Old World royalty in a hotel worth staying for
Flatiron · New York · American, British · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Clocktower’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the wine list at The Clocktower and it feels like someone handed you a passport to the Côte de Nuits. This is not a hotel restaurant wine list that plays it safe — it's a serious document, running close to 500 selections and leaning hard into France's greatest hits. The Ian Schrager setting signals ambition, and the list delivers on it.
The French triumvirate of Burgundy, Rhône, and Bordeaux anchors everything here, and the depth is legitimate. You'll find Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Leroy sitting alongside Henri Bonneau's Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Château Rayas — that's not padding, that's curation. Rhône fans are particularly well served, with E. Guigal's Côte-Rôtie and M. Chapoutier's Hermitage representing the northern end, while Domaine Tempier Bandol adds a Provençal wildcard. Bordeaux is no afterthought either: Château Pétrus and Château Léoville-Las Cases confirm this list is built for the long game, not impulse orders.
The by-the-glass program runs 20 to 30 options with a $15–$30 price window, which is honest for this zip code and this caliber of room. Sommelier Yumilka Ortiz keeps the pours relevant to the broader list's identity, so you're not stuck choosing between two generic Chardonnays while Burgundy legends sit untouched in the cellar. Rotation details aren't public, but a list this size suggests the glass program doesn't go stale.
Domaine Tempier Bandol — $60+
On a list dominated by four-figure Burgundy, Tempier is the entry point that actually drinks above its price tag. Rich, structured, built for the Beef Wellington, and not yet marked into the stratosphere the way the Rhône headliners are.
M. Chapoutier Hermitage
Most tables here are chasing Burgundy or Bordeaux, so Chapoutier's Hermitage gets overlooked. That's a mistake — northern Rhône Syrah at this level is as age-worthy as anything on the list and regularly outperforms its price relative to the DRC crowd.
Château Pétrus
It's on the list and it's real, but you're paying Manhattan hotel markup on top of Pétrus's already absurd secondary market pricing. Unless someone else is signing the check, the money goes further almost anywhere else on this list.
Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape + Beef Wellington
Bonneau's Châteauneuf has the weight and savory depth to stand up to pastry-wrapped beef without bulldozing it. The wine's earthy, spiced character echoes the duxelles inside the Wellington in a way that feels less like coincidence and more like the list was built for this dish.
The Bottom Line
The Clocktower is what happens when a hotel actually invests in wine instead of just stocking it — a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence since 2023 that feels genuinely earned. Send your most France-obsessed friend here and tell them to skip the Pétrus.
Midtown · New York · French Brasserie
La Grande Boucherie earns its place as a reliable stop for wine in Midtown, especially if you're leaning French. The glass list is genuinely wide and has some smart picks buried in it — the Fleurie and the Wiemer Riesling both punch above their price points. Markups trend steep as you climb the bottle list, so your money works hardest in the by-the-glass section. If you're here for the brasserie experience, the wine program holds up its end of the deal.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Steakhouse
BLT Prime's wine program is glass-only, which limits your options if you came for a big bottle moment, but the pricing is honest and the selection is more thoughtful than most steakhouses bother with. If you're keeping it casual and ordering by the glass, you can drink well here without feeling taken advantage of — and that's not nothing in this city.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
The Palm Midtown is not where you'd expect to find Puzelat and Ruth Lewandowski sitting next to each other on a wine list — which is exactly what makes it worth a second look. Six bottles is a short menu, but all six are defensible picks at prices that don't insult you. If you're in the mood to trust the list and not overthink it, this works.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Murray Hill · New York · Classic American Steakhouse
Wolfgang's is a reliable steakhouse wine experience in the sense that you know exactly what you're getting: a list built around the bottle you already know, priced for the room you're sitting in. If you're here to close a deal over a Porterhouse for Two, the wine list will do its job without embarrassing anyone — but it's not going to surprise you, and it's almost certainly going to cost more than it should. Go in with eyes open and a strong second-choice red in mind.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Mediterranean
Zaytinya's wine list is a rare thing in New York: a focused, regionally coherent program that commits hard to Greek and Eastern Mediterranean varieties without making you feel like you need a flashcard to order. The by-the-glass selection alone — 18 options, all under $18, featuring producers most wine lists wouldn't touch — makes this worth visiting even before the food arrives. If you eat here and order a Cabernet, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, 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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