California Cabs and Prime Cuts Done Right
Marietta · Marietta · American, Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 13, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Mac's Chophouse on Marietta's historic town square is exactly what it looks like: a confident, clubby steakhouse that knows its audience and plays to them without apology. The wine list lands on the table thick with California heavyweights — Caymus, Silver Oak, Opus One — and makes no pretense of being anything other than a red-meat wine list. If you walked in hoping for a Jura Trousseau, keep walking.
The 150-plus bottle list is a California greatest-hits album — Stag's Leap, Jordan, Duckhorn, Far Niente, Rombauer — executed with genuine care and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence to back it up. The Napa and Sonoma Cabernet program is the clear backbone, with producers ranging from approachable Jordan to the serious upper tier of Opus One and Far Niente. What you won't find is much adventurousness: European representation is thin, and anything outside the California-Bordeaux lane feels like an afterthought. That said, if your entire dinner plan is a dry-aged ribeye and a bottle of Cab, this list was built for exactly that night.
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options, which is respectable for a steakhouse of this size, and the pours skew toward familiar crowd-pleasers rather than rotating discovery selections. Rombauer Chardonnay almost certainly anchors the white side of the glass list — it's a crowd favorite in this room. Don't expect anything unexpected here, but the quality floor is high and the pours are honest.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $75
Jordan Alexander Valley Cab is the sweet spot on this list — it punches above its price in a room full of four-figure bottles, delivers the structured, food-friendly Cab the kitchen is begging for, and won't make your credit card cry at the end of the night.
Duckhorn Merlot
Every table around you is ordering Cab, which means the Duckhorn Merlot sits quietly underordered. That's a mistake — it's a serious, plummy Napa Valley wine with enough structure to handle the bone-in cowboy cut without the Cabernet price tag.
Opus One
Opus One is a genuinely great wine, but in a steakhouse setting it's the most marked-up bottle on the list and you're almost certainly paying a significant premium over retail. Order it at home where it gets the attention it deserves — here it gets lost between bites of creamed spinach.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Prime dry-aged ribeye
Stag's Leap brings that classic Napa structure — firm tannins, dark cherry, a hint of cedar — that latches onto the fat and char of a dry-aged ribeye in exactly the way this kitchen was designed for. It's not a surprise, but it's a correct answer.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Mac's Chophouse is a reliable, well-run steakhouse wine program that does California Cabernet better than most places in the Atlanta suburbs — it's not trying to be a wine destination, but it earns its Wine Spectator nod and won't let you down if big red meat and big Napa reds are the plan.
Marietta · Marietta · Italian
Modena is the neighborhood Italian that actually earned the wine credentials to back up its ambitions — Jill Pipes is running a thoughtful program in a place that could have easily phoned it in. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Pieropan, and let someone else have the Silver Oak.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Marietta · Marietta · Italian
Piastra is the kind of reliable Italian wine program that Marietta Square deserves — focused, fairly priced, and anchored by serious Italian producers. Send your parents here on their anniversary; they won't be disappointed.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Denver · Denver · American, Steakhouse
Range is a confident, well-kept steakhouse list that won't surprise you but absolutely won't let you down — especially if California Cabs are your language. Just come in with your eyes open on pricing, and let Dan steer you toward the Jordan.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Geneva · Geneva · American, Steakhouse
The James is a dependable California-focused steakhouse list that earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for doing one thing consistently well. If you're there for the beef and the big reds, you'll leave satisfied — just go in with your eyes open on the markups.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sauk City · Sauk City · American, Steakhouse
A Wisconsin supper club earning a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is genuinely surprising, and Green Acres earns it by stocking a focused, California-forward list that's built for exactly the kind of food it serves. It won't impress the natural wine crowd, but it'll take great care of anyone who wants a proper bottle with a proper steak in a historic room off the highway.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
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.