Café Monarch

The wine list at Café Monarch lands on the table with the quiet confidence of a place that doesn't need to prove anything — and then immediately proves everything. We're talking 400-600 bottles anchored by Burgundy, Bordeaux, California, and Piedmont with the kind of depth that makes you want to cancel your next reservation somewhere else. A Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 2019 isn't window dressing here; it's earned.

The list reads like a collector's cellar that someone actually opened to the public. DRC, Screaming Eagle, Pétrus, Harlan Estate, Giacomo Conterno Monfortino — these aren't name-drops, they're cornerstones of a program built for people who take this seriously. The California section leans into the prestige tier hard, with Kistler Chardonnay and Opus One anchoring a Napa-heavy showing that Wine Spectator specifically flagged as a strength. Burgundy gets equal love with Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet and the full weight of what that appellation means, and Piedmont shows up with Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo sitting alongside Conterno — two of the most important producers in Italy on one list is not an accident. The one honest note: this list skews heavily prestige, so if you're hunting for sub-$80 hidden value, you'll be doing more digging than usual.

Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is a serious commitment, and with seven sommeliers on staff the rotation is clearly managed with intention rather than inertia. Monday's half-price wine night turns the by-the-glass program into one of the best wine deals in Scottsdale — come in on a Monday and drink things you'd normally only order on an anniversary. We'd push staff for what's open and interesting before defaulting to the printed list.