Thirteen Bottles, Zero Apologies, All Vibes
Los Angeles · Sushi / Japanese · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Sushi Note’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Sushi Note is exactly thirteen bottles long, and that's not an accident — it reads like someone spent real time on it. No filler Chardonnay, no apologetic Malbec. Every slot earns its place.
This is a tightly curated list that leans hard into texture and salinity — wines that were clearly chosen to work with raw fish and delicate Japanese flavors. You've got a Sicilian Catarratto from Criante, an Epirus-region orange-adjacent white from Domaine Glinavos, an Albariño from Edna Valley via Cadre, and a Langhe Arneis from Brandini — all of which are doing something more interesting than the average sushi spot's list. The reds show range too: a Bierzo Mencía from Casa Aurora, a Ghemme Nebbiolo from Rovellotti, and a Crozes-Hermitage Syrah from Domaine Rousset, which is a genuinely confident call for a sushi context. The one alcohol-free slot — a Schmitges Mosel Riesling — shows someone is actually thinking about their full guest base.
Every single bottle is also available by the glass, which means the entire thirteen-wine list is open pour territory at $15–$24 a pop. That's a smart move for a place built around omakase-style exploration — you can sip alongside the meal without committing to a bottle. The glass prices are fair relative to what's in them.
Criante 'CM-Contrada Valle' Terre Siciliane Catarratto 2024 — $72
Catarratto is one of Sicily's most underrated white grapes — bright acidity, herbal edge, low alcohol — and it costs next to nothing at the producer level. At $72 a bottle (or roughly $18/glass), you're getting a genuinely food-friendly, interesting wine without paying a premium for the label.
Domaine Glinavos Paleokerisio 2022
This is a wild one — an ancient-method semi-sparkling orange wine from Epirus in northwestern Greece, made from Debina and other local varieties. Most tables will walk right past it and order the Sancerre. That's their loss. This bottle is weird in the best way and will make raw fish taste electric.
Karine Lauverjat Sancerre 2024
It's a fine Sancerre from a solid producer, and at $96 it's the most expensive bottle on the list. But Sancerre at a sushi restaurant is a reflex order — you're paying for the name recognition more than anything else. There are more interesting and better-value whites right next to it on this very list.
Rovellotti 'Valplazza' Ghemme Nebbiolo 2022 + Fatty tuna (toro) nigiri
Ghemme Nebbiolo has the acid and tannin structure to cut through the fat in toro without overwhelming the fish. It's the kind of counterintuitive red-with-raw-fish move that actually works, and it's exactly the type of pairing this list seems designed to encourage.
The Bottom Line
Sushi Note is doing something genuinely uncommon: a thirteen-bottle list with no dead weight, fair prices, and the confidence to put Greek orange wine next to bluefin. If you let the list guide you, you'll drink better than you expected.
· Los Angeles · California small plates
If this four-wine snapshot is the full extent of AOC's current public-facing wine program, it doesn't come close to living up to the restaurant's wine bar billing. The pricing is fair and the Vinho Verde earns its spot, but four uniform options with no dish context and no visible deeper list is not what you go to a place called AOC expecting. Come for the reputation — just hope the full list is hiding somewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian Seafood
Marea Beverly Hills brings genuine depth and regional curiosity to a wine list that could have easily coasted on crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and overpriced Super Tuscans — and it didn't. The markups are high, as expected for this zip code, and without clearer intel on staff knowledge or specials programming, the full experience is harder to guarantee. But the list itself earns serious respect, and if you navigate it well — start with the Strasserhof, finish with the Rossese — you'll drink far better than most tables around you.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Prime rib and steakhouse
Lawry's is a Los Angeles institution and the prime rib is genuinely the point — the wine list exists to support that experience, not steal the show. If you hit the weekday happy hour window between 5 and 6 PM, you might find the value equation improves considerably. Come for the beef, enjoy whatever Cab they pour, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian and French Café
Bottega Louie West Hollywood is a solid, reliable choice when you want wine that doesn't distract from the occasion — the room, the company, the cannoli. The Sunday half-price glass program is the single most compelling reason to choose this spot specifically for wine, and we'd encourage you to use it. Just don't expect the list to surprise you; this is a place that knows its audience and plays to them without apology.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Italian pasta
Cento is a destination for the pasta first, and the wine list seems to know its supporting role without phoning it in. We'd want a verified menu in hand before steering you toward specific bottles, but the regional focus and the evident care in the room give us real confidence this isn't a place that treats wine as an afterthought. Go for the spicy pomodoro, ask what's pouring by the glass, and let the night unfold.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · French tasting menu
Mélisse is a destination for Champagne completists willing to pay fine dining prices for the privilege of choosing between four Philipponnat vintages or three Krug editions in a single sitting. But if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of a French tasting menu — with depth across regions and styles — the narrowness here will leave you wanting. Come for the bubbles, manage your expectations for everything else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / Bentonville · Bentonville · Sushi / Japanese
Junto is doing something genuinely unexpected — building a thoughtful, globally-minded wine list inside a downtown sushi spot in Bentonville. Markups aren't doing you any favors, but the selection earns real respect, and the Riesling-with-sushi angle alone is worth the visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Green Bay · Green Bay · Sushi / Japanese
Come to Sushi Lover for the sushi — the wine list is clearly not the point and nobody's pretending otherwise. If you're drinking wine tonight, stick to the rosé or the plum wine and save the serious bottle for a restaurant that cares.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor · Sushi / Japanese
Nagomi is the rare sushi spot that made an actual choice with its wine program instead of just phoning it in with grocery store staples — a focused BC lineup at fair prices is exactly the kind of unexpected that earns a second look. If you're curious about Canadian wine and want a low-stakes way to explore it, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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