Halls Chophouse
California Dreaming, Done Right in Nashville
Nashville · Nashville · Steak house · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The list at Halls Chophouse lands with the confidence of a restaurant that knows exactly what it is: a serious steakhouse with a serious California wine program. Four to six hundred selections, a named sommelier on the floor, and a Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 2025 — this is not a list assembled by committee and forgotten. You feel the intention the moment you open it.
Selection Deep Dive
California is the star and they don't pretend otherwise — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Duckhorn, Shafer Hillside Select, Ridge Monte Bello, Stag's Leap, Opus One — the Napa and Sonoma canon is well represented and deep. If you're hunting for natural wine or obscure European producers, look elsewhere; this list is built for the crowd that comes in knowing they want a big Cabernet with a prime ribeye, and it delivers that experience exceptionally well. The $60–$200 sweet spot covers a lot of ground, and the presence of Ridge Monte Bello and Shafer Hillside Select signals that someone here is thinking beyond the grocery store shelf. Sommelier Scott Herrmann is the real asset — a named steward on the floor at a Nashville chophouse is not a given.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is a genuinely strong program for a steakhouse format, and the range runs from approachable to genuinely interesting. We'd expect a few of the California heavy-hitters to rotate through the glass list — a Silver Oak or a Duckhorn pour would be the move here. Starting around $12 a glass, there's room to explore before committing to a bottle.
Jordan Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon — $60–$80 (estimated bottle range)
Jordan consistently punches above its price point — it's elegant where a lot of Napa Cab is just loud, and at a chophouse where bottles trend toward triple-digit territory, it's one of the more accessible entries that still feels like a real wine decision.
Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello
Most people at a chophouse are scanning for Caymus or Opus One and blowing right past Monte Bello. That's a mistake. Ridge's flagship is one of California's most age-worthy and intellectually interesting Cabernet-based wines — Bordeaux-brained, restrained, and built to go with food rather than just announce itself.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is a fine wine, but it's also the default order for anyone who doesn't want to think too hard, which means restaurants have no incentive to price it fairly. You're almost certainly paying a significant premium for name recognition here — and for that money, you could be drinking Shafer or Ridge.
Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select + 14 oz. Prime Ribeye
Hillside Select is a big, structured Stag's Leap District Cabernet with the muscle to stand up to well-marbled prime beef without steamrolling it. The ribeye's fat content softens the wine's tannins; the wine's dark fruit intensity amplifies the char. This is the pairing Halls was built for.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Halls Chophouse is Nashville's answer to a serious California wine program — expert staff, deep Napa bench, and the kind of steakhouse atmosphere that makes a $150 bottle feel like the right call. The markups are real, but so is the experience.
Comments
Get the Weekly Wingman
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.