Wine Country Italian With Serious Local Cred
Kenwood · Sonoma · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 26, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Stella's Trattoria Kenwood’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Sitting on Highway 12 in Kenwood, Stella feels like the kind of place that could coast on location — but the wine list actually tries. Thirty-one labels is a tight edit, but the names on there suggest someone in the building cares about what Sonoma is doing right now. It's not a deep cellar situation, but it's not a lazy afterthought either.
The list leans hard into Sonoma County and Napa with a few genuinely exciting picks scattered throughout. Talisman's Sadie's Vineyard Pinot from Russian River and Idlewild's Nebbiolo from the Yorkville Highlands are exactly the kind of small-production, place-specific bottles that make a short list punch above its weight. The Lasseter Chemin De Fer GSM gives the Rhône-heads something to grab onto, and the Cobb Riesling from Cole Ranch is a legitimate curveball in a Cab-and-Chard market. The gap is international — if you want Burgundy, Barolo, or anything from the southern hemisphere, you're out of luck.
The entire bottle list is available by the glass, which is either a dream or a gimmick depending on how you look at it — but it means you can pour a $37 glass of Spottswoode Lyndenhurst without committing to the full $175 bottle, which is genuinely useful. Glass prices run $15 to $37, so there's real range. The Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs at $24 a glass is the move if you want bubbles without drama.
Leto Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County 2024 — $15/glass
The entry point on this list and it's not a throwaway — Leto is a small Sonoma producer making clean, focused Sauvignon Blanc. At $15 a glass, it's the most honest pour on the menu and a smart way to start before you commit to a heavier bottle.
Idlewild Nebbiolo Lost Hills Ranch Yorkville Highlands 2019
Most people at a Sonoma trattoria are going straight for the Pinot or Cab, and this bottle just sits there quietly being interesting. Idlewild grows Italian varieties in Mendocino and does it better than almost anyone in California — this Nebbiolo has the structure and tannin grip that makes it actually worth your attention at an Italian restaurant. Order it.
En Garde Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain Napa Valley 2019
At $160 a bottle or $32 a glass, this is a fine wine — but without retail pricing to benchmark against, the value case is hard to make when the Spottswoode Lyndenhurst is sitting right there for $15 more and is a considerably more well-known, better-distributed reference point. If you're dropping $32 a glass on Napa Cab, make it the Spottswoode.
Lasseter Chemin De Fer GSM Sonoma Valley 2021 + Duroc pork chop with lemon caper butter sauce
The GSM blend from Lasseter has enough dark fruit and herbal character to stand up to that pork chop, while the Grenache-forward softness doesn't bulldoze the brightness of the lemon caper butter. It's the right amount of wine for a dish that's already doing a lot.
The Bottom Line
Stella is doing more with 31 bottles than most restaurants do with 100 — the picks are local, specific, and occasionally genuinely exciting. The markups are real and the list has blind spots, but if you're eating in Kenwood wine country and want something worth thinking about in your glass, this earns a seat at the table.
· Sonoma · California and Mediterranean
Sante is doing more with its wine list than the average hotel restaurant bothers to — 120 labels anchored in Northern California producers, 25 by-the-glass options with real range, and picks like Failla Sonoma Coast Pinot and Denner Nightshade that signal genuine curation. The steep markup at the top end is real, and the lack of any structured specials program means you're paying full freight every time — but if you order thoughtfully, there's genuinely good wine to be found here.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
· Sonoma · French bistro
Bistro Ralph is exactly what a wine-country neighborhood bistro should be: unpretentious, locally rooted, and honest about what it is. We can't call out specific bottles from what's available, but the Sonoma-forward identity and relaxed room make this a solid stop for a glass or two alongside the chicken paillard or pot de crème. Come for the setting, stay for the wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · California and Mediterranean
Sunflower Caffe isn't trying to compete with the big resort wine lists down the road, and that's exactly why it works. The list is small, local, fairly priced, and built around bubbles — which, in Sonoma, is actually a smart and honest choice. If you want a deep cellar or a Burgundy rabbit hole, go elsewhere; if you want a glass of Scribe Nouveau Pinot Noir on what is presumably a lovely patio, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · California and New American
Sonoma Valley Farmhouse runs a tight, thoughtful list that punches above its size. The all-by-the-glass format and fair pricing make it easy to drink well without a game plan, and the producer selection — Bedrock, Lasseter, Talisman, Albini — reflects someone who actually cares about what ends up in your glass. If you're in Sonoma and want to drink local without getting gouged, this is a genuinely solid stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · Food Truck / New American
The Fig Rig is the kind of place that should not have a wine list this good, and that's exactly what makes it worth seeking out. Fair prices, genuine range, and a clear Rhône-forward point of view — if you're in Sonoma and skeptical of the usual tourist-trap markups, this is where we'd send you first.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · French and California
Cafe La Haye has assembled a 63-bottle list that punches well above its count — thoughtful French-California crossover, honest pricing on most of the list, and enough unusual picks (Gaudron Chenin Blanc, Pangloss White Rhone, grower Champagne from Pierre Paillard) to suggest real curation rather than default distributor choices. If you're in Sonoma and want a wine list that respects both the region and your intelligence, this is a reliable stop — with enough Wild Card energy to keep it interesting.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Billings · Italian
Ciao Mambo has assembled an Italian wine list that would hold up at a serious restaurant in a much larger market — Vietti Barolo, Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco, and a Valle d'Aosta oddity on the same list in Billings is genuinely impressive. Without pricing or glass program data we can't call it a Rager, but if you're passing through Montana and want a real bottle of Nebbiolo with your pasta, this is your move.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vinings · Vinings · Italian
Cotto is doing more with a 51-bottle list than most Italian restaurants do with twice as many labels — the Italian whites alone make this worth a visit for anyone tired of the same old Pinot Grigio rut. The markup is fair, the by-the-glass program is genuinely generous, and the presence of bottles like the Bocale Trebbiano Spoletino signals real intent. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Santa Margherita and work their way through the Vermentinos instead.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Italian
Tavola Trattoria's wine program is five bottles deep and priced without apology — $101 for a Saracco Moscato is the kind of markup that makes you consider ordering water and going wine shopping after dinner. The list has no still wines at all, which is a strange call for an Italian restaurant. Order a cocktail or ask if they have a corkage policy, because this wine list isn't doing you any favors.
Grocery Store
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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