Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern

The wine list at Second Empire arrives with the same quiet confidence as the dining room itself — a restored Victorian mansion that knows exactly what it is. You're not getting surprises here; you're getting a curated, classically-minded cellar that skews heavily toward the power regions. It's the kind of list that makes a certain diner very happy and makes the adventurous wine drinker wish there were a few more curveballs.

The 200-350 bottle list leans hard on Napa, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Rhône — the holy quadrant of fine dining wine programs circa 2005, and one that still lands well in a room like this. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and Kistler Chardonnay anchor the California side, while Louis Jadot handles the Burgundy duties with reliable authority. The Rhône representation adds some welcome texture to what might otherwise feel like a greatest-hits anthology. What's missing is any meaningful exploration of emerging regions, natural producers, or value-oriented appellations — this list was built to impress a corporate expense account, not to educate.

With 15-25 by-the-glass options, there's enough range to navigate a full meal without committing to a bottle. The selections mirror the bottle list's classical bent, so expect Napa Cabernet, white Burgundy-adjacent Chardonnay, and perhaps a Rhône red in rotation. Don't expect anything poured by the glass to represent strong value at this price point — but the quality of what's in the glass tends to justify the pour.