Big list, big steaks, bigger markups
Country Club Plaza · Kansas City · Steakhouse Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 6, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list lands on the table like a leather-bound encyclopedia — 350+ bottles, American-heavy, and built to impress expense accounts. It's the kind of list that signals seriousness without necessarily delivering fairness. You're in good hands, but you're paying for the room.
The list leans hard into Napa and Sonoma, which makes sense for a steakhouse but leaves adventurous drinkers with limited runway. Bordeaux and Burgundy make appearances and add some Old World credibility, but the real star power is domestic: Stag's Leap, Caymus Special Selection, Silver Oak, Jordan — the usual suspects all present and accounted for. There's nothing here that will surprise you, and that's sort of the point. If you came for a bone-in ribeye and a California Cab, this list was written specifically for you.
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is a genuinely solid number, and the Capital Grille bar program leans into it — Rombauer Chardonnay and likely a rotating cast of Napa reds anchor the pour list. The selection skews predictable but the quality floor is high, and happy hour pricing on select glasses at the bar softens the blow a little.
Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley 2019 — $135
At 145% markup it's still not cheap, but Duckhorn Merlot is the quiet overachiever on this list — genuinely excellent wine from a producer who's been doing it right for decades. Relative to everything else here, it's the closest thing to a fair deal on the bottle list.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2021
Everyone goes straight for the Rombauer, but Cakebread's Chardonnay is the more serious wine — less oak-bomb, more structure, and it actually holds up against rich food. Most tables walk right past it.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2019
Jordan retails around $65 and it's a perfectly nice wine — but at $195 a bottle, that's a 200% markup for something you can find at your local wine shop without the dining room surcharge. It's the most egregious math on this list.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Dry-aged bone-in ribeye
Stag's Leap has the structure to stand up to a serious dry-aged cut without overwhelming it — the tannins do the work that the char starts, and the dark fruit plays well against the fat. Classic for a reason.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The Capital Grille bar is a reliable destination if someone else is picking up the tab or you're cherry-picking by the glass. The list is deep and well-managed, but the markup math is hard to ignore when you're the one signing the check.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.