Long regarded as one of France’s top winemaking regions, the Rhône Valley is the source of many coveted trophy wines, including the Syrahs of the famed Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie appellations and the Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre blends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These 13 Restaurant Award winners in the United States uphold the French region’s honor with exceptional offerings of Rhône wines, spanning a range of styles and price points.
The establishments below are just a few of our 174 Restaurant Award winners with strong Rhône selections. To discover even more wine-and-food destinations, see Wine Spectator’s more than 3,500 Restaurant Award winners, including the 90-plus Grand Award recipients worldwide that hold our highest honor.
Learn more about the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards, and the three levels of awards, here.
Do you have a favorite restaurant you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York City
Telephone (212) 889-0905
Website elevenmadisonpark.com
Grand Award
Inside a striking Art Deco building in Manhattan, formerly the MetLife North Building, Eleven Madison Park is one of New York City’s most celebrated restaurants. A Grand Award winner since 2011, it offers a treasure trove of top wines from numerous regions, with France front and center. The Rhône Valley, in particular, is a top strength of wine director Gabriel Di Bella’s beverage program, which boasts 4,700 picks to complement chef and owner Daniel Humm’s famed tasting menus.
What's on the Menu
In 2021, Humm shifted the restaurant’s focus to offer exclusively plant-based cuisine that highlights seasonal produce. Each dish is its own piece of ephemeral art, such as the fried artichoke heart topped with an opaque artichoke confit, the chewy soba noodles beneath accordion-sliced charred mushrooms and a mushroom-infused algae oil, and the kelly green split peas over a bed of coconut-scented brown rice and topped with fragrant nepitella.
Wine List Highlights
Eleven Madison Park is home to showstopping verticals from the Rhône Valley, including more than 60 vintages of Domaine Monier Perréol Saint-Joseph, 17 vintages of Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage and 18 vintages of the La La Côte-Rôtie cuvées from Guigal. Representing a cellar of 20,000-plus bottles, the wine list also shines in the Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Loire Valley regions of France as well as Austria, California, Germany and Italy.
The Barn at Blackberry Farm
1471 W. Millers Cove Road, Walland, Tennessee
Telephone (865) 984-8166
Website blackberryfarm.com
Grand Award
In the heart of Smoky Mountain country is the Blackberry Farm resort, which has helped turn the rural community of Walland, Tenn., into a major food-and-wine destination. Surrounded by thick woods and situated near a host of hiking trails and golf courses, Blackberry Farm features luxurious accommodations and a fully operational farm, which supplies fresh ingredients for three on-site restaurants: the Main House, the Dogwood and Grand Award winner the Barn. Helmed by chef Cassidee Dabney, the Barn makes its reservations available to hotel guests and the general public.
What's on the Menu
The commingling of Southern influences with Appalachian ingredients creates what the Barn dubs “foothills cuisine.” Some dishes that have appeared on the restaurant’s American menu include thyme-basted grouper with Carolina gold rice and charred leeks, Elysian Fields Farm lamb with green chickpeas and roasted carrots and a spring pea soup with a mint gremolata, feta cheese and smoky pickled jalapeños. A spring dessert menu offered such treats as chai tea cake with pecan ice cream, warm chocolate mousse with a blackberry compote and a cheese plate with strawberry jam.
Wine List Highlights
Though the Blackberry Farm property dates to the 1930s, the resort only began building its wine collection 20 years ago, shortly after the ban on alcohol sales was lifted in its home of Blount County. Today, wine director Andy Chabot’s program offers about 9,000 labels representing a whopping 135,000-bottle cellar. Showing strength in Australia, California, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and beyond, the picks are sure to please fans of all wine regions. The Rhône section is a particular high point, with five pages of white wines and 13 pages of reds, plus dozens of half-bottle options. Domaines such as Chapoutier, Jean-Louis Chave and Château Rayas are just a few of the standout names on the wine list.
The Inn at Little Washington
Middle and Main Streets, Washington, Virginia
Telephone (540) 675-3800
Website theinnatlittlewashington.com
Grand Award
About an hour-and-a-half west of Washington, D.C., in the small village of Washington, Va., the Inn at Little Washington comprises six country hotel buildings dating from the mid-1700s to the early 1900s. Chef Patrick O’Connell opened the inn in 1978 and has championed local farmers and purveyors ever since at its famed restaurant—an effort that was originally out of necessity, as milk was the only item he could receive via delivery all those decades ago. O’Connell has since grown the Inn’s international reputation, attracting diners from across the globe (including a few particularly quiet guests).
