A Destination Celebration

The Destination to the Napa Valley is an inadvertent follow-up to our August newsletter, Increase Your Wine I.Q.: Know Your Wine Websites.  Nonetheless, we encourage you to read it, if you have not done so already.  Napa is a must-go destination not only for those in pursuit of polishing their wine I.Q., but also for its wealth of resorts and activities. Napa Valley is the most well-known of California’s wine-growing areas, largely because it produces some of the best and most sought-after wines in America.  A trip to Napa is an event for any occasion – the birthday, the wedding, the anniversary, the girls' trip to a spa or for cooking classes, the guys’ trip to explore the vineyards and the foodies’ visit to a concentrated area of great restaurants.

There were grapes grown in the Napa Valley back in the early 1800's, mostly grown to be made into sacramental wine by the Mission priests in Northern California.  It was not until 1856 when a Hungarian aristocrat, Agoston Haraszthy, immediately recognized potential in the soil and climate of Sonoma and Napa Valleys and established Buena Vista, the first vineyard of Napa Valley. Haraszthy traveled to Europe and returned with vine cuttings that form the base of the wine varietals today.  At this time, wine dynasties such as Charles Krug, Beringer and Inglenook started their vineyards.  Regretfully, the fortunes of the Northern California wine industry had many trials through the subsequent years from phylloxera, Prohibition, the Depression and World War 11. 

The opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937 had altered the fate of the wine country. Simultaneously, the vineyards of Europe were devastated and the availability of European wine came to a standstill.  The Napa and Sonoma areas began prospering and, by the 1970's, the area's wine industry started attracting restaurants, hotels and tourists.  Many of us remember the 1980’s television series, Falcon Crest, which established lasting impressions of lavish life in the wine country, much like audiences viewed the landscape and mores of Dallas.

An event in 1976, the Paris Wine Tasting, cinched the reputation of California wines.  The famous blind tasting of California and French wines earned Napa's place on the international wine map.  Six of the winning wines, thought by judges to be classic Burgundy and Bordeaux wines, turned out to be wines from Napa.  A 1973 Stag's Leap beat out Bordeaux' Mouton Rothschild and Haut-Brion and Chateau Montelena bested Burgundy's best whites.

The travel guides and tour books have much to say and to rate the amenities of the area, and the range of amenities is vast.  We have just a few enticements to plant the idea of a "Destination Celebration" to the Napa Valley. 

Places to Stay

Auberge du Soleil
It was these breathtaking valley views that inspired French-born restaurateur Claude Rouas to recreate the sun-drenched ambiance of a Provençal restaurant in the California Wine Country.  As Napa Valley’s first fine-dining establishment, it opened to acclaim in 1981 and quickly gained recognition as one of the leading restaurants in Northern California.  Auberge du Soleil perfected the art of  luxurious indulgence when it opened Auberge Spa, a retreat that continues to be one of the most acclaimed spas in the country. That was later followed by a transformation of the swimming pool into La Plage, a laid-back outdoor pool and living room, where guests can spend lazy hours lounging poolside. (www.aubergedusoleil.com)

Meadowood
A luxury resort offering golf, tennis, croquet, hiking, swimming, fitness, spa, wine education and a Michelin three-star restaurant dining experience, all on a private 250-acre estate in the heart of the Napa Valley.  Meadowood enjoys the distinction as Napa Valley's first luxury resort and offers today the region's most robust collection of amenities.  It is a luxury destination for discerning travelers from around the world seeking an authentically Napa Valley experience. (www.meadowood.com)

Hotel Yountville
Yountville is a little treasure of a town in Napa which contains some of the best restaurants and hotels in America.  Hotel Yountville, though a rustic, low-key favorite over the years, has been remodeled into a truly sophisticated, Tuscan-influenced resort.  The stunning pool and helpful staff will make your visit memorable. This is a place for relaxation, quiet and the planning of your gastronomic experiences at nearby restaurants. (www.hotelyountville.com)

Places to For Wining and Dining

The Napa Valley, the most rural of the San Francisco Bay area’s counties, has long been a vibrant agricultural region.  The richness of its soil and abundance of its pantries are well met by the diversity of its culinary traditions and some of the most gifted chefs on earth. Scores of area restaurants sport kitchen gardens, so salads and herbs don’t get any fresher.  And speaking of stars, The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena recently earned three stars from the prestigious Michelin Guide, becoming the second restaurant in the valley to be so honored—the other being The French Laundry in Yountville.  Not surprisingly, you’ll find the same kind of understated excellence and attentive service at many of Napa's more casual eateries. Regretfully, space does not allow including the many fine restaurants of the area.

French Laundry
To eat at Thomas Keller's Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry, is to experience a peak culinary experience. Thomas Keller is a culinary colossus, and The French Laundry a regular in the top tier of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since its inception and holds the #1 spot on U.S. lists.  Reservations are difficult to come by and the price is not for the faint of heart, but the French Laundry remains a once in a lifetime experience for food lovers everywhere.

