The Crossing
Clayton's serious wine room finally gets its due
Clayton · St. Louis · European, Italian, French Farm-to-Table · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 29, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The list lands on the table and it has weight — not just physically, but in intent. Someone here genuinely cares about wine, and the 200-plus bottle range spanning Val d'Aosta obscurities to Rhône royalty makes that clear within the first page. This is not a list assembled by a corporate beverage director checking boxes.
Selection Deep Dive
The range is legitimately impressive for the St. Louis market. You've got Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage sitting alongside Grosjean Fumin from Val d'Aosta — a region most American diners couldn't place on a map — which tells you the buyer is hunting, not just ordering off a rep sheet. California gets proper representation with Sine Qua Non on the high end and Red Car Sonoma Syrah for the more grounded spender. Willamette Valley Pinot, Burgundy blanc, and a Phil Long Cabernet round out a list that has genuine geographic range without feeling scattered. The gap is value mid-tier: the jump between approachable bottles and the serious stuff can feel abrupt.
By the Glass
Fifteen to twenty-five pours by the glass is a strong program, and if the Silas Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is on pour, that alone justifies the glass count. The selection reflects the same adventurous spirit as the bottle list, which is exactly what you want — not a by-the-glass menu that reads like a grocery store endcap while the real stuff stays corked.
Red Car 2023 Sonoma Syrah, The Fight — Not listed
Red Car makes serious Sonoma Syrah that typically punches well above its price point, and The Fight bottling in particular has a track record of outperforming its tag. On a list with bottles stretching into the hundreds, this is where the smart money goes.
Grosjean 2012 Fumin, Vigne (Val d'Aosta)
Fumin is one of those grapes that makes wine-curious diners feel like they've discovered something — because they have. Val d'Aosta barely shows up on American wine lists, and a 2012 with this kind of age on it is rare to find poured in the Midwest. Order it before someone removes it from the list.
Sine Qua Non 2018 California White Wine, Aperta ($425)
Sine Qua Non is legitimately great wine, but at $425 you're paying a significant hospitality premium on a bottle that, if you wanted to track one down, you could find closer to retail with some effort. The list has plenty of exciting options at a fraction of this price — save the Sine Qua Non splurge for a winery allocation.
Jean Louis Chave 2012 Hermitage + Grass Run Farms Prime NY Strip
A twelve-year-old Chave Hermitage has had time to open up into something dense and savory — iron, olive, dark fruit — and it meets a properly aged prime strip exactly where you want it. This is the kind of pairing that makes a table go quiet.
🔥 The Bottom Line
The Crossing is the best wine list in Clayton and makes a genuine argument for top-five in St. Louis. Markup creep on the trophy bottles is real, but the depth, the staff, and the sheer range of what's available make it worth the trip across town.
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