800 Bottles Deep in the Rockies
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 6, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Cliff House at Pikes Peak’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into a Victorian-era hotel at the foot of Pikes Peak and being handed an 800-bottle wine list is a specific kind of power move. The cellar program here is serious — this isn't resort wine-list theater, it's a genuine collection built over time. The setting does half the work, but the list earns the other half.
The list leans heavily into Napa and Sonoma, which tracks for a AAA Four Diamond property catering to guests who want comfort and familiarity alongside their elk tenderloin. Bordeaux and Burgundy add old-world credibility, and the depth clears 800 selections — that's not a marketing number, that's an actual cellar commitment. The expected anchor names are all here: Opus One, Caymus Special Selection, Silver Oak Alexander Valley, Cakebread Chardonnay. It's a list built to impress rather than surprise, and it succeeds on those terms. If you're hunting for grower Champagne or skin-contact Slovenian whites, keep driving — but if you want a serious, well-maintained Napa-forward cellar in a historic hotel, this delivers.
Twenty to thirty by-the-glass options is a strong showing for a property like this, and the sommelier on staff means the pours aren't just whatever the distributor pushed that week. Expect the glass list to mirror the bottle list — Napa Cab, California Chardonnay, maybe a Bordeaux blend. We'd love to see more rotation and adventurous choices by the glass, but the breadth covers most tables without anyone feeling stranded.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley — null
Silver Oak Alexander Valley is the move here — it's the most food-friendly expression in their Cab-heavy lineup, with the kind of approachable structure that works across a range of dishes. In a cellar dominated by prestige pours, this one consistently delivers without requiring you to clear your mortgage.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay
Easy to dismiss as a safe Napa Chardonnay crowd-pleaser, but Cakebread's Chardonnay is genuinely well-made and restrained for the appellation — less oak-bomb than its reputation suggests. In a room full of people ordering Cabernet with everything, this is the quiet overachiever that pairs well with the kitchen's lighter Rocky Mountain preparations.
Opus One
Opus One is a legitimately great wine and nobody's arguing otherwise — but at a resort restaurant, the markup on a bottle this famous is going to be punishing. You're paying for the name twice: once because it's Opus One, and again because you're at a Four Diamond hotel in a tourist destination. Save this one for a retailer.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon + Colorado rack of lamb
Caymus Special Selection is a big, plush Napa Cab with enough fruit and structure to stand up to Colorado lamb without overwhelming it. The richness of the wine mirrors the gamey depth of locally sourced rack of lamb, and the finish is long enough to bridge the gap between bites. Classic combination executed in a setting that actually does it justice.
The Bottom Line
The Cliff House wine program is the real thing — 800 bottles, a sommelier, proper storage, and glassware that respects what's in it. The markups sting and the list plays it safe, but if you're celebrating something in the shadow of Pikes Peak, this is exactly where you want to be doing it.
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse and American
La Taverne is a well-run, properly staffed wine program inside one of Colorado's most storied resort properties — expect to pay for the privilege and the setting. If you stick to Jordan and Peter Michael and resist the siren call of the trophy bottles, you'll drink very well here.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Italian (Northern Italian, trattoria-style)
Ristorante del Lago is the rare resort restaurant where the wine program actually earns some respect — the Italian focus is real, the sommelier knows the list, and a few genuinely exciting bottles are hiding in there if you look past the marquee names. Just go in knowing you're paying Broadmoor prices, and order accordingly.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse
Famous Steakhouse is the dependable old hand — the wine list won't excite you, but it won't embarrass you either, and with a prime rib in front of you and a Stag's Leap in the glass, that's a perfectly decent Thursday night. Just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Mexican / Tex-Mex
Crystal Park Cantina is a genuinely fun spot for tacos and margaritas with a mountain view — lean into that and skip the wine entirely. The list is overpriced grocery store inventory with no ambition, and no amount of scenery changes that.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Upscale American, Contemporary Fine Dining
The Cliff House wine program is the dependable friend who always shows up dressed well — you know exactly what you're getting, and it's genuinely good, even if it never blows your mind. For a special occasion in the mountains, this is a comfortable, well-run room that will take care of you.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / West Colorado · Colorado Springs · Fine Dining / Steak & Seafood
Pepper Tree is a reliable wine stop for what it is — a classic Colorado fine-dining room where the tableside Steak Diane is the main event and the wine list is a well-behaved supporting cast. Don't come here chasing discovery, but do come knowing you'll drink decently without drama.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
7th Ave / Dolores · Carmel By The Sea · New American
Seventh & Dolores isn't a destination wine list, but it's a respectable one that at least knows where it is geographically. Come for the steak, order the Wrath, and don't expect to go down any rabbit holes.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail · Vail · New American
Vin48 is a genuinely surprising wine program hiding inside a Colorado ski resort, and if you're a wine-first diner passing through Vail, it absolutely warrants a stop. The markups reflect the zip code more than we'd like, but the depth and curation of the list are the real deal.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Solvang · Solvang · New American
Root 246 is the rare hotel restaurant that actually earns your wine attention — a focused Santa Barbara County list with real producers, a sommelier who knows the material, and pricing that doesn't punish you for being curious. If you're passing through Solvang wine country, this is where you eat.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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