What’s on the Menu
O’Connell’s cooking pays homage to classic French techniques, with a contemporary American philosophy of healthful, creative cuisine. The Inn’s two tasting menus—the Gastronaut’s Menu and the vegetarian Good Earth Menu—are each $368 per person and have an optional wine pairing for $250 extra. Some dishes that have appeared on these menus include grilled Carolina shrimp with fava beans and lemon-pepper ricotta, a bigeye tuna and swordfish carpaccio with a wasabi sorbet and wild rice, and a duet of spring pea and wild mushroom cappellacci pastas. There’s also a course dubbed “Three Stars,” featuring dry-aged roasted duck, soy-braised chicken and ginger-glazed pork belly with Carolina rice and a snow pea salad.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Lindsey Fern’s list of 2,200 wines (representing 16,000-plus bottles in the cellar) is strongest in selections from California, France and Italy. The Rhône Valley is one region that particularly shines, with wines from noteworthy domaines such as Cornas’ Thierry Allemand, Hermitage’s Jean-Louis Chave, Crozes-Hermitage’s Paul Jaboulet Aîné and Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s Château de Beaucastel. Fern also curates a wide selection of large-format bottles and dessert wines, with selections from French appellations such as Condrieu in the Rhône Valley, Coteaux du Layon in the Loire Valley and Arbois in the Jura, among others.
The Pluckemin Inn
359 Route 206 S., Bedminster, New Jersey
Telephone (908) 658-9292
Website pluckemininn.com
Grand Award
A finance professional who was enthusiastic about food and wine, Carl LaGrassa founded the Pluckemin Inn in 2005 with his wife, Gloria. After Carl’s death in 2009, his emphasis on wine continued under Gloria’s leadership. The restaurant, which is housed in an 18th-century farmhouse, has held a Wine Spectator Grand Award since 2011 and displays much of its 35,000-bottle inventory in a three-story, glass-enclosed tower at the center of its dining area.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Jason Ramos’ menu of elevated American fare takes advantage of seasonal, locally farmed ingredients. Recent dishes at the restaurant have included a spring pea salad with gem lettuce, smoked trout and pistachios; a lamb loin with artichokes, sheep’s milk yogurt and mint; and halibut with sunchokes, wild leeks and pine nuts. While much of its menu changes regularly, the restaurant offers a section of “Plucky Classics” staples—including a butter lettuce salad with blue cheese and pears, a bacon-and-Cheddar–topped hamburger and a Margherita pizza—along with a range of steaks and chops.
Wine List Highlights
Comprising more than 5,000 labels, wine director Brian Hider’s list offers dozens of verticals from respected Rhône domaines such as Domaine de la Janasse, Clos des Papes and Domaine de Marcoux—including Châteauneuf-du-Pape bottlings from all three. Many bottlings from the Rhône Valley are available from $150 to $200 on the list, which is moderately priced overall. Beyond the Rhône, Hider’s list also shows strength in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Loire Valley in France, as well as California and Washington in the U.S. and Piedmont in Italy. Wine lovers can also buy bottles directly from the Pluckemin Inn through the restaurant’s online retail store.
Tribeca Grill
375 Greenwich St., New York City
Telephone (212) 941-3900
Website tribecagrill.com
Grand Award
Co-owned by Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro and veteran restaurateur Drew Nieporent, this downtown stalwart of fine dining has attracted such stars as Bono, Billy Joel, Taylor Swift and many others over the years. Harboring a showstopping 25,000-bottle wine cellar in its snug, serpentine basement, the restaurant has long taken wine seriously. Under wine director David Gordon, who has been with the establishment since it opened in 1990, Tribeca Grill won a Best of Award of Excellence in 1998 and then a Grand Award just four years later.
What's on the Menu
Renowned for its steak and rich American fare, Tribeca Grill is a dinner-only destination helmed by chef Stephane Motir. The concise one-page food menu is broken into five sections—for the table, to start, pasta, mains and on the side—across which there are such notable items as rainbow baby beets with feta, spinach-ricotta ravioli with pizzutello tomatoes, jumbo crab cakes with a corn-pineapple salsa and a 40-ounce tomahawk steak for two with whipped potatoes, sautéed spinach and onion rings.
