Annabelle DC
DC's Best Kept Wine Secret Has Arrived
Washington · Washington · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into Annabelle, clock the green skylight casting garden light over the room, and then the wine list lands in your hands — and suddenly the decor takes a back seat. This is a list that means business: 300-plus bottles anchored in France and California, with names that make serious wine drinkers sit up straight. It's the kind of program that tells you the owners actually care.
Selection Deep Dive
The French and California pillars here are genuinely impressive — we're talking Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, Château Margaux, and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti on the Burgundy and Bordeaux side, with Kistler, Aubert, Ridge Monte Bello, Opus One, and Sine Qua Non flying the California flag. That's not a list assembled by someone browsing a distributor catalog — that's a list built with conviction. The depth skews toward prestige, which means wallet-busting options are plentiful, but the breadth within those regions gives you real choices at multiple price points. If you have a weakness for premier cru whites or cult California Cabs, this list will test your self-control.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is a serious pour program for Washington, D.C. — most restaurants in this city treat BTG as an afterthought. We don't have the full rotating list in front of us, but a program built around France and California with sommeliers on staff suggests the glass pours reflect the list's strengths rather than just clearing slow-moving inventory. Ask Cayla or Ben what's open — they'll steer you right.
Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello — $150
Monte Bello is one of California's benchmark Cabernet-dominant blends — it consistently trades at or above this range in the wild, and on a restaurant list anchored by four-figure trophy bottles, it's the move for serious drinkers who want the real California experience without the Opus One price tag.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
Most tables at Annabelle are going to gravitate toward the big reds or the obvious California names, but Leflaive's Puligny-Montrachet is one of the most quietly compelling white Burgundies in the game — precise, mineral, and built to age. In a room full of Opus One orders, this bottle is flying under the radar.
Opus One
Opus One is a legitimately great wine, but it's also the most recognized name on any prestige American list, which means restaurants know they can charge a premium on top of an already elevated retail price. You're paying for the label recognition as much as the wine. The Ridge Monte Bello is right there, costs less, and has more soul.
Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay + Tagliatelle
Kistler's rich, textured Chardonnay has enough weight to stand up to a buttery, pasta-forward dish without drowning it — the wine's California fruit and oak integration complement rather than compete with the tagliatelle's richness. It's the kind of pairing that makes you slow down and pay attention.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Annabelle is one of the most serious wine programs in Washington, D.C., and the Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator isn't decorative — this list earns it. Send your wine-loving friends here, but warn them to set a budget before they open the list.
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