Bouchon
If you're looking for a delicious, moderately priced meal in lovely environs, this is your best bet. Perhaps to appease the crowds who never get a reservation at nearby French Laundry, Thomas Keller opened this far more casual -- but still delicious -- French brasserie. Along with a raw bar, expect superb renditions of steak frites, mussels meunière, and other heavenly French classics (try the expensive and rich foie gras pâté, which is made at the French Laundry).

Brix
Brix Restaurant and Gardens in Yountville opened in 1996 with a focus on providing a farm-to-table dining experience. More than two acres of gardens and orchards provide ingredients for a menu inspired by the culinary traditions of the winegrowing regions in Southern France and Northern Italy.  The cuisine, the gardens and the views across the vineyards make this a popular site for weddings and celebrations.  The restaurant’s name reflects the measurement of sugar levels at which the grapes for wines are harvested.

Bistro Jeanty
This casual, warm bistro in Yountville -- with patio seats, and two dining rooms divided by the bar -- is French chef Philippe Jeanty's ode to rich French comfort food. The all-day menu includes tomato soup in puff pastry, foie gras pâté, steak tartare, and house-smoked trout with potato slices. No meal should end without their memorable crème brûlée. 

Redd
Chef Richard Reddington secured a spot among the valley's very best chefs when he opened this restaurant at the end of 2005.  Expect exceptional appetizers such as a cold foie gras trio with pistachios and brioche. For entrées, the Atlantic cod with chorizo, clams, and curry sauce is a dream dish that simultaneously manages to be rich and light.  Also, if you're looking for a lush brunch spot, this is it.

Tra Vigne
Tra Vigne is a quintessential wine country experience. From its classic neo-Italian dining room highlighting the old world bar to the magnificent shade covered Tuscan courtyard, people say you could be anywhere in Italy while dining at the elegant Tra Vigne. This cooking is the heart and hand of Italy, an amazing compliment to the beautiful Napa Valley. It’s not uncommon to see vintners dining at the classic bar.

Mustards
Mustards Grill was named for the wild mustard flowers that bloom in the vineyards every spring, which help to nourish the soil.  After 27 years of feeding Napa Valley and its visitors, Mustards Grill is still the hub of the food and wine community where winemakers lunch with truckers and chefs come to dine on their night off.  Mustard's makes many of the top restaurant lists in the country.

Visiting Vineyards

Visiting the vineyards is a prime reason many come to Napa, and it can be challenging with so many to visit. The connoisseur may want to make a list of his priorities, but it is difficult to see more than a very few each day.  As an aside, we have Dallasites who have vineyards in the area that you may want to visit. Dallasites Craig and The Honorable Katherine Hall have the fabulous Hall vineyards in St. Helena and Rutherford, and Clay and Brenda Cockerell have purchased a Calistoga vineyard and launched their Coquerel wines, which are available locally. For those mostly interested in the atmosphere and overview, there are some fun ways to enjoy the scene.

Balloon Tours
Start your morning with a spectacular hot-air balloon ride above the Napa Valley. From aloft, your highly experienced pilot will point out landmarks and share with you some of our area’s many secrets. Your flight is usually followed by followed by brunch, such as the Napa Valley Balloon's pairing with Domaine Chandon’s Etoile Restaurant to extend the morning beyond the spectacular panoramic scene with a memorable champagne brunch.

The Napa Valley Wine Train
The Napa Valley Wine Train provides a relaxing three-hour thirty-six mile round-trip journey between the historic town of Napa through one of the world's most famous wine valleys to the quaint village of St. Helena and back.  Lunch or dinner is served as passengers view vineyards and wineries from any of the vintage rail cars which have been lavishly restored.  The tracks upon which the Napa Valley Wine Train runs were originally built in the 1860's to bring guests to the hot spring resort town of Calistoga.  Due to the immense influence that rail transport had over the development of the communities and wineries of the Napa Valley, there is no shortage of sights to see during the three hour journey.  Five towns -- Napa, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena -- and numerous wineries can be seen through the large picture windows.

Shopping

St. Helena's historic downtown district has a remarkable collection of clothing, arts, food, furniture, accessories and what have you, in two blocks. First, the downtown shopping area may be the most charming two square blocks in all the valley and full of authentic, one-of-a-kind items, many of them locally crafted and others, equally remarkable, acquired from distant lands. For us, we thought we could order all our Christmas gifts here, not to be duplicated elsewhere. Enjoy your visit!!

Erratum:  Oh the vagaries of the internet world!  Our last newsletter, Increase Your Wine I.Q.: Know Your Wine Websites, had a section heading of "Meat and Cheese" while it was written to say "Wine Clubs, Auctions, Tastings and More." We look forward to focusing on those topics in the near future.  Our apologies.

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