Aspen's Cult-Wine Steakhouse Delivers the Goods
Aspen · Aspen · Steak House · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at The Monarch lands like a flex — in the best way. Four to six hundred selections deep, anchored by California cult wines and serious Burgundy, this is a list that means business. White tablecloths, a dedicated sommelier, and a Best of Award of Excellence since 2019 all signal that the wine program here is not an afterthought.
Sommelier Ryan Brown has built a list that skews hard toward the power regions: California, Burgundy, and Italy. On the California side, you're looking at Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, Opus One, and Caymus Special Selection — the steakhouse hall of fame, yes, but executed with real depth rather than just name-dropping. Burgundy gets serious treatment with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti anchoring the prestige end and Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin providing more approachable entry points into Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny. Italy punches above its weight with Sassicaia, Gaja, and Giacomo Conterno representing Barolo at its finest. The gaps are minor — if you're hunting obscure natural wine or deep Southern Hemisphere selections, look elsewhere — but for the classic steakhouse power grid, this list is hard to beat.
With 20 to 35 options by the glass, the program is generous for a restaurant at this price point. Expect rotating access to producers like Jordan and Silver Oak by the pour — solid, food-friendly choices that work hard against a dry-aged ribeye. We'd love to see more Burgundy representation by the glass, but in Aspen, the bottle orders tend to do the heavy lifting.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon — $80–$120
Jordan is the sleeper on any high-end steakhouse list. It reliably over-delivers at its price point — structured, food-friendly, and a genuine pleasure against red meat without demanding you spend Screaming Eagle money to have a great night.
Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny
Everyone at the table is ordering California Cab, and we get it. But Chambolle-Musigny from Drouhin — silky, perfumed, and genuinely complex — is a left-turn that beats most of the California lineup at its price and shows off why Burgundy belongs on a steakhouse list in the first place.
Opus One
Opus One is a fine wine, full stop — but in a room full of Harlan and Screaming Eagle loyalists, it gets marked up as a trophy pour rather than a value play. You're paying for the label recognition at this stage, and the rest of the California lineup gives you more wine per dollar.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + Prime dry-aged ribeye
Conterno Barolo's high acidity and structural tannins are built for exactly this moment — they cut through the fat of a well-marbled dry-aged ribeye and make both the wine and the steak taste bigger than they would alone. Classic pairing, but classics become classics for a reason.
🔥 The Bottom Line
The Monarch is the real deal for a special-occasion steakhouse wine experience in the Rockies — Ryan Brown's list has genuine depth and the chops to back it up. Prices are Aspen prices, so come prepared, but you're getting a Wine Spectator-caliber program to match every dollar you spend.
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