Truluck's
California Classics Meet Stone Crab Season
Washington · Washington · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 11, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Truluck's D.C. reads like a greatest hits album of California wine — familiar, crowd-pleasing, and assembled with confidence if not much adventurousness. It's a list built to make the expense-account crowd feel at home, and it does that job well. Wine Spectator handed them an Award of Excellence in 2025, which tracks: this is a competent, polished program even if it doesn't take many swings.
Selection Deep Dive
Two hundred to three hundred bottles deep and almost entirely anchored in California, the list leans heavily on Napa Cabernet and Chardonnay from names everyone already knows — Caymus, Silver Oak, Far Niente, Duckhorn, Stag's Leap. It's a reliable roster, but if you're looking for Burgundy, Rhône, or anything outside the coastal California comfort zone, you'll be underwhelmed. The depth within California is real, though: multiple producers across Chardonnay and Cab give you genuine options rather than just one of each. What's missing is curiosity — there's no Willamette Pinot, no Loire Chenin, nothing to make a wine nerd lean forward.
By the Glass
The by-the-glass program runs 20-35 options, which is genuinely generous for a seafood steakhouse format, and the $14–$22 range is what you'd expect downtown D.C. Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay and Rombauer show up here, which are solid pours for the style of food. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority — this feels like a stable, static list rather than something the kitchen is running plays with week to week.
Jordan Winery Chardonnay — $14-$18 by the glass
Jordan Chardonnay is one of the more restrained, food-friendly California whites on the list — less oak-bomb than Rombauer, more elegance than Sonoma-Cutrer. At the lower end of the by-the-glass range, it's the move before your stone crab arrives.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Most people at a seafood restaurant overlook the Cabernets entirely, which is a mistake when Stag's Leap is on the list. It's one of the more nuanced Napa Cabs here — less extracted than Caymus, with real structure — and it holds up surprisingly well against Truluck's richer lobster preparations.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is everywhere, marked up everywhere, and reliably overpriced everywhere. At a restaurant charging D.C. prices in a tourist-adjacent location, you can count on paying a significant premium for a bottle you can find at Total Wine for $80. The wine itself is fine; the value proposition here is not.
Far Niente Chardonnay + Scallops
Far Niente is richer and more textured than most California Chardonnays, with enough body to stand up to seared scallops without overwhelming their sweetness. It's the kind of pairing that makes sense even if you didn't plan it — the butter in both the wine and the dish just find each other.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Truluck's is a dependable, well-run wine program that earns its Wine Spectator nod without doing anything surprising — California loyalists and Napa Cab fans will be perfectly happy here. If you want adventure, bring your own recommendations; if you want reliable execution with your stone crab, this delivers.
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