Resort Town Italian With Serious Cellar Ambitions
Pinehurst · Pinehurst · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 21, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to find Giacomo Conterno Barolo and Biondi-Santi Brunello on a wine list in a Pinehurst resort town, but here we are. Lisi's list lands with genuine weight — this isn't a hotel restaurant coasting on Ruffino Chianti and a couple of California Cabs. Someone actually cared when they put this together.
The Italian backbone is the real story here: Barolo from Bruno Giacosa, Brunello from Biondi-Santi and Banfi, Amarone della Valpolicella, and Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Tignanello fill out a north-to-south Italian roster that earns the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence it's held since 2023. France gets a solid supporting role with Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin representing Burgundy without overstaying their welcome. California shows up via Jordan and Stag's Leap Cab, and Domaine Drouhin Oregon rounds out the New World corner neatly. The gaps are real — no Southern Italian to speak of, no natural wine energy, no deep Champagne bench — but for a resort-market Italian restaurant, the depth is legitimately surprising.
With 12 to 20 pours available, the by-the-glass program is more than just a landing pad for people who can't commit. Whether there's consistent rotation or the list sits static is unclear, but the range of the bottle program suggests there's at least something interesting to land on. We'd push the staff to steer you toward whatever Italian red is open — that's where Lisi's heart lives.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $65
Jordan reliably drinks above its price point and tends to be marked up conservatively at Italian restaurants. If Lisi's pricing holds to the fair side of their range, this is the move for a crowd-pleasing Cab that doesn't embarrass itself next to the pasta.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir
Everyone's scanning for the Italian heavyweights and walking right past this. Drouhin Oregon is one of the most honest Oregon Pinots you can find on a restaurant list — structured, food-friendly, and dramatically underordered in Italian restaurants. It works beautifully against a branzino or a lighter risotto, and most tables won't even glance at it.
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino
Banfi is fine — it's the Brunello you've already met. With Biondi-Santi on the same list, there's no reason to settle for the crowd-pleaser when the real thing is sitting right there. Spend the extra money or go a completely different direction.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + Osso buco
Conterno's Barolo is built for exactly this moment — the tannin and acidity cut right through the braised richness of the veal shank, and the wine's earthy, tar-and-roses character amplifies everything that's good about a proper osso buco. This is the pairing the whole list is quietly pointing toward.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Lisi punches well above the weight you'd expect from a resort-market Italian in the Carolina Sandhills — the Italian producers alone justify the detour. No sommelier on staff and no special wine programming hold it back from a Rager, but as a reliable destination with genuine cellar ambition, it earns its Wild Card without argument.
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