Wine List Highlights
Gordon is known for being one of the city’s prominent champions of Rhône wines. The 2,300-label wine list also features an all-star cast of Rhône Valley bottles, including rare selections and verticals from domaines such as Pierre Usseglio & Fils, Domaine de la Janasse and Roger Sabon & Fils dating back to 1999. Gordon’s wine list also includes a page titled "Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year," showcasing the winning wines off of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 lists from various years going back to 1989, including Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1999 (No. 1 in 2002) and Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 (No. 1 in 2007).
Glitretind Restaurant
Stein Eriksen Lodge, 7700 Stein Way, Park City, Utah
Telephone (435) 645-6455
Website steinlodge.com
Best of Award of Excellence
A stone’s throw from some of the best skiing in the U.S., Glitretind Restaurant, inside the luxurious mountainside resort Stein Eriksen Lodge, serves exceptional regional American cuisine across dinner and Sunday brunch menus. While the food is certainly a draw, Glitretind also boasts unbeatable views of the surrounding mountains and forests from its inviting dining room and sprawling outdoor patio. Whether dining indoors or alfresco, the experience is complemented by an extensive, well-rounded wine list brimming with classics from the Rhône Valley.
What's on the Menu
Featuring a handful of first and main course options, Glitretind’s dinner menu leans on local produce to create inventive flavors. Some especially memorable dishes have included guajillo chile–braised elk short ribs with a poblano salsa verde, tempura-fried hen of the wood mushrooms with gochujang aioli, a bison rib eye with farro risotto and a Utah-sourced lamb loin with ivory lentils and mint pistou. For the finale, the restaurant offers such tantalizing à la carte desserts as a banana split, crème brûlée and a Stein Eriksen Lodge chocolate box with six house-made bonbons.
Wine List Highlights
France is one of the wine program’s biggest strengths, with the regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhône Valley all well represented. Comprising 2,000-plus picks, the wine list also highlights California, Italy and Oregon. Approximately one third of the Rhône section is dedicated to Guigal’s famed La La bottlings, dating back to 2001. Wine director Jim Dahlgren has been incrementally adding splurge-worthy options to the list, such as four vintages of Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. The wine list is supported by a 20,000-bottle inventory, some of which is displayed in a glass-enclosed cellar in the dining room.
Absinthe Brasserie & Bar
398 Hayes St., San Francisco
Telephone (415) 551-1590
Website absinthe.com
Best of Award of Excellence
In the vibrant Hayes Valley neighborhood is Absinthe Brasserie & Bar, which has been a San Francisco institution for more than 25 years. With decor that evokes roaring 1920s Paris, a menu of brasserie fare and a wine list bursting with bottles from France’s most celebrated winemaking regions (and the restaurant’s home state of California), Absinthe rightfully earns its reputation as one of the Golden City’s hottest dining spots.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Ian Begg’s menu celebrates classic French cuisine through the fresh ingredients of Northern California. On the dinner menu are such staples as French onion soup topped with gruyère and Emmental cheese, sole meunière (fried filets in a lemon-butter sauce) with pureed Yukon Gold potatoes and braised Akaushi beef Bourguignon with shaved celery and crispy sweetbreads. On Saturday and Sunday, Absinthe offers a brunch menu from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., which features quiche Lorraine, steak frites, a basket of mini-pastries and other gems that’ll momentarily transport your taste buds to Paris.
Wine List Highlights
Absinthe’s 1,000-label wine list has some of the best producers from California, France and Italy, but one of its more distinctive qualities is its spotlight on Rhône Valley labels. Rich in picks from both Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône, the list features Châteauneuf-du-Pape verticals of Pierre-Henri Morel’s Pignan and Château Rayas’ Réservé, with vintages ranging from 2001 to 2008 and 1998 to 2008, respectively. There are also exciting verticals of Hermitage and Cornas, with vintages from 2011 to 2016 of Thierry Allemand’s Chaillot and Reynard cuvées, among other bottlings.
Clancy’s
6100 Annunciation St., New Orleans
Telephone (504) 895-1111
Website clancysneworleans.com
Best of Award of Excellence
A New Orleans institution since the 1940s, Clancy’s serves up classic Creole dishes in a relaxed, convivial bistro atmosphere. Co-founders Ed and Betty Clancy ran the restaurant for 40 years before putting it up for sale in the 1980s. Clancy’s was then bought by a group of investors who converted the neighborhood mainstay into a fine-dining establishment. A few years later, former Clancy’s employee Brad Hollingsworth and his family bought the restaurant and have kept it running ever since as a bold, brash NOLA bistro that’s beloved by tourists and locals alike.
