The Pluckemin Inn

The wine list at Pluckemin Inn lands on your table like a small encyclopedia — and we mean that as a compliment. With somewhere between 800 and 1,200 selections, this is not a list you skim; it's one you study. The historic inn setting sets the tone: this place takes wine seriously, and it has the Wine Spectator Grand Award hardware to prove it.

Burgundy anchors the whole program, with names like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Henri Jayer, and Leroy sitting alongside Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet — this is the kind of depth that makes collectors make reservations on purpose. Bordeaux and Piedmont hold their own too, with Château Pétrus, Château Lafite Rothschild, Gaja Barbaresco, and Giacomo Conterno Barolo all present. The Rhône shows real conviction — E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline and Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape are not throwaway additions, they're serious bottles for serious drinkers. California rounds things out with Kistler Chardonnay, Ridge Monte Bello, and Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon keeping the New World section relevant without turning it into a Greatest Hits package.

Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is a generous program for a restaurant at this level, and the rotation covers enough ground to satisfy both the Burgundy loyalist and the person who just wants a solid Rhône with their duck. We'd expect sommeliers Sean Price and Juan Carlos Fuentes to be actively steering these selections — ask them what's open, because the best pours rarely make it to the printed list. No formal half-price wine night exists here, which is fine; the by-the-glass selection is strong enough to stand on its own.