Michael's
Garden patio, serious bottles, California soul
Santa Monica · Santa Monica · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 10, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Michael's lands with the quiet confidence of a restaurant that's been doing this since 1979 and knows exactly who it is. California and France anchor everything, and the presence of names like Marcassin and Domaine Leroy signals immediately that this isn't a list assembled by a food-and-bev director clicking around Wine.com. You're in the right hands.
Selection Deep Dive
With 200-300 bottles, the list is focused rather than sprawling — California Chardonnay and Cabernet get the most love, with Ridge Monte Bello and Opus One representing the Napa and Santa Cruz Mountains pinnacles, and Kistler filling the Sonoma Chardonnay slot with authority. France shows up properly, led by Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet and Domaine Leroy Burgundy, both of which would be right at home on a list twice this size. Champagne gets its own lane with Bollinger and Krug Grande Cuvée — not an afterthought. The gaps are real though: no obvious Southern Hemisphere representation, and if you're hunting Italian or Spanish bottles, you may be disappointed.
By the Glass
Fifteen to twenty-five options by the glass is a generous pour program for a room of this caliber, with prices running $14–$22 — accessible without being a bargain bin. We'd want to know how frequently the glass list rotates, and with a 'Set & Forget' specials program, there's reason to ask your server what's been open and when before committing.
Bollinger Champagne — $22 (by the glass, estimated)
If Bollinger is available by the glass anywhere near the low end of that range, you're drinking a house that Winston Churchill kept on retainer for roughly the cost of a cocktail. Order it before the menu, not after.
Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon
Most tables at Michael's are reaching for Opus One because the name lands. Ridge Monte Bello is the better argument — a wine that beat the French in Paris in 1976 and still doesn't get the reverence it deserves from diners who learned wine from a hotel minibar.
Opus One
It's a fine wine. It's also the most marked-up bottle on any California-focused list in America. You're paying a premium for the label recognition, not the contents. The Ridge next to it is more interesting and almost certainly better value.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet + Wood-grilled fish
Leflaive's Puligny has the tension and minerality to cut through char and fat without disappearing next to a serious piece of fish. It's the kind of pairing that makes you put your fork down mid-bite and just sit there for a second.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Michael's has the bones of a Rager — serious producers, a real sommelier in Nic Vascocu, and a setting that earns the bottle prices. The markups keep it from the top tier, but if you're eating on that garden patio with a glass of Bollinger, you're not going to be complaining.
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