I know of K&L Hollywood and of course there’s Hi Time (Costa Mesa) outside.
What are some equivalents (or as close) that are worth visiting in LA? Extra points if they have eclectic and wide selections of Loire Valley and Alsace (wide and deep preferred), French Beaujolais Cru, Italian (Super Tuscan, Brunello Di Montalcino), and of course German Rieslings.
I’m a big fan of Wine House. They have a really deep selection and knowledgeable staff. Also a climate controlled section of Older/Rare/Auction lots
Small selection of Sake in its own Fridge.
Twenty Twenty Wine Merchants is just up the street from Wine House for that superb vintage bangbang.
VERY under-reported bottle shop. Excellent stuff there.
Don’t go to Lou’s Wine Shop, Domaine LA, Silverlake Wine, or Psychic Wines.
Wine Exchange in the Irvine area is good too. I have bought from all of the shops listed in this thread…sometimes if you are looking for a particular bottle, you have to hit wine-searcher.com to find it.
Eataly tends to have most of the famous brands of Italian wine, but the prices are sometimes poor.
Everson Royce / Silverlake wine tend to have some off the beaten path selections, as well as some famous producers, but I view them more as neighborhood shops for grabbing a quick bottle for tonight, since the stores aren’t huge and selections are a bit random.
If you think Silverlake’s selection is random, you’re not in the market for what they’re selling.
I think their selection is random in the sense that they still carry some famous wines (maybe to have something for everybody) and may or may not even have a wine from the region you are seeking that day. On more than one ocassional I’ve bought a wine from them that I’ve loved, only to have them not carry that producer again for years. But I do understand their angle, having been a regular at their wine tastings a few years back. And you certainly end up trying stuff you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Why do you recommend against Siverlake and Domaine LA?
Thank you all who have chimed in!
Is Wally’s Beverly Hills worth a trek even for eye candy? Don’t mind drooling and photographing fine vintages, super out of my league most likely.
I might need to locate a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem (750 mL) for a very special occasion. Not looking for the crazy aged ones, but something at least 13 years old but not super old. So if a shop has unicorn stuff I don’t mind either: storing, handling, sourcing, reputation are of course most important. So probably no superstores like Total Wine and More (although don’t mind browsing, just likely won’t buy from there).
Lou’s is my favorite. K&L, Domaine LA, Spin the Bottle, Greenblatt’s in a pinch, Vendome
I think Wally’s is a fun store, and it’s always tempting to stop and eat something there. I tend not to shop there due to their pricing, but sometimes they are the only ones that have the wine I’m seeking.
For 13 year old d’Yquem I’d recommend calling 20-20 or otherwise looking on wine-searcher. The latter will probably be most efficient, especially if you aren’t picky about the particular vintage. Wallys will definitely have lots of it, but prices are on the high side.
For Rieslings… I stock up every spring at the L.A. Wine Co. in Marina del Rey next to Beverage Warehouse.
Do you jest or are you serious, Robert?
What’s happening? I stopped going to Domaine because of funky tudes but Lou?!? all love and he curates most interesting wines… and it’s Lou!!! of the former Lou restaurant
Not a big fan of Wally’s. They consistently charge considerably more than other retailers and their selection of “eclectic” wines is not great. Wally’s is more about the “big” names that trophy collectors want.
I have never been to their store, but I order a lot of wine from Woodland Hills Wine in the San Fernando Valley. https://www.whwc.com/ They tend to have the wines I like to drink and their prices are fair.
I’ve bought Chateau d’Yquem at the Wine Store. Forgot what vintage (it was an older one), but it wasn’t great. Not sure if it wasn’t properly stored. I’m not a huge fan of Wine Store and they don’t have a wide selection of Loire and Alsace.
John and Pete’s on La Cienega is this funky store, where I wouldn’t buy anything old because I would worry about proper storage, but they carry a wide range of wines from importers that I favor such as Rosenthal, Louis/Dressner and Kermit Lynch and you can always find an interesting bottle from the Loire or an interesting Riesling there. https://www.johnandpetes.com/
Kogod Wines out of San Diego probably has the best selection on the West Coast of the kind of wines I favor, but they don’t have a retail location. It’s just a warehouse, but everything is properly stored. https://www.kogodwine.com/ Their prices tend to be on the high side, but not obscene like Wally’s.
Kogod is modeled on Crush Wine in New York City, which has an actual retail store in addition to a warehouse, and which is my favorite wine store in the U.S. Their prices are usually the lowest in the U.S. and they have an amazing, well-curated selection of wine and champagne. https://www.crushwineco.com/ Perhaps a trip to New York, rather than Los Angeles, is indicated.
Lou is the absolute best. Such a legend.
If this was a year ago, I’d have said to try the FOOD at Wally’s Santa Monica.
But since Chef David Feau departed, I’m not sure if Wally’s SM remains destination-worthy.
If you DO happen to stop by the Wally’s BH store, also check out the nearby Cheese Store of Beverly Hills for eye candy bottles.
So there you have it: Eat the food at the wine store, and check out the wines at the cheese store. 
Oh, how could I forget… Wing Hop Fung!
Oh I bookmarked Wing Hop Fung already strictly for gits n’ shiggles.
Someone I know based in LA appears to love going to their events at Santa Anita mall nearby when they do W bar by Wing Hop Fung (wonder if he has any idea…)…lots of crazy whiskey tastings and wine lollapalooza’s. I’d go there only for putting media on the 'gram but will have to use the phone to disguise my chuckling…
I’d have to save precious quota… not sure if I will even do wine tasting with cheese (swallowing the wine of course) during the day if I know more alcohol is going to be consumed at night! So if I drop by Wally’s (not W by WHF lol) it will be just for eye candy.
But with that said, and on a related topic, what are all of your favorite / recommend wine bars in LA?
I would call wine house personally
Right off the top:
Kass
Papilles