What’s on the Menu
Hollingsworth’s stepson Brian Larson serves as chef and co-owner of Clancy’s. Under Larson’s direction, the menu stays true to the Creole cuisine the restaurant has long been known for, while also incorporating contemporary flavor combinations to keep things fresh and new. The dinner menu features comforting standards such as deviled eggs with rémoulade sauce, fried oysters with Brie, a gumbo made with smoked chicken and andouille sausage, fried gulf fish almondine and smoked duck with dirty rice. On the lunch menu are turtle soup, crawfish étouffée and other classic Louisiana foods.
Wine List Highlights
Featuring 900-plus labels, Clancy’s wine list impresses with both vertical depth and horizontal breadth. It is curated with care to showcase a wide variety of bottles from France’s most esteemed winemaking regions, most notably Burgundy and the Rhône Valley. The famed Southern Rhône wines of Château de Beaucastel are featured prominently on the list, with bottles from more than 10 vintages that include the Roussanne Vieilles Vignes cuvée and several Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvées. The list also showcases five vintages of St.-Cosme’s Gigondas Le Claux. Looking farther north, a vertical of Paul Jaboulet Aîné’s Hermitage La Chapelle bottles spans vintages from 1995 to 2001.
The Earle
121 W. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Telephone (734) 994-0211
Website theearle.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Originally opened as a jazz club in 1977, the Earle has transformed over the decades into an intimate restaurant that pays homage to its roots with a dimly lit dining space, a sprawling bar and other funky atmospheric touches. The restaurant still hosts live music performances from time to time, which guests can now enjoy over dinner or while simply sipping a nice glass of wine.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Jason Buquet fuses the culinary traditions of France and Italy at the Earle, with sautéed escargots in puff pastry, risotto croquettes and other rich options on the appetizer menu, while the entrée selections include sautéed whitefish in a chive beurre blanc, chicken saltimbocca with orzo and double-cut lamb chops with a potato-turnip puree. Red meat lovers can choose from several cuts of steak, as well as traditional beef Bourguignon and three versions of beef tenderloin—one notably served with a Madeira-Roquefort cream sauce.
Wine List Highlights
The Earle’s wine program is resplendent with regional gems and vertical depth across many of France and Italy’s most notable winegrowing locations, but the Rhône Valley ultimately shines brightest across the restaurant’s 1,000-plus labels. The 7,500-bottle cellar is populated with Cornas, Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and other varieties from the Northern Rhône, plus well-known labels from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône, Gigondas and other Southern Rhône appellations. Leading domaines are represented with jaw-dropping vertical depth, including Domaine du Pégaü, Château de Beaucastel, Jean-Luc Colombo, Paul Jaboulet Aîné and Ferraton bottlings that date back to 1989.
The Krebs
53 W. Genesee St., Skaneateles, New York
Telephone (315) 685-1800
Website thekrebs.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Founded in 1899, the Krebs has long been a key player in the dining scene of the Finger Lakes wine region. Over its 100-plus years in business, the restaurant has been a dining destination for high-profile guests such as Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Bill Clinton, and today co-owners Adam and Kim Weitsman are continuing the restaurant’s impressive legacy, offering inspired contemporary cuisine alongside a Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine list. The Weitsmans also support their local community by donating all net profits from the restaurant to charities in central New York.
What’s on the Menu
Expect an eclectic array of dishes across chef Michael Dunbar’s French-leaning menu, including salmon croquettes with a lemon-dill remoulade, bison tartare with black garlic aioli, a smoked pork chop treated with brown sugar and served with a saffron-fennel chutney, and an 8-ounce burger topped with Cheddar, red buttercrunch lettuce and a beer-battered onion ring. The menu also offers fresh takes on French standards, such as chicken à l'orange (rather than duck) made with boiled game hen and steak frites made with Australian Wagyu beef.
Wine List Highlights
Exceeding 1,000 picks, beverage director Bernardo Calvo’s wine list is strongest in Burgundy but also delivers impressive Rhône Valley bottlings. Seek out gems such as Le Vieux Donjon’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1998 and Jean-Paul & Jean-Luc Jamet’s Côte-Rôtie 2008. A reserve section at the end of the list includes other coveted bottlings such as Domaine du Pégaü’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo 2000, Jean-Louis Chave’s Ermitage Cathelin 2000 and vintages of E. Guigal’s La La cuvées going back to 1986.
