All-estate, all-in, surprisingly deep Kirkland
· Kirkland · Wine bar & small plates · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed September 4, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Melody Lynne Vineyard Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list is exactly 16 wines long and every single one of them is from The Melody Lynne Vineyard itself — no outside bottles, no guest producers, no filler. That's either a bold statement or a red flag, and in this case it reads more like conviction. Prices top out at $59 and bottom out at $19, which in 2024 Washington wine bar terms is practically charitable.
What's genuinely surprising here is the range they've managed within a fully estate-only format. You've got Dolcetto and Sangiovese sitting next to Gewurztraminer and a Pommard clone Pinot Noir — varietals that don't typically share a menu in Eastern Washington. The Acacia Barreled Sauvignon Blanc and the 2022 Arancia Dolce (almost certainly an orange wine given the name) hint at a winemaker who's actually having fun rather than chasing easy sales. The gaps are real — no sparkling, no dessert wine listed, and the oldest vintage on the list is 2019 — but within a focused single-producer model, this is a legitimate and considered lineup.
By-the-glass specifics aren't confirmed on the research data, but given the size of the list and the wine bar format, it's reasonable to expect pours across the range. We'd push staff to confirm what's open on any given night before committing to a bottle — vintage-specific inventory at a small estate can be unpredictable.
The Melody Lynne Vineyard 2020 Sangiovese — $29
Washington Sangiovese for under thirty bucks is almost unheard of, and this is a 2020 — not a rush job. If it delivers even half of what the varietal is capable of, this is the smartest spend on the list.
The Melody Lynne Vineyard 2022 Arancia Dolce
The name translates to 'sweet orange' in Italian and this almost certainly skews toward orange wine territory — skin-contact, textured, probably polarizing. Most guests will walk right past it. Don't be most guests.
The Melody Lynne Vineyard 2019 Studio Cabernet Sauvignon
At $59 it's the priciest bottle on the list by a meaningful margin. We have no issue with Cab at that price when it earns it, but on a list where equally interesting bottles are sitting at $29-$39, the Studio Cab needs to be extraordinary to justify the jump — and without tasting notes or independent reviews to back it up, it's a harder sell.
The Melody Lynne Vineyard 2020 Dolcetto + Charcuterie board
Dolcetto is built for cured meats — low tannin, good acidity, a little bitter finish that cuts through fat. On a small plates wine bar menu, a charcuterie spread is almost certainly available, and this is exactly the wine to take it through.
The Bottom Line
The Melody Lynne Vineyard is doing something genuinely unusual — a fully estate-only wine bar with real varietal ambition and prices that don't punish curiosity. It's not the deepest list in Washington, but it might be the most specific, and specific is underrated.
· Kirkland · Waterfront bar
The Dock & Drink is doing exactly what it should — a tight, all-Washington wine list at fair prices for a place where the real draw is a cold drink and a lake view. Don't come looking for depth, but do know that Betz and DeLille on any bar menu is a minor overachiever. If you're already at the Woodmark, the wine situation won't disappoint you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kirkland · Brewpub
Chainline is a brewery that tolerates wine drinkers — it doesn't court them. The pricing is fair for what it is, and the Washington-only focus is at least a gesture toward regional identity, but four grocery-store labels with zero rotation is a wine program in name only. Come for the beer; if your tablemate insists on wine, the Hogue Chardonnay will get them through dinner.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kirkland · Kirkland · Dessert & Champagne Bar
Lady Yum Kirkland earns its Wild Card badge not for wine depth but for sheer conceptual commitment — pairing handcrafted macarons with Champagne in a boutique lakeside setting is a legitimate move that most restaurants wouldn't dare. If you show up expecting a serious wine program, you'll leave underwhelmed; if you show up for a fun afternoon of bubbles and raspberry champagne macarons, you'll have exactly a good time.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kirkland · Italian
The headline here is the Vino e Vita Wednesday program: Il Fornaio Insiders get half off all bottles all day, which can turn a steep markup into a genuinely fair deal. Without a verified bottle list, we can't send you in with a specific target, but if you're a regular or planning ahead, signing up for Insiders and booking a Wednesday table is the move. Otherwise, it's a reliable neighborhood Italian — not a wine destination, but not an embarrassment either.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
· Kirkland · Italian lakeside
Como isn't trying to be a wine bar, but it's wine list punches well above its weight for a lakeside Italian in the suburbs — fair pricing, genuine Italian depth, and a few local picks that earn their spot. Yes, send a friend here for wine.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kirkland · American café & wine bar
Mia is a neighborhood wine bar that earns its stripes by championing a hyperlocal producer alongside an accessible, well-priced lineup — the 425 Cellars section alone makes it worth a stop if you're in Kirkland. The Wild Card badge is there for a reason: on paper this list looks ordinary, but the local angle and nearly unlimited by-the-glass flexibility make it quietly one of the better casual wine spots on the Eastside.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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