Rhône Meets Redmond, All Under One Roof
· Redmond · Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed September 9, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Sama Cellars’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Sama Cellars, the list is short — 17 labels — but it's all their own wine, and that focus is immediately clarifying. This isn't a place hedging its bets with a token Malbec and a grocery-store Pinot Grigio; it's a producer-owned tasting room that knows exactly what it's doing. The price ceiling of $62 for a bottle of wine in 2024 is quietly radical.
The list is organized into four distinct tiers — Bhūmi (vineyard-designate), Rāga (single-varietal), Khyāl (vintner blends), and Signature — which gives the lineup a real internal logic. Rhône varieties dominate in the best possible way: Syrah in multiple expressions, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Viognier, and even a Châteauneuf-du-Pape-inspired blend called the Khyāl CdR that has no business being this interesting in a Redmond strip mall. There's a Cabernet Franc and a Cab Sauv to keep the crowd happy, but the soul of this list is firmly in the Rhône Valley by way of the Columbia Valley. The gap is anything outside their own production — if you want a third-party bottle, this isn't the spot.
By-the-glass specifics aren't published, but as a tasting room, the whole point is pouring their wines in flight or by the glass — expect most of the list to be available in pour format. The range from the $28 Charu Rosé to the $62 Bhūmi Syrah gives plenty of runway for a progression through the lineup. We'd start with the Viognier and work south from there.
Sama Cellars Rāga Cinsault 2023 — $34
Cinsault at this price point in Washington is rare. It's a variety that usually gets bullied into blends, so seeing it stand alone here — at $34 — is the kind of bet that pays off. Lower alcohol, food-friendly, and exactly the kind of thing that makes you look smart at a table.
Sama Cellars Khyāl CdR 2022
Most people walking into a Washington tasting room are reaching for the Cab Sauv or the Syrah. This Châteauneuf-du-Pape-inspired blend at $40 is the one that earns the lingering second glass. It's an ambitious call for a small producer, and ambitious calls are exactly what we're here for.
Sama Cellars Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
At $40 it's not a rip-off, but the Signature tier reads as the crowd-pleaser play, and Cab Sauv from Washington at this price has a lot of competition. With a lineup this Rhône-forward, ordering the Cab feels like going to a great taco truck and ordering a hot dog.
Sama Cellars Bhūmi Viognier 2024 + Charcuterie board
A classic tasting room pairing, yes — but the Viognier's stone fruit and floral weight cuts through cured meat fat without steamrolling it. At $38, it's the kind of pour that makes a charcuterie spread feel like an actual decision instead of an afterthought.
The Bottom Line
Sama Cellars is doing something genuinely interesting in a city not exactly known for serious wine bars: all-estate, Rhône-focused, and priced like they actually want you to try things. Send a friend here — especially if they think Washington wine means Cab Sauv and nothing else.
Redmond · Redmond · Italian
Zio Sal isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing the work to make sure wine-curious diners in Redmond don't have to settle. Solid Italian focus, fair pricing, and enough depth to reward someone who actually looks at the list.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Overlake / SE Redmond · Redmond · Italian
Tropea is the kind of neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list does its job without breaking any new ground — reliable, Italian-focused, and slightly overpriced in spots. Send a friend here who wants a solid Brunello with their pasta, not a friend who wants to be surprised.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Woodinville Wine Country / Willows Lodge · Redmond · Pacific Northwest / Modern American
Barking Frog is the kind of wine program you want to find at a wine country lodge — regionally committed, staffed by someone who gives a damn, and built around the same local ethos as the kitchen. Markup is the only real friction; everything else earns its reputation.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown Redmond · Redmond · Burger
Red Robin's wine program is an afterthought dressed as a bar menu — order a craft beer or a cocktail and don't look back. If someone at the table insists on wine, point them toward the rosé and change the subject.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Redmond · Redmond · British pub, sports bar
Three Lions is a genuinely fun pub for watching a match over a cold pint — but the wine list is purely incidental, maintained with minimal effort and zero ambition. Come for the football, the beers, and the bangers and mash; if wine is your thing, drink something else tonight.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Redmond · Redmond · Irish Pub
JJ Mahoney's is a good pub for a pint and some fish and chips — but the wine list is purely functional, not worth seeking out. If wine is your priority tonight, eat here and drink somewhere else after.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckhead · Atlanta · Wine Bar
Vine & Tap earns its Wild Card badge by doing something rare in Buckhead: pointing the list toward places most wine bars won't bother with, like Lebanon and Friuli, and keeping entree prices under $20 so the wine spend can actually shine. If you're in the neighborhood on a Wednesday, the half-price flight situation makes this an easy yes — show up, explore something you've never heard of, eat some octopus, and leave having learned something.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Wine Bar
The Wine Guyz earns its Wild Card badge by being something La Crosse didn't necessarily need but clearly does: a real wine bar with range, a relaxed atmosphere, and food that goes beyond bar snacks. We'd send a curious wine drinker here without hesitation — just go in ready to ask questions, since the list doesn't live online and the real program reveals itself in person.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckman · Portland · Wine Bar
A winery list that is easy to order from: 22 wines, all by the glass at 14 to 17, with house bottlings next to imports. Start with the five-pour ENSO Reds flight at $25, then settle on a glass of the Chateauneuf du Stark at 16 or the chilled Valpolicella at 15, and confirm what is open since the menu is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine menu, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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