Marseille
630 Ninth Ave., New York City
Telephone (212) 333-2323
Website marseillenyc.com
Best of Award of Excellence
French brasserie dining comes to Manhattan’s Theater District at Best of Award of Excellence winner Marseille, a restaurant from the same team behind Grand Award winner Nice Matin and Award of Excellence winners Nizza and Dagon.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Xavier Monge’s menus include expected French culinary staples such as steak frites, French onion soup and a croque madame, mingling them with Mediterranean-influenced dishes such as edamame hummus with za’atar and a sea urchin pasta with bottarga. There’s also a daily oyster happy hour menu (served from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) for an afternoon indulgence as well as a two-course prix fixe menu for night owls (served from 8 p.m. to close).
Wine List Highlights
The Rhône Valley is among the top strengths of wine director Aviram Turgeman’s 745-wine program (which represents a cellar of 6,000-plus bottles). The wine list offers substantial diversity, with Rhône labels ranging from under $50 to over $1,000, plus a few available in half-bottles. The program also highlights France’s Burgundy, Champagne and Provence regions as well as picks from Italy and California.
L’Auberge Provençale
13630 Lord Fairfax Highway, Boyce, Virginia
Telephone (540) 837-1375
Website laubergeprovencale.com
Best of Award of Excellence
In the Shenandoah Valley of northern Virginia’s wine country is L’Auberge Provençale Country Inn, which transports guests to the south of France with its French decor and intoxicating aromas of fresh-baked croissants each morning. Rooms at the inn feature such modern amenities as fireplaces, steam showers and more, and guests can further satisfy their cravings for all things French at the on-site, Best of Award of Excellence–winning restaurant L'Auberge Provençale.
What’s on the Menu
Across prix fixe and à la carte menus, chef Alex Sakelakos offers upscale cuisine with French (particularly Provençal) and American influences. The tasting menu has showcased such dishes as foie gras torchon with strawberries, house-made cavatelli with sheep’s milk ricotta and a “duet of lamb” with heirloom carrots and black garlic. Charcuterie and fromage boards lead the à la carte offerings, joined by other classics such as a bouillabaisse, truffle fries and seared foie gras.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Christian Borel’s wine list is strongest in Rhône Valley bottlings. Among the program’s 1,350 selections (representing nearly 7,000 bottles) is a Rasteau from Domaine de Beaurenard, a Lirac from Alain Jaume and a Hermitage from Chapoutier, just to name a few. The list also features vertical breadth, with older vintages of Alain Jaume’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine Grand Veneur Vieilles Vignes and Domaine de la Mordorée’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Reine des Bois. Borel’s program also features plenty for fans of Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, as well as California.
Wild Ginger
1401 Third Ave., Seattle
Telephone (206) 623-4450
Website wildginger.net
Best of Award of Excellence
Wild Ginger has been a Pike Place destination since long before the area’s open-air market became a mecca for foodies and tourists in Downtown Seattle. In 1989, founders Rick and Ann Yoder set about their dream of opening a restaurant that celebrated the myriad cuisines of southeast Asia. Since then, Wild Ginger has expanded to two other locations in the Seattle area.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Dimuthu Senarathna leads the flagship location downtown, serving up such Wild Ginger mainstays as twice-cooked duck spiced with Szechuan peppercorns and served with steamed buns. The cuisines of Malaysia, Vietnam and beyond are celebrated in newer menu additions, such as grilled Cognac-marinated lamb chops with crushed peanuts and wok-fried sea bass served over rice noodles.
Wine List Highlights
For more than 30 years, Wild Ginger’s sommelier team has been creating delicious and interesting matches for the restaurant’s Asian cuisine. With a wine list that celebrates Washington and California, as well as Burgundy, Germany and the Rhône Valley, this Seattle establishment provides a bounty of bottles that can soar with the flavorful food. Some choice bottles on wine director Jason Smith’s list for under $100 include the Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2013, the Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Terres Brûlées 2012 and the Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2013. The list also has splurge-worthy selections from Guigal and Roger Sabon & Fils, with labels also available in large-format bottles.
Edited by Chris Cardoso, Collin Dreizen, Julia Larson, Olivia Nolan and Megan Tkacy
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