RPM Italian
Piedmont Royalty Meets Penn Quarter Power Lunch
Penn Quarter · Washington · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at RPM Italian lands with authority — 350-plus selections anchored hard in Piedmont and Tuscany, exactly where an Italian-focused room should be planting its flag. It's not trying to be everything to everyone; it knows what it is and commits. Sarah Gaines is on staff as sommelier, which means there's an actual adult in the room making decisions about what goes on this list.
Selection Deep Dive
Piedmont is the obvious star: Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja all show up, which is a murderers' row of Barolo and Barbaresco producers that most DC restaurants can't touch. Tuscany holds its own with Biondi-Santi Brunello, Ornellaia, Tignanello, Sassicaia, and Masseto — the full Super Tuscan hall of fame, plus serious Chianti Classico from Antinori and Castello di Ama. California gets a solid supporting role with Kistler, Far Niente, and Opus One for the crowd that won't cross the Atlantic even on paper. The list has held a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence since 2017, and when you see producers like Produttori del Barbaresco alongside Gaja, that credential makes complete sense.
By the Glass
With 20 to 35 options by the glass, RPM isn't just pouring the cheapest stuff they could negotiate — there's real range here, and the Wednesday half-price wine night means you can explore the list without committing to a full bottle at these price points. We'd want to know more about glass pour rotation, but with a working sommelier program you're generally not stuck with the same eight bottles for six months.
Barbaresco Rabajà Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 — $165
Produttori del Barbaresco is the cooperative that overdelivers every single vintage, and Rabajà is one of their top single-vineyard releases. At $165 in a room where Gaja is on the same page at multiples of that price, this is the smartest order on the Piedmont section — serious Nebbiolo from a serious producer without the flagship tax.
Brunello di Montalcino Col d'Orcia 2018
Col d'Orcia doesn't get the name recognition of Biondi-Santi, but it's a historic Montalcino estate making genuinely excellent Brunello at a fraction of the trophy-wine prices nearby on the list. The 2018 vintage in Montalcino is excellent, and most tables will scroll past this one chasing the famous labels. Their loss.
Super Tuscan Ornellaia 2020
Ornellaia is a great wine — nobody's arguing that. But at $450 a bottle in a restaurant setting, you're paying a stiff premium for a label that everyone already knows. Retail on the 2020 runs well under $200. If you want to flex on the Super Tuscan side of the list, you'll get more wine per dollar elsewhere.
Barolo Marcenasco Vietti 2019 + Bone-in Short Rib
Vietti's Marcenasco Barolo brings the structure and acid to cut through the braised-fat richness of the short rib, and Nebbiolo's natural savory edge plays directly into the deeply reduced meat flavors. This is the kind of pairing that makes you understand why Italian food and Italian wine evolved together.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night on Wednesdays — the single best reason to rearrange your week if you've been eyeing something further up the list.
🔥 The Bottom Line
RPM Italian is the real deal for Italian wine in DC — serious producers, a sommelier who clearly curated this list with intention, and Wednesday half-price night to soften the markup sting. Yes, markups run steep, but when the list is this good, you know exactly what you're paying for.
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