The Huntsman

Walk into The Huntsman and the wine list feels exactly like the room — warm, confident, and unapologetically Californian. It's the kind of list that knows its audience and plays to them, leaning hard into Napa Cabs and recognizable labels that look great on a table next to a dry-aged steak. Wine Spectator handed them an Award of Excellence in 2023, and you can see why — there's real intention here, even if it doesn't push many boundaries.

The list leans California first, Italy second, and doesn't spend much time worrying about anywhere else. You'll find the usual marquee names — Caymus, Jordan, Duckhorn, Cakebread — done well and presented with care, which counts for something. The Italian side is presumably where things get more interesting, though the California anchor is impossible to miss. What's missing is any real sense of adventure: no left-field growers, no under-the-radar regions, no one swinging for the fences with something you'd never expect to see in Tallahassee.

By-the-glass specifics weren't available during our research, but with two named sommeliers on staff — Woodman Miner and Cameron McDonald — we'd expect the glass program to be curated rather than an afterthought. Ask the team what's pouring; they'll have opinions worth hearing. The real move, though, is coming on a Wednesday.