The Napa Playbook, Executed Flawlessly
Friendly Center · Greensboro · Upscale Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The list arrives looking confident — heavy stock, organized by varietal and region, with an obvious bias toward California powerhouses. It reads like a greatest hits album: every wine your dad has heard of, in one place. That's not an insult, exactly, but it tells you everything about who this list is for.
Napa and Sonoma dominate with an iron fist — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Duckhorn, Rombauer, Far Niente, Stag's Leap. The bones of a classic American steakhouse list are all here, and they're solid bones. Bordeaux and Burgundy make appearances to signal seriousness, but this list isn't going to surprise you with a Jura gamay or a skin-contact Sicilian. If you came in hoping for adventure, you picked the wrong room — but if you came in wanting a Napa Cab with your ribeye, you're exactly where you need to be.
Estimated 15–25 pours puts this well above average for a steakhouse, and the sommelier on staff should mean the glass program isn't totally on autopilot. Expect the usual Chardonnay-Cab-Pinot trifecta covered multiple times over at various price points. Rotation is likely minimal — this isn't a list that chases seasonal curiosity.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley — Unknown
Jordan is one of the most reliably elegant Cabs at this price tier in the market — structured without being a fruit bomb, and it holds its own against a filet without bullying it. In a list full of hype bottles, this is the move for someone who actually wants to taste the wine.
Duckhorn Merlot, Napa Valley
Everyone at the table is going to order a Cab. The Duckhorn Merlot is the wine they should be ordering. Plush, structured, genuinely complex — it's Merlot doing what Merlot does when nobody's making fun of it. Most people skip it on instinct. Those people are wrong.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Caymus is everywhere, and everywhere it's marked up to the heavens. The wine itself has gotten bigger and jammier over the years while the reputation stays on cruise control. You're paying for a name that peaked culturally sometime around 2014. There are better bottles on this list for the same money — or less.
Far Niente Chardonnay, Napa Valley + Creamed Spinach
This is a side dish pairing, and yes, we're serious. Far Niente's Chardonnay is rich and buttery enough to match the fat and cream in the spinach without getting lost — it's a textural handshake that makes both better. Order a glass while your steak rests.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Ruth's Chris Greensboro doesn't take risks with wine, and it doesn't need to — the list is professionally managed, properly stored, and staffed by someone who actually knows it. If you're celebrating a promotion, this works. Just don't expect to discover anything.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.