Solid suburban list, but pricing needs a reality check
Clayton · St. Louis · Upscale American pub fare with English and French influences · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Eighty-five labels at a suburban American pub — we weren't expecting much, and then the list surprised us. There's actual intention here: Brunello, Sancerre, Pacific Northwest Pinot, even a Hexamer Riesling from the Nahe that has no business being on a menu next to fish and chips. The ambition is real. The pricing, less so.
The list leans hard into California and the Pacific Northwest, which makes sense for the crowd, but there are genuine pockets of interest scattered throughout. Italy shows up with Vietti Barbera d'Asti 'Tre Vigne,' Isole e Olena Chianti, and a Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino 2013 that's a serious bottle for a neighborhood spot. France gets a nod with Guigal Côtes du Rhône, a Brochard Sancerre, Albert Bichot Chablis, and even Taittinger in the bubble department. The weak spot is the same one you'll find at every upscale suburban American restaurant: too many Napa trophy wines — Silver Oak, Cakebread, Duckhorn, The Prisoner — that exist to impress tables who recognize the label, not to offer genuine value. Spain barely shows up (one Rioja), and there's no meaningful Old World red depth beyond the Italian picks.
Eighteen by-the-glass options is a solid number, and the range covers whites, reds, and sparkling without doubling down on the same three grapes. You can get the Adelsheim Pinot Noir or the E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône by the glass, which are both respectable pours for a weeknight out. Glass prices running $7–$14 are fair on the low end, though we'd want to know exactly which bottles are getting poured before committing to the higher-priced glass options.
Frank Family Chardonnay 2016 (Carneros) — $50
At roughly a 43% markup over retail, this is the most fairly priced bottle on the list. Frank Family Chardonnay punches above its retail price anyway — rich, toasty, and well-structured — and at $50 here it's actually a deal compared to everything else on the menu.
Vietti Barbera d'Asti 'Tre Vigne' 2015 (Piedmont, Italy)
Most tables here are reaching for Silver Oak or The Prisoner without blinking. Meanwhile, Vietti is one of Piedmont's benchmark producers, and their Barbera d'Asti is bright, food-friendly, and completely underordered by the kind of crowd that frequents upscale suburban pubs. It'll outperform half the California reds on this list at dinner.
Decoy Red Blend 2016 (Napa Valley)
A 160% markup on a $25 retail bottle is the single worst value on this list. Decoy by Duckhorn is perfectly drinkable grocery store wine — we're not knocking it — but paying $65 for a bottle you can grab at Total Wine for $25 on your way home is a hard pass. Order the Intrinsic Red Blend from Columbia Valley if you want something in that ballpark at a more defensible price.
E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2015 + Steak frites
Guigal's Côtes du Rhône is built for exactly this situation — Grenache-driven, earthy, with enough dark fruit and pepper to stand up to a properly cooked steak without trying to steal the show. It's an unpretentious Rhône red that makes the frites taste better too. And it won't send you into sticker shock.
✔️ The Bottom Line
801 Local has put in real work on this list — more work than most suburban pubs bother with — but the markup on recognizable bottles undercuts the goodwill. Come for the Vietti and the Frank Family; leave The Prisoner for someone else's table.
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