I’ve struggled with this list in the past bc of the mark-ups. Starting through again, doesn’t seem like much has changed. https://resv.theinnatlittlewashington.com/winelist/winelist.pdf
It’s 92 pages.
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Whoah, those are some batshit crazy mark-ups
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There are some not terrible red burg gems, but a lot depends on how much you want to spend.
Hope the food and ambiance is great.
If it was me I’d probably pick between the following:
White
- Daterra (Spain)
- Schäfer-F Felsneck
- a Dönnhoff GG
In the end probably one of the Germans (depending on food).
Red:
Foradori Sgarzon 2012
One of the few wines almost worth the price and a very interesting and good wine.
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1999 Guillon Gevrey lieux dit would probably be drinking great and 200 seems like a fair price especially given the alternatives.
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I mean not really… This is like TFL where even the high end stuff is marked up 3x+. Better than 6x at the lower level but not really very good.
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The food and ambiance are exceptional (although the decor is . . . not to my taste). As is the service. Not a snooty server in he house. After dinner, O’Connell will enthusiastically greet you in the kitchen if you are interested.
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I have always BYOB’d. And they are incredibly welcoming, and if you bring something of particular interest, I guarantee a great conversation with the somm for as long as your table mates will suffer.
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The cheese cart and desert outdoors in the garden (weather permitting) are not to be missed.
Have a great time!
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You might like the Clonakilla. Make sure it’s the Shiraz Vognier not the straight Shiraz (should be at that price).
Interesting pricing for the 95 Margaux by the glass.
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This is a list that screams corkage, so glad to hear it’s welcomed.
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Welcomed, not just tolerated.
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Corkage fee is $200. I guess if you are bringing a ritzy Burgundy or first or second growth Bordeaux, that might be worth it. But for $200 or under, there are a fair number of nice wines on the list. Stay away from big names. The Olga Raffault Chinon Picasses isn’t too badly overpriced and the 2018 is under $150. There are some decent and interesting Northern Rhones like the Herve Souhaut. The markup is too high but the wines start out as decent QPRs, so they still come in under $200.
The Inn at Little Washington has a high price tag for eating there. Its wine list is in line with that, but one can find things.
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Interesting. It wasn’t nearly that high last time I was there which was some time ago. It would definitely mean scouring the list more carefully, but no, I am not going to eat at the Inn and drink a damn chinon, esp at $150.
It is super expensive. No getting around that.
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I would be tempted by the 2005 Jadot Chapelle Chambertin at $465. Lovely wine with some age.
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We first went to Inn at Little Washington about 20 years ago and did two nights - one in the kitchen at the Chef’s Table and one out in the main dining room. It was a special splurge. We finally got back there last year and the experience was to expectations. I had no problem finding a couple of things on the list to match what the menu was offering that day. The sommelier was happy to nerd out with me about my interests and helped us get to a final answer once we’d narrowed things down. I recommend going that route or doing the pairings. They do put thought into them and you get more variety through the meal but maybe have to accept some things you’d choose differently if on your own. BYO if you are bringing versatile options.
Cheers,
fred
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There are, as I said, things for under $200 in various sections. They are not Burgundy or Bordeaux, though. The pairings look nice, but at an extra $250 a person, that means a couple would have $500 to buy themselves a couple of half bottles. They could go way under that and do much better.
Sure, if you just want to drink something and keep it cheap, of course you can do that. I thought the point of the thread was the OP wanted to drink something worthy to complement a 3* meal.
People stress about corkage, but I look at it like what if that was the markup on the wine. It’s a special dinner that you are spending a lot on, bring a $200+ wine and the corkage is a 1x markup at most and you can feel fine.
And the best part is, with a place like this, you can ship your wine beforehand and let it settle and instruct them to open it or decant in advance, etc. That’s just about worth the fee in and of itself.
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Doesn’t look too shabby 
That Foradori isn’t out of place - the 2016 Foradori Teroldego Sgarzon was one of my 2023 wines of the year. Might not mean much for Burgundy as Bordeaux fans, but the 2012 at that price would my no brainer.
At the prices of the other wines it’s small change - have it next to a burgundy as a curiosa.
Probably been 20+ years since we went. Markups weren’t nearly as high then. If I were going today, I’d pay the $200 corkage and bring something as special as I’d expect the meal to be.
Though there are some Loire and German whites and Beaucastels that aren’t too outrageous.
If you have the mindset that there’s effectively $100 per 750 additional premium for having wine with dinner, and you mostly forgo names fancy places and old wine, there’s plenty of good bottles to be had. Subtract a hundred bucks from the price and things look much better, with some dirt-cheap riesling even.
Also, unless the pairings were great I’d even be happy choosing 4 half bottles there, total under $500. Your partner would thank you for only looking at the first couple of pages of a 92 page list.
A list like this does make me wonder about things I’ve heard about and never had. 4 vintages of white Musar for instance, '09 and '12 pretty reasonable at $170. And unlike almost all of the very young very expensive and very not ready red Burg, if I was unusually spendy that night, 3 older vintages ('99 '01 '05) of Follin-Arbelet RSV at $700 with good recent cellartracker notes.
Go enjoy a fantastic dinner and experience and don’t worry too much about the expensive wine.