punches above its price point. With Bossi selecting, you're not getting a grocery store pick — you're getting something that would cost you significantly more at a Manhattan Italian spot.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Most tables here gravitate straight to the Barolos and Super Tuscans, which means the Amarone gets overlooked. That's a mistake. A proper Amarone — dense, dried-fruit-forward, built for the long haul — is an extraordinary match for the kind of rich, slow-braised dishes Lucca puts on the table.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is one of Italy's great wines and Bossi is right to stock it — but at this price tier it's also one of the most marked-up bottles on any Italian restaurant list in the country. You're paying a fame tax here. The wine is excellent; the value is not. Explore the Brunello or Barolo side of the list first.
Brunello di Montalcino + Osso buco
Brunello's Sangiovese backbone — high acid, firm tannins, earthy depth — is exactly what cuts through the richness of braised veal shank and holds up to the marrow. It's a classic Italian combination for a reason, and in Bossi's hands, the Brunello he's pouring is built for exactly this moment.
The Bottom Line
Ristorante Lucca is the kind of Italian wine program that makes you genuinely surprised by its zip code — a sommelier-driven, Italy-deep list earning its Wine Spectator credentials honestly. If you're anywhere near central Jersey and serious about Italian wine, this is not a detour, it's the destination.
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Little Italy Ristorante isn't coming here for the wine — and at these prices, that's probably fine if you just need something cold in a glass. But nine labels, no Italian depth to speak of, and a list that hasn't been curated so much as assembled means this is strictly a cocktail-first, wine-if-you-must situation. If wine matters to you even a little, the food might be worth the trip, but plan to drink elsewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chandler · Italian
Floridino's wine list does the minimum required to call itself a wine list — fair prices on uninspiring labels, zero rotation, and a by-the-glass program that's really just the entire list. If you want something to wash down a slice, the Folonari Chianti or Sassoregale are your best moves. But no one is driving to Chandler for the wine program here.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bellevue · Italian
Angelo's built a short, focused, all-Italian by-the-glass list and priced it fairly — that's a genuinely uncommon combination in the suburbs. We don't have enough intel on the food menu or staff to give it a full Rager endorsement, but the wine program alone earns a detour. If you're eating Italian in Bellevue and want something better than the usual suspects, this list rewards the curious.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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