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 →
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.
· Franklin · Steakhouse
Char is a genuinely enjoyable steakhouse with a wine list that does the job without doing much more. The room earns its keep; the wine program is still a passenger rather than a co-pilot. If you're coming here for the Prime beef and the atmosphere, you'll eat well — just don't expect the list to take you anywhere the food isn't already going. Worth a visit, but bring your own expectations in check at the wine menu.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Franklin · Asian Street Food
Hawkers Franklin is doing more with twelve bottles than most casual chains do with thirty. The white-heavy, aromatic-leaning list is clearly built with the food in mind — even if it was done at the corporate level rather than by someone in this specific kitchen. If you're eating here, lean into the Gamay or Vinho Verde and skip the impulse to order Cab. It won't change your life, but it'll make dinner better.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Franklin · Seafood
If you're here for wine, you're at the wrong restaurant — but the pricing is honest and the Sauvignon Blanc won't ruin your dinner. Order a cocktail and save your wine energy for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Franklin · Italian
This is a chain wine list doing exactly what chain wine lists do — keeping it safe, keeping it recognizable, and marking it up just enough to pad margins. Drink here because you're having dinner, not because you're having wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Franklin · Franklin · Hotel Restaurant / Southern
1799 is a solid option when you're already staying at The Harpeth or dining for the atmosphere — the Southern food looks genuinely good and the room earns its upscale-casual reputation. But if wine is your reason for going out, Franklin has better options; this list is there to serve the food, not the other way around.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Franklin · Italian
Pelato Franklin isn't going to make wine pilgrims drive down from Nashville, but it's doing more than the Italian-suburban average — an orange wine, some solid regional Italian whites, and a few California names that earn their spot. Come for the food, stay curious about the list.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Las Vegas · American
DJT is a fine place to eat a filet mignon or a well-executed lamb dish in a comfortable room. But if wine is the reason you're sitting down, this isn't the stop. The list appears to serve the hotel, not the guest — and in Las Vegas, where genuinely great wine programs are closer than you think, that's a hard sell.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chula Vista · American
Yard House Chula Vista's wine list is what happens when wine is an afterthought at a beer-forward chain — familiar labels, steep markups, and zero sense of discovery. If you're here for the 130+ beers on draft, you're in the right place; if you came for the wine, grab the Jean-Luc Colombo rosé and manage expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · American
RH Yountville is a genuinely beautiful place to drink wine — the room earns that much on atmosphere alone, and the California-forward list will keep most guests happy without any friction. But in Yountville, where the competition includes some of the most serious wine programs in the country, 'happy without friction' isn't the same as memorable. Go for the experience, order confidently by region, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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