The St. Paul Grill
Classic Steakhouse, California Cab Cathedral
Downtown St. Paul · St. Paul · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 16, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into the Saint Paul Hotel's crown jewel — dark wood, white tablecloths, the whole old-money package — and the wine list arrives like it belongs here: thick, leather-bound, and deeply Californian. It's the kind of list that makes no apologies for what it is. If you came here hoping for a grower Champagne or a Jura curiosity, you made a wrong turn.
Selection Deep Dive
The 200-300 bottle list reads like a love letter to Napa Valley, and honestly, it's a well-written one. Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Stag's Leap, Far Niente, Duckhorn, Ridge, and Opus One anchor the cellar — a murderers' row of California heavyweights that will make exactly the right people very happy. What's missing is any real depth outside that lane: minimal old-world representation, sparse exploration of emerging domestic regions, and the kind of list that could have been assembled in 2005 and largely left alone. That said, they've held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 1995, and the California focus is executed with genuine conviction rather than laziness.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is a respectable count for a steakhouse, running $12-$20 a pour. The selection skews predictably toward crowd-pleasing Cabs and Chards, which makes sense when your dining room is full of people ordering prime rib. Don't expect anything adventurous in the glass program — this is a comfort zone operation, executed without embarrassment.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon — $40s-$50s
Jordan is consistently one of the most food-friendly, reliably delicious Cabs in California — elegant rather than bombastic, and usually the smartest move on a list full of trophy bottles. Here it sits in the range where it's actually approachable rather than aspirational.
Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel
In a room full of Cab pilgrims, Ridge Zinfandel is the wine most tables overlook — which is exactly why you should order it. Ridge makes Zinfandel with the kind of seriousness and longevity that most people don't expect from the grape, and it plays surprisingly well against a dry-aged steak.
Opus One
It's a great wine — nobody's arguing that — but Opus One at a restaurant markup is a very expensive way to prove a point. You're paying significantly over retail to drink something you could find almost anywhere. Order it at home; order the Jordan here.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Dry-Aged New York Strip
Stag's Leap brings structure and a signature silky tannin profile that stands up to the bold funk of dry-aged beef without steamrolling it. The strip's char crust, the wine's dark fruit and cedar — this is the reason this list exists.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The St. Paul Grill is exactly what it wants to be: a serious steakhouse with a serious California wine program, managed by real sommeliers who know the list cold. It won't surprise you, and it's not trying to — but if you want a flawless Napa Cab with a dry-aged strip in a room that feels like 1987 in the best possible way, this delivers every time.
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