Wine Country Italian With Serious Local Cred
Kenwood · Sonoma · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 26, 2026
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 →
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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 Plaza / Downtown Sonoma · Sonoma · Wine Tasting with Rotating Chef-Driven Pop-Ups
Bedrock is not a wine list — it's a focused argument for why old-vine California deserves your full attention. If you're in Sonoma and you skip this, you're doing it wrong.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Healdsburg Plaza · Sonoma · Fine Dining / New American
Dry Creek Kitchen is the rare restaurant where the wine list is genuinely worth the trip on its own merits — deep, local, curated by someone with taste and access. If you're in Sonoma and you care about wine, this is a must.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Healdsburg · Sonoma · Sandwiches / Wine Bar
Troubadour is the kind of place that makes you reconsider your lunch plans — in the best possible way. If you're in Healdsburg and you care about what's in your glass, this sandwich shop deserves your full attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Healdsburg · Sonoma · Spanish tapas
Bravas is a Wild Card in the best sense: a casual, loud, share-everything tapas bar in the middle of Sonoma Wine Country that actually built a wine list with a brain. It won't blow your mind, but it will keep your glass interesting all night without emptying your wallet.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Healdsburg · Sonoma · Small Plates / New American
Chalkboard isn't trying to be a destination wine bar — it's a polished Healdsburg restaurant that takes its wine list seriously enough to stock Rochioli, Copain, and Ridge alongside Taittinger and actually price them like they want you to order a second bottle. Send a friend here and tell them to start with the Sauvignon Blanc.
Solid Range
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Healdsburg Plaza · Sonoma · Upscale farm-to-table / modern California
The Matheson has built one of the most genuinely exciting wine programs in Sonoma wine country — the Wine Wall alone is worth the trip, and the depth of the broader list shows real intention. The markups on trophy bottles are hard to ignore, but if you play the Wall smart, you'll drink far better here than almost anywhere else in Healdsburg.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
West Sedona · Sedona · Italian
Bella Vita isn't a destination wine list, but it's a respectable one — fairly priced, Italian-forward, with enough smart choices to reward the curious diner. If you're in Sedona and want honest Italian food with a glass of Chianti Classico that won't cost you a red rock tour, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown / Highway 50 · South Lake Tahoe · Italian
Izabella is a dependable wine play for a mountain-town Italian dinner — the glass selection is genuinely broad and the marquee bottles are there if you want them, but the markups are Tahoe-elevated and the list doesn't take many risks. Send your friends here for a solid Cab and a good meal, not a wine discovery.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Market Street · Portsmouth · Italian
Dolce Vita is a reliable neighborhood wine bar with enough Italian depth to satisfy anyone who came to drink well with their dinner. The markups on the California heavy-hitters are a soft deterrent, but lean Italian and you'll leave happy.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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