THE WINE LIST

There is an oddness about the wine list at La Boheme: It has mostly main-line wines, with intriguing additions that seem to come out of the blue. And locating the best values is a challenge because pricing here is just as odd as the selection. Markups on some wines are a bit high; other wines are reasonable. Some of the better buys are fairly obscure.

Wine lovers would know that one of the best values in whites is the 1990 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay from the Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Barbara. At La Boheme, it costs $24, and it’s rich enough to go with heavy food. A more flexible wine is the even more obscure 1988 Pinot Blanc from Chateau St. Jean, $19, a complex Chardonnay look-alike.

Among the red wines, three of the best would be hard for anyone but a wine fanatic to track down in stores: 1988 Preston Syrah-Sirah, $29; 1988 Dolcetto from Ceretto (the list doesn’t identify Ceretto; it says only Abbazia), $24, and 1983 Olarra Anares Reserve, $21. The Preston is bold and tannic, the Dolcetto fruity and deep without the need for aging and the Rioja is a charming older Spanish red.

Other good values include 1988 Willm Gewurztraminer from Alsace, $25; 1988 Adelsheim Elizabeth Pinot Noir Reserve, $31, and 1981 Rubicon from Niebaum Coppola, $50.

You’ll also find the wonderful 1988 Comte de Moucheron Meursault from the Chateau de Meursault, but the price, $85, is high. It sells at retail for $55.

Values in after-dinner items include the superb Grappa from Jacopo Poli at $15 a glass. In single-malt Scotch, there are MaCallan, Glenfiddich and 10-year-old Glenmorangeie. In port, La Boheme offers tawny and vintage Smith Woodhouse. Vintage port fans can order 1963 Dow at $16 a glass.