The Heights Restaurant and H Bar
Ithaca's Dependable Anchor for California and France
Ithaca · Ithaca · American, Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 19, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The Heights walks in with quiet confidence — a 150-plus bottle list that leans hard into California and France, with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence they've been earning since 1999. For Ithaca, that kind of consistency means something. This isn't a restaurant that stumbled into wine; they've been thinking about it for a long time.
Selection Deep Dive
The list does exactly what it says on the tin: California and France anchor everything, with recognizable names like Caymus, Jordan, and Sonoma-Cutrer holding down the New World side while Louis Jadot flies the Burgundy flag for the Old World contingent. It won't surprise anyone who's spent time around serious wine lists, but in a college town like Ithaca, hitting $35–$120 with this kind of range puts The Heights well ahead of the local competition. The gap is in adventurousness — there's no Rhône rabbit hole, no skin-contact curiosity, no Finger Lakes representation to speak of, which feels like a missed opportunity given the backyard they're playing in. Still, the bones are solid and the producers are reliable.
By the Glass
Somewhere between 12 and 20 pours by the glass, which is a respectable spread for a neighborhood restaurant without a dedicated wine bar program. Expect the usual suspects — a Chardonnay, a Cab, probably the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling if you're lucky. Rotation appears limited, so don't expect the list to surprise you on a return visit.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — $35
At the low end of their price range, this is an honest, food-friendly bottle that punches above what most people expect from Washington Riesling. It's the kind of wine that makes a table of skeptics into believers, especially alongside the grilled salmon or seasonal vegetable plates.
Louis Jadot Burgundy
Most people at a place like this are reaching for the Caymus, which is exactly why you shouldn't. A Jadot Burgundy at a fair-markup restaurant is the quiet overachiever on this list — earthy, food-smart, and built for the kind of Mediterranean-leaning menu The Heights is running.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Look, Caymus is fine. But it's also everywhere, it commands a price premium based entirely on name recognition, and you're not getting anything you can't get at a steakhouse chain. At The Heights, your money works harder elsewhere on this list.
Jordan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon + Steak Frites
Jordan Cab is built for exactly this situation — it's structured enough to stand up to the beef but polished enough that it doesn't turn dinner into a tannin wrestling match. Classic combo, executed well, and one of the better bottles on the list to justify the spend.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The Heights isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, and it doesn't need to — for Ithaca, a 25-year Wine Spectator streak, fair prices, and a California-France backbone makes this one of the most dependable wine stops in the region. Send a friend here without hesitation, just tell them to order the Burgundy.
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