Carmel Liquor

clean, friendly, nice selection, good prices.

Nice little local liquor store. Came in here for some party gifts for xmas. Reasonable prices and very friendly owners.

Everyone here is so helpful and they have a great wine selection! By far my fav place in West Hollywood

They do deserve a good review. They are the nicest people. Good selection of everything. I work nearby and they even bring in stuff for me if I’m looking for something they don’t have. It’s a very clean store, too.

This non-​descript liquor store located next to Marco’s Restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Crescent Heights at Havenhurst) is valiantly attempting to change its image and provide good wines at a reasonable price point. On a recent day I stepped in, the distributor– a Frenchman who has been trying to convince the owner that the neighborhood can and will support a decent wine shop– happened to be there. He asked if I wanted help, and when I responded «Thanks, but that’s okay,» went ahead and spent ½ hour with me anyway, educating me about grapes, wine-​making, varietals, terroir, and, perhaps as importantly, the ins-​and-​outs of distributorship. He did not know he was speaking to a wine professional, and in his enthusiasm didn’t give me the chance to tell him. I’m glad he didn’t. If he’d known, I wouldn’t have learned just how serious he is about providing a good selection from small houses in France, as well as California and Italy (currently building the latter section), without falling into the trap of having to buy 16 cases of crappy wine simply to get two cases of good stuff at a decent price. I’ve stopped in subsequently to taste the wares, and while they aren’t all absolutely top flight offerings (though some are), the prices are well below the quality offered, they’ve all been quite good, and with flavor profiles true to the shelf-​talkers. Do not expect the counter help to know anything about wine; they don’t. Rather, the prices are reasonable enough, and from what I’ve tasted, seem to be well-​chosen enough, that you can grab a bottle and take a chance. I’ve not yet had what I would consider to be a bad or even mediocre wine. A recent Reisling had higher residual sugar than I’d prefer, but a Viognier/​Roussane blend was lovely all around, and a low-​price no-​name Bourgogne, admittedly in the California style, had an exceptional lingering finish. I, personally, am happy to purchase bottles from small, lesser known makers and skip shopping at Whole Foods or (gasp) Trader Joe’s or BevMo. There are now good wine shops in the area: the perennially excellent AlMor on Sunset, especially, but also the new Venokado on Fountain; however, this rather «down-​market» liquor store may be able to offer decent, interesting wines within quick walking distance to a wide neighborhood which hasn’t had other options.