Hollywood's Oldest Room Still Pours Like It
Hollywood · Los Angeles · American · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Musso & Frank Grill’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Musso & Frank feels like stepping into a film noir where everyone knows how to drink. The wine list lands on your table with the same quiet confidence as the red-jacketed waiters who've probably been here since Sinatra was alive. Five hundred to seven hundred selections, anchored in California and France — this isn't a list that's trying to impress you; it just does.
The list leans hard into California royalty and French classics, which is exactly what you'd want from a room that opened in 1919. Ridge Monte Bello, Stag's Leap Cask 23, Dominus Estate, Chateau Montelena — these aren't trend-chasing picks, they're the wines that defined American wine culture, and Musso & Frank has been pouring them longer than most wine lists have existed. France shows up through Louis Jadot Burgundy selections and Chateau Margaux, giving the list genuine old-world backbone alongside its California muscle. Italy is present but plays a supporting role — the real story here is Napa and Bordeaux doing what they do best.
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options, which is respectable for a list this size. Don't expect a rotating natural wine flight or anything experimental — this program is built for the person who wants a proper glass of Chardonnay with their sand dabs and doesn't need to make it complicated. Far Niente Chardonnay showing up by the glass would be the move here if you're not ready to commit to a bottle.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon — $80
In a list stacked with century-defining Napa names, Beringer's Private Reserve often flies under the radar next to the Opus Ones and Dominus bottles — but it's one of the most consistent, age-worthy Cabs in California and typically lands at a price point that doesn't make you wince when the check arrives.
Louis Jadot Burgundy
In a room full of Napa power players, the Jadot Burgundy selections are easy to scroll past. Don't. They're the quiet counterpoint to all that Cabernet bravado — and with grilled lamb chops on the table, they make more sense than anything else on the list.
Opus One
Opus One is a great wine. It's also one of the most marked-up bottles on every steakhouse list in America. You're paying a significant premium for the name recognition here — the Ridge Monte Bello or Stag's Leap Cask 23 will drink just as memorably for less damage to your wallet.
Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon + New York strip steak
The wine that put California on the map in 1976 and a cut of beef that's been on this menu since before that — Chateau Montelena's structured tannins and dark fruit cut through the richness of a properly aged strip steak in a way that feels less like a pairing and more like the point of the whole evening.
The Bottom Line
Musso & Frank isn't trying to be the coolest wine list in Los Angeles — it's content being the most authoritative one, and that's a distinction worth respecting. Sommelier Serge Kiraz and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence back up what the room already tells you: wine here is taken seriously, even if the prices remind you that Hollywood never comes cheap.
· Los Angeles · California small plates
If this four-wine snapshot is the full extent of AOC's current public-facing wine program, it doesn't come close to living up to the restaurant's wine bar billing. The pricing is fair and the Vinho Verde earns its spot, but four uniform options with no dish context and no visible deeper list is not what you go to a place called AOC expecting. Come for the reputation — just hope the full list is hiding somewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian Seafood
Marea Beverly Hills brings genuine depth and regional curiosity to a wine list that could have easily coasted on crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and overpriced Super Tuscans — and it didn't. The markups are high, as expected for this zip code, and without clearer intel on staff knowledge or specials programming, the full experience is harder to guarantee. But the list itself earns serious respect, and if you navigate it well — start with the Strasserhof, finish with the Rossese — you'll drink far better than most tables around you.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Prime rib and steakhouse
Lawry's is a Los Angeles institution and the prime rib is genuinely the point — the wine list exists to support that experience, not steal the show. If you hit the weekday happy hour window between 5 and 6 PM, you might find the value equation improves considerably. Come for the beef, enjoy whatever Cab they pour, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian and French Café
Bottega Louie West Hollywood is a solid, reliable choice when you want wine that doesn't distract from the occasion — the room, the company, the cannoli. The Sunday half-price glass program is the single most compelling reason to choose this spot specifically for wine, and we'd encourage you to use it. Just don't expect the list to surprise you; this is a place that knows its audience and plays to them without apology.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Italian pasta
Cento is a destination for the pasta first, and the wine list seems to know its supporting role without phoning it in. We'd want a verified menu in hand before steering you toward specific bottles, but the regional focus and the evident care in the room give us real confidence this isn't a place that treats wine as an afterthought. Go for the spicy pomodoro, ask what's pouring by the glass, and let the night unfold.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · French tasting menu
Mélisse is a destination for Champagne completists willing to pay fine dining prices for the privilege of choosing between four Philipponnat vintages or three Krug editions in a single sitting. But if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of a French tasting menu — with depth across regions and styles — the narrowness here will leave you wanting. Come for the bubbles, manage your expectations for everything else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Yountville · American
RH Yountville is a genuinely beautiful place to drink wine — the room earns that much on atmosphere alone, and the California-forward list will keep most guests happy without any friction. But in Yountville, where the competition includes some of the most serious wine programs in the country, 'happy without friction' isn't the same as memorable. Go for the experience, order confidently by region, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · American
Yard House Bakersfield is a beer hall that happens to sell wine, and the list makes no effort to hide that. Markups are aggressive, selections are safe to the point of being anonymous, and the only reason to open a bottle here is if your table voted against another round of IPAs. If you're wine-focused, redirect your budget to the Jean-Luc Colombo Rosé by the glass and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · American
The Kitchen at Priest Ranch is a one-winery show, and that's exactly the point. If you want to spend an evening exploring what a single Napa estate produces across whites, rosé, Zinfandel, Merlot, and multiple Cabernet expressions — including older large-format bottles — this is a genuinely interesting way to do it. Just don't come expecting breadth or outside discovery. Send a friend here if they love Priest Ranch or want to.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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