Grill 23 & Bar
Boston's Best Cellar, No Argument Accepted
Back Bay · Boston · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 5, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Grill 23 lands on the table like a small novel — 1,800 to 2,200 selections deep, organized with the kind of precision that tells you immediately this place takes its cellar seriously. Wine Spectator has handed out Grand Awards here every year since 2017, and one look at the list tells you why. This isn't a steakhouse that happens to have wine; it's a wine program that happens to serve excellent beef.
Selection Deep Dive
California and Burgundy anchor the list with heavy hitters — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, Kistler — but the depth extends well beyond the obvious flex picks. Piedmont is genuinely excellent with both Giacomo Conterno and Gaja represented, and the Rhône section features E. Guigal's La Landonne, which is exactly the kind of producer that separates a real list from a trophy case. Germany and Champagne round things out smartly: Egon Müller's Scharzhofberger alongside Krug and Salon means you can open a meal as well as you can close it. The Loire and Alsace sections are quieter but present, giving the list geographic range that most Boston restaurants don't bother with.
By the Glass
Forty to sixty options by the glass is an almost absurd number to maintain well, but a four-person sommelier team — Paul Lee, Tori Testa, Katie Stotler, and Erik Cancelmo — keeps things rotating and current. Pours run $14 to $30, which is honest money for Back Bay and the quality being offered. If you're flying solo at the bar or just want to graze across a few regions before dinner, the BTG program is one of the better reasons to sit down here.
Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2020 — $195
Yes, $195 is real money, but Egon Müller Kabinett at any restaurant is a relative steal compared to what they charge for their Spätlese and Auslese tiers. This wine has the tension and precision to cut right through a rich ribeye, and most tables will walk right past it for a Napa Cab — their loss, your gain.
E. Guigal La Landonne Côte-Rôtie
Everyone at this table is ordering Burgundy or Napa. La Landonne is one of the great Syrah-based wines on earth — dark, smoky, structured, and built to handle a dry-aged steak in a way that a delicate Pinot simply can't. It's also the kind of bottle that makes the sommelier noticeably happy when you order it, which is usually a good sign.
Opus One 2020
At $425 a bottle, Opus One is doing exactly what Opus One always does — trading on its Mondavi-Rothschild pedigree at a price point that reflects the brand more than what's in the glass. There are better Napa Cabernets on this list for less money, and the sommeliers here know that. Ask them.
Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo 2019 + Dry-aged bone-in ribeye
Barbaresco at its best has the acidity and tannin structure to match fatty, intensely flavored beef without either overpowering the other. Gaja's Sori San Lorenzo brings enough fruit and complexity to hold its own against a serious dry-aged cut, and at $375 it's one of the more interesting value plays relative to what else is on offer at this level.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — one of the better kept secrets in Boston dining. A list this deep at half price is genuinely worth planning a week around.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Grill 23 is the real deal — a Boston institution with a cellar that earns every bit of its Wine Spectator Grand Award and a sommelier team that actually wants to help you spend your money well. Markups run steep across the board, but for a list this deep and a room this serious about wine, we'd send anyone here without hesitation.
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