California classics meet Santa Fe prime cuts
Santa Fe · Steak House · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 18, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Bull Ring’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Bull Ring has been a Santa Fe institution for decades, and the wine list feels exactly like that — dependable, Californian, and not trying to surprise anyone. You open it and immediately know where you are: Napa, Sonoma, repeat. It earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, though not by taking risks.
The list runs 150-250 bottles and leans hard into California Cabernet, which makes sense when you're serving prime cuts in a room that smells like wood smoke and leather. Caymus, Jordan, Silver Oak Alexander Valley, Stag's Leap, and Opus One cover the big-name bases, with Far Niente holding down the Chardonnay side. Don't come looking for Burgundy, Rhône exploration, or anything with a screw cap — this list was built to sell beef. The gaps are real, but within its lane, the selection is coherent and well-executed.
The by-the-glass program runs 12-20 options in the $12-$18 range, which is reasonable for Santa Fe's upscale dining scene. The selection mirrors the bottle list — California-dominant and steak-friendly. There's no evidence of regular rotation, so what you see is likely what you've always gotten.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $40+
Jordan punches above its price point relative to the trophy names on this list. It's a structured, food-friendly Cab that holds its own next to a ribeye without requiring you to commit to a three-digit bottle.
Duckhorn Merlot
Everyone at The Bull Ring is chasing Cabernet, and the Duckhorn Merlot quietly sits there being excellent. Napa Merlot at this level is seriously underrated — richer and more complex than most people expect, and it typically comes in under the Cab heavyweights in price.
Opus One
It's a great wine. It's also the most marked-up bottle on any steakhouse list in America. You're paying a significant premium for the name recognition here — the same money spent on multiple bottles of Jordan or Far Niente gets you further in both volume and conversation.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon + Crab Cakes
Silver Oak's Alexander Valley Cab is softer and more approachable than its Napa counterpart — enough fruit to complement the sweetness of crab without steamrolling it. It's a counterintuitive move that actually works, and it gives you something to talk about at the table.
The Bottom Line
The Bull Ring is a reliable Santa Fe steakhouse with a California wine list that does exactly what it's supposed to — keep the Cab flowing and the beef happy. It's not adventurous, but it's honest, and for a classic chophouse night out, that's enough.
Downtown/Plaza · Santa Fe · Winery Tasting Room with Light Bites
A single-producer tasting room shouldn't make this strong a case for itself, but Gruet earns it — absurdly fair pricing, genuinely interesting bubbles, and a concept that reminds you New Mexico is quietly doing something special. If you're in Santa Fe and skip this, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown/Plaza · Santa Fe · Winery Tasting Room
Noisy Water's Santa Fe tasting room is the Wild Card badge made flesh — a downtown spot doing something genuinely regional and proudly weird that you won't find replicated anywhere else. Send a curious friend, not a Bordeaux purist.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown/Plaza · Santa Fe · Wine bar with French-inspired New American small plates
Hervé is exactly what it is — a polished, single-producer showcase that happens to be one of the more honest wine programs in Santa Fe. If you're open to letting New Mexico terroir surprise you, this is worth the stop; if you came looking for Burgundy, you're at the wrong address.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
South Capitol · Santa Fe · Contemporary American with regional New Mexican influences
Joseph's is the kind of place that earns a double-take — a cozy pub on Agua Fria with a sommelier, a real wine list, and enough range to reward curiosity. We'd absolutely send a friend here for wine, especially if duck confit is on the menu that night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown · Santa Fe · Spanish tapas and wine bar
Taberna La Boca is doing something genuinely rare in Santa Fe: building a wine program with a real point of view. It's not perfect — the curation could go deeper and the staff knowledge is hit or miss — but the commitment to Spanish and Mediterranean wines in a tapas context is exactly right, and the Wild Card badge is earned.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North of Santa Fe / Tesuque · Santa Fe · Southwestern / New American
Terra is what a luxury resort wine list looks like when the hotel actually tried — proper storage, a real sommelier, and some legitimately good producers on the page. The markup is what it is, and there's no getting around it, but if you're already spending a night at the Four Seasons, this is not the place to order a cocktail and ignore the wine list.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · Steak House
A 20-wine by-the-glass list with every pour between $14 and $30, split across four sparkling, six white, two rosé and eight red. With a steak, start with the $26 Clos Duval Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or the $22 Monte Antico Supremus; for the cheapest glass, take the $14 Dr. Loosen Riesling. Pour sizes aren't posted and the page is undated, so confirm today's wines. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Chicago Loop · Chicago · Steak House
A Napa-leaning Cabernet list with a Library & Reserve section that reaches 3,098 and glass pours from $13.99 to $49.99. Start with the $15.99 Broadbent Cabernet by the glass, or the $41.99 Stag's Leap Artemis if the ribeye is on the table, and confirm current availability since the list does not guarantee vintages. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · Steak House
A glass list that does the steakhouse job: 36 pours, a tidy Napa Cabernet set and prices from $13. Order the $15 Beringer Cabernet with your steak, or the $14 Guado Al Tasso Vermentino if you are starting with seafood, and confirm availability since the page is undated and Morton's says pricing may vary. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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