St. Elmo Steak House
Indy's Old Guard Still Swings Big
Downtown Indianapolis · Indianapolis · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at St. Elmo lands like the restaurant itself — heavyweight, unapologetic, and dressed for the occasion. White tablecloths, tuxedoed servers, and a list pushing close to 1,000 bottles send a clear message: this place takes wine seriously. It's the kind of list you want to sit with for a few minutes before anyone brings bread.
Selection Deep Dive
California, France, and Italy are the three pillars here, and each one is built with intention. Napa is the star — Caymus, Silver Oak, Far Niente, Stag's Leap, Chateau Montelena, and Jordan all show up with serious depth across vintages. France punches in with Bordeaux royalty: Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Pétrus if your credit card can handle the weight. Italy holds its own with Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Barolo from Gaja and Giacomo Conterno — names that belong in any credible cellar program. The gaps are real though: if you're hunting Burgundy, Rhône, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, you're going to feel the list's Old World-meets-Napa tunnel vision.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is a strong program for a steakhouse of this format, and the selection skews toward the crowd-pleasing Cabs and bold reds that make sense next to a strip steak. Rotation isn't aggressive — this feels more like a curated standing roster than a weekly-changing board. Still, the depth means you can drink well by the glass without committing to a full bottle.
Dominus Estate 2021 — $280
In a list where bottles routinely climb past $500, Dominus at $280 is the move. It's a Napa Cabernet-dominant blend from one of the valley's most consistent producers, and it belongs in the same conversation as bottles priced $150 higher on this very list.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo
Most tables here are locked onto Napa Cabs, which means the Conterno Barolo gets overlooked. That's a mistake. Conterno is one of Barolo's defining producers — traditional, age-worthy, complex — and it's a genuinely different experience from the California-heavy default mode of this list.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
At $225, you're paying a steep premium for a wine that retails widely and drinks more like a crowd-pleaser than a special-occasion bottle. With Dominus and Far Niente both on the list, there's no reason to land here.
Sassicaia 2020 + New York Strip
Sassicaia's Cabernet Sauvignon-forward Tuscan structure — grippy tannins, dark fruit, cedar — is built for red meat. The New York Strip's fat and char cut right through it. This is the kind of pairing that makes a $450 bottle feel earned.
Monday — Half-price wine bottles on Mondays — one of the better recurring wine deals in the city, and a legitimate reason to plan your week around a steakhouse dinner.
🔥 The Bottom Line
St. Elmo is the rare steakhouse that earns its Best of Award of Excellence without feeling like it's trying to impress anyone — the list is deep, the wines are real, and Monday half-price night is genuinely one of the best deals in Indianapolis. The markups can sting, but the bones of this program are excellent.
Comments
Get the Weekly Wingman
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.