California Cabs Meet Wild Game Country
Downtown Austin · Austin · Southwestern American, Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Lonesome Dove and the room does the talking — warm wood, low light, and the kind of upscale cowboy energy that makes you want to order something with antlers. The wine list matches the room: serious, California-forward, and clearly built to impress. It's a Best of Award of Excellence winner since 2017, and that credential isn't just wall decor.
The list runs 250-350 bottles deep with a clear center of gravity in California, and not the bargain-bin kind — we're talking Caymus, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, Opus One, and Far Niente as the headliners. It's a roster that reads like a Greatest Hits of Napa, which is great if that's your game, but don't come hunting for Burgundy or anything from the Rhône. Duckhorn Merlot and Jordan Cabernet round out a list that's polished and reliable, even if it doesn't take many risks. If this wine program has a flaw, it's that it leans heavily on recognizable names rather than digging for anything unexpected.
With 20-30 options by the glass, there's genuine range here — enough to work your way through a multi-course game dinner without repeating yourself. The pours skew California and skew red, which makes sense given the menu. We'd love to see more rotation and a few left-field picks, but what's here is competently chosen.
Jordan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon — $40–$60 (estimated glass/entry bottle range)
Jordan is the quiet workhorse of this list — consistent, food-friendly, and one of the few bottles that doesn't ask you to spend triple digits to drink well. Next to Opus One it looks like a bargain, and next to elk tenderloin it looks like a genius move.
Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot
Everyone at the table is eyeing the Cabernets, and that's exactly why you should order the Duckhorn Merlot. It's silkier, more versatile with the game-heavy menu, and consistently underordered — meaning your server might actually talk you out of it, which is the wrong call.
Opus One
It's a great wine. It's also a flex purchase that restaurants mark up aggressively, and at Lonesome Dove you're paying a significant premium to drink something you could find at a wine shop for considerably less. Save the Opus One budget for the buffalo ribeye.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Buffalo Ribeye
Buffalo is leaner and more mineral-driven than beef, and Stag's Leap Cab — with its signature iron-fist-in-velvet-glove structure — meets it in exactly the right register. It's the most classically Napa pairing on the menu and it earns that reputation.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Lonesome Dove is the right restaurant to order a serious California Cabernet and eat something you've never had before — the wine list is built for exactly that moment. It's not adventurous and it's not cheap, but it's polished, properly maintained, and earns its Wine Spectator badge.
· Austin · Steakhouse
ALC Steaks plays it safe and plays it competently — this is a wine list that serves the room without challenging it. If you know what you're looking for, there are smart picks buried in here; if you don't, you'll still drink fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Austin · Austin · American, Italian
Sammie's is a genuinely fun room with a wine list that's earned its Wine Spectator hardware — the Italian depth is real, the sommelier knows her stuff, and Monday half-price bottles might be the best deal in Austin. Just go in knowing the markups lean steep, and let Jenny point you toward the plays that aren't on the tourist track.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Downtown Austin · Austin · Latin Steakhouse
Ciclo is a reliable, well-run California-centric wine program that does exactly what it says on the menu — it just charges you for the privilege. If you're here for the steakhouse experience and want a Cab that won't embarrass you, Joe Pena's list delivers. Just don't expect to be surprised.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lake Austin · Austin · Italian
68 Degrees is doing something genuinely rare in Austin: an Italian wine list with real depth, honest pricing, and a Wednesday deal that should be on your calendar. We'd send anyone here who wants to drink well without a fight.
Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
East Austin · Austin · American, Italian
Birdie's has no business being this good at wine for a neighborhood spot on East 12th — and that's the highest compliment we can give it. Send your friends here, tell them to order Burgundy, and let them figure out on their own that this place is a wild card worth knowing.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Austin · Austin · Italian
Siena's wine list is a genuine Italian-focused program with some serious names and a half-price Monday that should be on every Austin wine drinker's calendar. Markups run steep at the high end, but the bones are good enough that we'd send a friend — especially on a Monday.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Litchfield Park · Litchfield Park · Southwestern American, Steakhouse
Litchfield's isn't trying to reinvent wine; it's trying to make sure you enjoy a very good bottle of California Cabernet in a room that knows how to treat you right. For a resort steakhouse in the Arizona desert, that's a perfectly honorable goal — and with Christopher McLean steering the ship, they pull it off.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lubbock · Lubbock · Southwestern American, Steakhouse
Las Brisas is exactly the kind of wine program you should seek out when you're in a food city that doesn't get enough credit — a real sommelier, a cellar that respects both Napa and the Texas Hill Country, and enough range to reward the curious. It's not cheap, but it's not lazy either, and in Lubbock, that counts for a lot.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.