Meat-Centric Mayhem With a Serious Cellar
Washington · Washington · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed St. Anselm’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into St. Anselm, you expect the wine list to be an afterthought — a converted garage in NoMa, butcher blocks everywhere, smoke in the air. Then you open the list and realize these people are dead serious: 250-plus bottles anchored by California, Italy, France, and a Madeira section that most fine dining rooms would envy. Wine Spectator has handed them a Best of Award of Excellence since 2022, and it's not a participation trophy.
The California arm is the backbone — Kistler Chardonnay, Talley Pinot Noir, Ridge Zinfandel, Shafer Cab — all the big names are here and they're chosen with intent, not just to fill prestige slots. Italy punches hard with Barolo royalty like Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa sitting alongside more adventurous pours like Scholium Project's The Prince in His Caves at $110, which tells you the buyers have range and aren't afraid to go weird. France covers Burgundy (Dujac, Faiveley), Bordeaux Cru Classé, and Rhône with Guigal, while the Madeira section — Blandy's and Henriques & Henriques both on the list — is a genuine differentiator in a city where Madeira is largely ignored. Gaps are few; this is a list built by people who drink wine, not just manage it.
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is generous for a steakhouse, running $12–$20 a pop, and the Monday half-price wine night means the whole list drops to genuinely accessible territory. Blandy's 10 Year Madeira at $16 a glass is an absolute no-brainer alongside anything off the butcher block. The glass program rotates enough to reward repeat visits.
Kermit Lynch Côtes du Rhône 2022 — $55
At $55 a bottle, this is the table wine you actually want to drink all night — Southern Rhône fruit, no pretense, and it goes with everything on the menu from bone marrow to bavette. It's the kind of bottle that makes a $100 dinner feel like a steal.
Blandy's 10 Year Madeira
Most tables skip right past it, but a glass of Blandy's 10 Year alongside the dry-aged ribeye is one of the better beef-and-wine moments you'll find in DC. Nutty, oxidative, totally unexpected — and at $16 a glass it's the most interesting pour on the list by a wide margin.
Gaja Barbaresco 2019
At $225 it's Gaja, so nobody's getting robbed, but this is a bottle that needs a decade in your cellar, not a loud steakhouse on a Saturday night. The money is better spent elsewhere on a list this good.
Ridge Lytton Springs 2020 + Dry-aged ribeye
Lytton Springs is a Zinfandel-dominant blend with the kind of dark fruit, pepper, and structure that doesn't flinch at a hard sear. The dry-aged ribeye brings the fat and char that gives the wine something to push against — it's a California steakhouse pairing done right, at a restaurant that technically isn't one.
Monday — Half-price bottles off the full wine list every Monday
The Bottom Line
St. Anselm is the rare place where the wine list earns as much attention as the beef, and the Monday half-price night makes it one of the best wine deals in Washington. Send your friends here — just tell them to skip the obvious bottles and let Jonathan or Eli point the way.
· Washington · Middle Eastern / North African
Maydan's wine list is one of the most geographically coherent and genuinely adventurous in Washington, DC — it matches the kitchen's ambition and then some. If you're willing to let go of the familiar, this is one of the best by-the-glass programs in the city for opening your eyes to what the wine world looks like beyond Europe.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Washington · Restaurant
Moon Rabbit's wine list is doing something rare: it's short enough to read in two minutes and interesting enough to talk about for twenty. If you care about well-chosen, adventurous bottles at prices that won't wreck your dinner bill, send your people here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Georgetown · Washington · French
Lutèce earns its Wine Spectator nod with a tightly curated French list that goes deeper than the cozy Georgetown bistro setting might suggest. The pricing skews steep once you move past the Loire and Alsace sections, but if you drink strategically — and let Chris point the way — this is a genuinely rewarding wine experience.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · Spanish
Xiquet is doing something genuinely rare in D.C. — a tightly edited, Spain-first wine program inside a room that actually earns it. Four sommeliers and a Wood Spectator Award of Excellence since 2023 confirm this isn't an accident; just know you're paying for the setting as much as the bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · Italian
Via Sophia is doing something genuinely focused in a city full of lists that try to please everyone — an all-Italy program with real depth, fair pricing, and a sommelier who actually cares. Send your friends here, tell them to ignore the Sassicaia, and order the Amarone.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · Seafood
Truluck's is a dependable, well-run wine program that earns its Wine Spectator nod without doing anything surprising — California loyalists and Napa Cab fans will be perfectly happy here. If you want adventure, bring your own recommendations; if you want reliable execution with your stone crab, this delivers.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Eagle Ranch · Vail · American
The Wild Sage is your dependable neighborhood spot in Eagle Ranch — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you at dinner either. Watch the markups on the top-shelf Napa bottles and stick to the mid-range, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Traverse City · American
Warehouse Kitchen + Cork won't win any awards for depth or ambition, but it plays its hand honestly — fair prices, solid local representation, and a full by-the-glass program that respects your wallet. If you're in Traverse City and want a glass of something local with a water view, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Truckee · Truckee · American
Sunnyside is a casual lodge restaurant wearing a serious wine list under its flannel — the markup is steep and it won't win any awards for staff expertise, but the producer lineup is legitimately impressive for where you're sitting. If you're already at the lake, this is absolutely worth ordering a real bottle.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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