List Summary

West Houston is a graveyard for all but the likes of Dos Caminos, dive bars, and drunken college students that have spilled over from Macdougal. Needless to say, it isn’t exactly a place we expect to find a well thought-out wine haven. In fact, the last attempt at such a thing (Centovini) passed away just a few months ago.

Enter Bar Henry. Most of the major blogs have been out dropping endorsements of this newbie for its décor and snuggle-worthy fare—Urban Daddy effectively called it “something of an anti-Minetta,” which, if you ask us, is a welcome addition, as we could all use a protagonist when it comes to Minetta’s saga of snobbery. However, the two do have one thing in common: a forward-thinking wine list. And, while we still have plenty of romantic loyalty to resident wonderboy, Chris Goodhart, we must admit feeling compelled to shift our adoration toward the charitable risk employed at Bar Henry.

Let us explain. More than half of the entire wine list (219 selections in all) is—brace yourself—offered by the half bottle, which, in this case, doesn’t mean what you might expect. For example, let’s say you feel like a bottle of ’96 Sociando Mallet, but you don’t feel like paying the $125 for the full bottle—no problem; they’ll open the bottle, serve half for you, and charge you $63. What happens to the other half of the bottle, you might ask? After all, it’s not as if they’re simply pouring everyday wines that can be pumped and served the day after—they’re pouring vintage wines reaching back through the 80s, most of which will be dead by morning. Well, each time a bottle is opened and half is abandoned, the wine goes up on the chalkboard to be offered by the glass. As the evening progresses, the list expands, and by the end of the night there might be upwards of 20+ (stellar) wines by the glass. We’ve seriously considered adopting a new route wherein we stop by at both 8pm and 10pm each night just to check the board. Either that or coerce Bar Henry into creating a ticker that alerts WineChap whenever a new wine is added by the glass. We just can’t help glowing with excitement. After all, it isn’t everyday that a restaurant is willing to take a risk like this with 1/3 or more of their potential profit.

Beyond this “market list,” Bar Henry sports a traditional, full-bottle-only reserve list that is nothing short of impressive in its vintage depth. The majority of the wines hail from the 90s, with a handful or more representing the decade of decadence (see: Motley Crüe). It goes long on Piedmont and Burgundy, with the Northern Rhone and Bordeaux close behind. If you aren’t already wondering how the hell they’ve done it, the selection of Bdx—all originating in either ’85, ’86, or ’89—will have you questioning whether or not a felony was committed in the acquisition of this collection.

Quite simply one of most exciting lists to cross our desk in some time.