3,500 Bottles Deep in Wine Country Paradise
Montecito · Santa Barbara · Californian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 5, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Stonehouse’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at The Stonehouse lands on the table with the quiet confidence of a place that's held a Wine Spectator Grand Award since 2014 — and has no reason to prove anything to anyone. Nearly 3,500 selections across Burgundy, California, Rhône, Italy, and France, tucked inside a creekside stone house with a wood-burning fireplace. The room earns the list.
This is a serious cellar. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Domaine Leroy anchor an exceptional Burgundy section, with Domaine Ramonet and Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé filling out the depth you'd expect at this level. California gets equal billing — Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Sine Qua Non, Kistler, and Marcassin represent the serious end, while Ridge Monte Bello and Au Bon Climat bring intellectual weight to the domestic side. The Rhône is no afterthought either: Domaine Jean-Louis Chave and Château Rayas are the kind of names that make wine nerds audibly exhale. Gaps are hard to find, though the sticker prices on the blue-chip stuff will make you feel them in your chest.
With 20 to 30 pours on rotation, the by-the-glass program punches well above what most California resort restaurants bother with. Expect solid representation across styles and regions rather than the usual Napa Cab plus two whites formula. The sommelier team — Jennifer Pyle, Michael Bremser, and Micah Espudo — actively manages this section, so it's worth asking what's open rather than just reading the menu.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir — $60
In a list full of four-figure bottles, Au Bon Climat is the honest local hero — Santa Barbara-grown Pinot from one of the Central Coast's most respected producers. At the entry price point, it's the clearest path to drinking well without financing a mortgage.
Ridge Monte Bello
Most tables here are chasing DRC or Harlan, which means Monte Bello sometimes gets overlooked. That's a mistake. This is one of the most age-worthy Cabernet-based blends made in California, with decades of track record and a fraction of the cultural noise around Napa cult wines. Order it with intention.
Phelps Insignia
A great wine, full stop — but Insignia is widely distributed, appears on nearly every upscale California list, and carries a markup that reflects its trophy status more than the actual contents of the bottle. You can do better on this list for the same spend.
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage + Steak Diane
Chave's Hermitage is Syrah at its most serious — savory, structured, with that Northern Rhône iron-and-olive backbone. The Steak Diane's pan sauce, brandy, and cream meet that structure head-on without either element backing down. This is the pairing you come back to tell people about.
The Bottom Line
The Stonehouse is the real deal — a Grand Award list in a setting that actually matches the ambition, with a sommelier team that knows every bottle in the cellar. Prices are high across the board, but for a special occasion in Santa Barbara, there's nowhere else to be.
Montecito · Santa Barbara · Italian
Tre Lune isn't trying to reinvent anything — it's a well-loved Montecito Italian with a wine list that earns its Wine Spectator nod and leans intelligently on Margerum's local chops. Send a friend here knowing the wine will be fairly priced and thoughtfully chosen, even if the excitement ceiling is comfortable rather than thrilling.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Santa Barbara · New American / California Cuisine
Finch & Fork is a reliable pour in a great wine region — the list champions its Santa Barbara backyard with real conviction, even if the markups occasionally make you wince. Send a friend here if they want to drink local and drink well; just steer them toward the Foxen and away from the M5.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Santa Barbara · Italian Pizzeria
Ca' Dario Pizzeria isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the list does its job, the prices are fair, and the Santa Barbara rosé alone justifies looking past the cocktail menu. Send a friend here if they want solid Italian wine with their pizza and zero fuss.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waterfront / Cabrillo Blvd · Santa Barbara · Italian Steakhouse
Ca' Dario Steakhouse is a reliable wine destination for anyone who wants serious Italian bottles with their steak without having to navigate a 300-label monster list. The markups trend steep, especially on the celebrity bottles, but the Santa Barbara Syrah and Sicilian options give value-hunters a legitimate path.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waterfront / East Beach · Santa Barbara · Contemporary Oaxacan and Mexican
Flor De Maiz isn't a wine destination, but it's a Wild Card in the best sense — a waterfront Oaxacan spot that took the time to build a small, thoughtful list with local producers and a genuine Mexican anchor. Come for the mole, stay for the Barden Brut Rosé.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Public Market / Downtown · Santa Barbara · Thai and Taiwanese-inspired noodle bar
Empty Bowl is a genuinely excellent noodle bar that deserves a better wine program than this — come for the Khao Soi, grab a sake, and don't let the wine list talk you into a $36 Chardonnay. The kitchen is working hard; the wine list is not.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Monterey · Carmel By The Sea · Californian
Montrio is the rare restaurant where the wine list earns the same respect as the kitchen — regionally focused, fairly priced, and backed by staff who can actually help you navigate it. Add Tuesday's half-price bottle promotion and you've got one of the better wine nights on the Central Coast.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Sixth & Mission · Carmel By The Sea · Californian
Grasing's doesn't have the deepest list on the Monterey Peninsula, but the by-the-glass-everything model and genuinely fair pricing make it worth your time. Send a friend here if they want to drink well without being locked into a bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Napa · Napa · Californian
Carpe Diem punches above its weight for a 12-bottle list, and Monday half-price night makes this one of the better deals in downtown Napa. Just watch the bottle markups on the bigger names — you're in wine country, not getting a discount for it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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