Great views, safe bets, Napa on repeat
The Buttes / West Tempe · Tempe · Steakhouse-Lean New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 30, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You walk in for the view — and honestly, it delivers. The wine list shows up next, and it's exactly what you'd expect at a resort steakhouse: a Greatest Hits of Napa Valley with price tags that remind you this is a Marriott property. Nothing here will surprise you, but nothing will embarrass you either.
The list runs 100 to 150 bottles deep and leans hard into California red country — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Stag's Leap, Duckhorn. It's a reliable roster, but the word 'eclectic' has never once visited this wine list. Washington State gets a token appearance, and there's a Rombauer Chardonnay for the crowd that treats it like a lifestyle brand. If you want Burgundy, Barolo, or anything with a little dirt under its fingernails, you're ordering the cocktail instead.
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options and checks the expected boxes — a Chardonnay, a Cab, maybe a Merlot — at $15 to $30 a pour. At those prices, you're paying for the altitude and the canyon views as much as what's in the glass. There's no obvious rotation or curation happening here; this reads like a list that got set and forgot.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $60
If the bottle lands anywhere near the low end of their pricing, Jordan is the move — it's a genuinely food-friendly Cab that doesn't browbeat you with tannins, and it holds its own against a prime cut without costing you next month's rent.
Duckhorn Merlot
Everyone in the room is ordering Cabernet, which means the Duckhorn Merlot gets ignored. That's a mistake. It's a serious, structured wine from a producer that actually cares about Merlot — richer and more interesting than half the Cabs on this list, and likely underordered enough that the staff might actually push a good vintage.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is everywhere, and at a resort markup it's going to cost you significantly more than retail. It's not a bad wine, but it's a predictable one — and at these prices, you're paying a premium for a label that's become more brand than bottle.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Rack of Lamb
Stag's Leap brings more elegance and restraint than most of the big Napa names on this list — that structure plays exceptionally well against lamb's richness without steamrolling the meat the way a heavier Cab can.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Top of the Rock is a safe, predictable wine list dressed up in a genuinely spectacular setting — you're paying a resort premium for Napa's greatest hits, and the view is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Send a friend here for the scenery and the steak, but tell them to pick their bottle carefully.
South Tempe · Tempe · American / Neighborhood Bistro
The Hudson is a fine place to eat a burger and drink a beer, but the wine list is on autopilot — familiar labels, steep markups outside of Wednesday's deal, and no evidence that anyone on staff is losing sleep over it. Send a friend here for the food, tell them to drink a cocktail.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Novus / ASU Campus District · Tempe · American Burger & Craft Bar
Eureka! Tempe is a craft beer bar first, a burger spot second, and a wine destination never. Order a local draft, enjoy your Truffle Cheese Fries, and save the wine for a place that's actually trying.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Tempe / Tempe Marketplace · Tempe · Modern Mexican
Blanco is a tequila bar that serves wine as a courtesy, and the list reflects exactly that level of commitment. Come for the cocktails and the Short Rib Machaca Enchiladas — if you want wine, order the bottle with the lowest markup and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Buttes / West Tempe · Tempe · Lounge / New American
Top of the Rock is a perfectly acceptable place to drink wine if the sunset and the occasion are doing the work — just don't expect the list to surprise you or the prices to be anything but hotel-steep. Order the Brunello or the Penner-Ash, enjoy the view, and let it be what it is.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Mill Avenue · Tempe · Cocktail Bar
Filthy Animal is the last place you'd expect to find a real wine list, which is precisely what makes it a Wild Card — the selection punches above the bar's party-school energy, and if you know what to order, you can drink well while everyone else is doing kamikazes. Just don't come here for the value; come for the vibe and the pleasant surprise.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Tempe · Tempe · Wine Bar / Mediterranean Small Plates
Bar Capri isn't trying to be a destination wine program — it's trying to be a really good neighborhood wine bar, and it mostly nails that. The Pasta Night deal alone is worth bookmarking, and the Barolo on a short list is the kind of detail that tells you someone cares.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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