Tennessee's Wine Destination Hiding in Plain Sight
Franklin · American · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed January’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at January lands with the same dramatic energy as the room itself — vaulted beamed ceilings, herringbone floors, and a book of 300-plus bottles that has no business existing in a farm-to-table spot outside Nashville. This is a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence list, and it reads like one. You immediately sense that someone here cared enough to build something serious.
The French backbone is the real story: Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet and Louis Jadot Burgundy selections anchor the white side, while Chateau Lynch-Bages gives the Bordeaux section genuine gravitas. California gets its due with Opus One, Kistler Chardonnay, and Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon — crowd-pleasers, sure, but executed at a level that earns their place. Italy shows up with Antinori Super Tuscans rounding out a list that genuinely covers Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, France, California, Italy, and Spain with enough depth to reward multiple visits. The weak spot is that the list skews heavily prestige — there's not a lot of discovery-zone territory for guests who want to explore outside the usual trophy names.
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is a generous program, and at $12–$22 a glass it covers accessible entry points without feeling like an afterthought. The range mirrors the bottle list — expect Champagne options, solid California pours, and likely a Burgundy or two rotating through. What we'd love to see is more frequent rotation to keep regulars on their toes.
Louis Jadot Burgundy — $12–$22 by the glass
Jadot is a reliable name that over-delivers at this price point — proper Burgundy at a glass pour price that doesn't require a second mortgage.
Antinori Super Tuscans
Most tables at a place like this gravitate toward the French heavy-hitters or the California cabs. The Antinori Super Tuscans sitting in the Italy section are the sleeper play — structured, complex, and often better value than the Bordeaux royalty one page over.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine, but it's everywhere and it's marked up everywhere. On a list with Lynch-Bages and Opus One, ordering Caymus is like driving a rental car to a Ferrari dealership — you had options.
Chateau Lynch-Bages + Dry-aged ribeye
Lynch-Bages is a Pauillac built for red meat — the cassis fruit and firm tannic structure cut right through the fat on a dry-aged ribeye in a way that makes both taste better than they'd be alone.
The Bottom Line
January is the kind of wine list that earns its Wine Spectator badge without coasting on it — deep French and California selections in a beautifully designed room make this worth the drive out to Franklin. The markups can sting and the staff isn't leading with wine expertise, but the bones here are undeniably strong.
Cool Springs · Franklin · Steakhouse
Perry's Cool Springs is a reliable night out if someone else is paying, but the wine list is doing the bare minimum — crowd-pleasing producers, steep markups, and a noticeable lack of anything that earns its price on merit alone. Stick to Social Hour if you want to drink well without the sticker shock.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Cool Springs · Franklin · Upscale Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Franklin is a reliable wine execution at a chain price point — nobody's going home unhappy, but nobody's going home with a story either. Go on a Wednesday, hit the half-price bottle promotion, and drink better than the menu's markup would otherwise allow.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Cool Springs · Franklin · Italian Chain
The wine list at Olive Garden Franklin is a corporate checklist, not a wine program — the markups are steep for what you're getting, the selection hasn't taken a risk in its life, and the best move is honestly to order a cocktail or just lean hard into the breadsticks. If you're committed to wine, grab the Chianti and don't look back.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cool Springs · Franklin · Steakhouse Chain
Outback Franklin's wine list is competent in the way a rental car is competent — it gets you where you're going, but you're not going to talk about it later. Order the steak, consider a cocktail, and save the serious bottle for somewhere that actually cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cool Springs · Franklin · Steakhouse, Classic American
Sperry's Cool Springs is a dependable steakhouse wine list that doesn't ask much of you — and doesn't ask much of itself either. Come on a Monday, grab a bottle at half price, order the ribeye, and you'll have a genuinely good night without overthinking it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Cool Springs · Franklin · Asian fusion / Chinese-inspired chain restaurant
P.F. Chang's Cool Springs is here to feed a crowd, not to impress a wine drinker. The list is fine the way an airport moving walkway is fine — it gets you somewhere, but nobody's excited about it. If you're eating here, pick something by the glass, keep it simple, and save the serious wine for a different night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eagle Ranch · Vail · American
The Wild Sage is your dependable neighborhood spot in Eagle Ranch — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you at dinner either. Watch the markups on the top-shelf Napa bottles and stick to the mid-range, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Traverse City · American
Warehouse Kitchen + Cork won't win any awards for depth or ambition, but it plays its hand honestly — fair prices, solid local representation, and a full by-the-glass program that respects your wallet. If you're in Traverse City and want a glass of something local with a water view, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Truckee · Truckee · American
Sunnyside is a casual lodge restaurant wearing a serious wine list under its flannel — the markup is steep and it won't win any awards for staff expertise, but the producer lineup is legitimately impressive for where you're sitting. If you're already at the lake, this is absolutely worth ordering a real bottle.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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