Yahoo Autos Insider’s guide to Napa Valley
My first trip to Napa Valley was in the late 1960s, during my senior year at U.C. Berkeley. I had just turned 21, and here was this amazing place only an hour’s drive away with rolling blond hills and the sunny climate of Provence, where you could spend a leisurely afternoon sipping for free at Inglenook, Beringer, and Mondavi.
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Four decades and a dozen visits later, I still find myself drawn here. Maybe it’s the pastoral beauty of the Silverado Trail, which twists its way past acres of vineyards and those unchanging blond hills. Or the small-town charm of St. Helena’s Main Street and its one-of-a-kind shops. Or the fact that the farm-to-table movement has never waned and continues to influence the next generation of Napa chefs. This makes it one of the most dynamic food destinations in the country. Here, a peek into my little black book.
Where to Stay
Restaurateur Claude Rouas brought Provençal style to Napa in 1981 with Auberge du Soleil, his tiny French bistro on the hills above Rutherford. I remember every bite of my first lunch there a month after it opened—the homemade pâté, the salade niçoise, the tarte au citron. A few years on, 52 sun-splashed guest rooms were added. Today, the hotel is no less stylish, drawing a mix of Hollywood types and couples getting away from it all, and its newest addition, Maison Saint-Tropez, offers eight romantic, earth-toned suites (hand-carved oak headboards; outdoor tubs).
Not to be outdone, Auberge’s sister property, Calistoga Ranch—a woodsy, 157-acre retreat set in a canyon off the Silverado Trail—just had a refresh. Enhancements include a separate pool catering to families (unlike Auberge, Calistoga allows kids under 16), five creekside spa pavilions, and green touches such as LED lighting. In the 48 cedar lodges, there are now iPads in the rooms and sculptures in the outdoor showers.
A few miles north, Solage Calistoga, also part of the Auberge collection, stays true to its setting (the town’s hot springs are legendary) with a 20,000-square-foot spa. Book the signature “mudslide,” which includes a scrub and mineral-water soak in a claw-foot tub; afterward, you can zone out in a zero-gravity chair. Thanks to a recent makeover, the 89 studios have a softer feel (silver-toned carpets instead of concrete floors), and everyone is raving about chef Brandon Sharp’s six-year-old Solbar. Don’t miss his chilled ambrosia melon soup and confit of Niman Ranch lamb shoulder.
One of my first Napa experiences was a stay at Yountville’s Magnolia Inn, which has now been reimagined as Maison Fleurie, a collection of 13 warm but simple French-inspired rooms in three vine-covered stone buildings. The rates are wildly affordable—as low as $150 a night for the smallest room during harvest season. Just across the street is the LEED Platinum–certified Bardessono Hotel & Spa, where the 62 rooms offer a less-is-more aesthetic (organic linens; bay laurel-wood desks), except for the bathrooms, which are big enough to actually fit a massage table.
Also in town is the year-and-a-half-old North Block Hotel, the work of St. Helena-based interior designer Erin Martin. The 20 modern rooms are scattered around a lemon-tree-filled courtyard, where you’ll also see people popping in to Richard Reddington’s on-site pizzeria, Redd Wood. Set on a bluff above Yountville and owned by the founder of Cliff Lede Vineyards, the Poetry Inn is that upscale B&B you’re always looking for: five contemporary rooms, all with fireplaces, none with shared walls, so you won’t hear your neighbors. The innkeepers—Leona McLaughlin, Henrike Wagner, and Bob Copeland—can help with special requests; they once set up a private dinner for 10 at the French Laundry with only a week’s notice.
The Andaz brand has continued to expand, with the opening of its hotel in downtown Napa last year: think 141 clean-lined rooms with decadent marble tubs and a buzzy terrace with fire pits and porch swings. For the full resort experience, try Meadowood, a 250-acre spread of 85 suites and cottages on the outskirts of St. Helena. The vibe is understated country club; guests wear whites for croquet and walk the nine-hole golf course. The 44-seat, Michelin three-starred Restaurant at Meadowood, run by the brilliant chef Christopher Kostow, opened an expanded bar area with an exclusive menu in March. The nine-course tasting is $450 a head, with wine pairings—and is worth every penny.
Where to Eat
Back in the day, there weren’t many restaurants to pick from in Yountville. Then came Don and Sally Schmitt’s French Laundry in 1978. Now, it’s hard to choose where to go. There’s Michael Chiarello’s tried-and-true Italian spot, Bottega, and Richard Reddington’s Redd, plus three from Thomas Keller: Bouchon, a French bistro, Ad Hoc, which draws in the winemakers, and the Michelin three-starred French Laundry (he took it over from the Schmitts in 1994). Even if you don’t have a reservation at the latter, you can tour Keller’s nearby garden, where he grows Tuscan kale and winter squash.
While Yountville has been known for the classic star-chef restaurants, St. Helena has always felt hipper, with more relaxed places. On a recent visit I enjoyed French Blue, an airy, light-filled New American spot on Main Street designed and owned by local architect Howard Backen. Chef Philip Wang sources whatever he can locally, like the berries from a farm just up the road that appear in everything from the baked blueberry pancake at breakfast to the strawberry shortcake at dinner.
