San Francisco - Alison Bing [211]
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On the west side of Napa Valley, you can’t miss the faux-Tuscan towers of Castello di Amorosa ( 707-967-6272; www.castellodiamorosa.com; 4045 Hwy 29, Calistoga; tasting $10-15, tour adult $25-30, tour ages 5-20yr $15-20, tour child under 5yr free; 9:30am-6pm), a new 121,000-sq-ft stone castle where you can tour wine dungeons, taste tangerine-tinged late-harvest gewürztraminer and occasionally catch jousting matches. For authentic Napa history, turn off Hwy 29 to Schramsberg (707-942-2414; www.schramsberg.com; 1400 Schramsberg Rd, off Peterson Dr; tour & tasting $35; by reservation 10am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm). Tours of the landmark 1862 winery dive into historic caves and end at the bar, with signature bubbly that eased international relations between Nixon and Zhou Enlai in 1972.
Sights & Activities
When you notice scrap-metal sheep grazing Carneros vineyards, you’ve spotted di Rosa Art + Nature Preserve ( 707-226-5991; www.dirosapreserve.org; 5200 Carneros Hwy 121; gallery 9:30am-3pm Wed-Fri, tours depart 10am, 11am, 1pm Wed-Fri, 10am, 11am, noon Sat). Reserve ahead for tours covering everything from Tony Oursler’s grimacing video projections in the wine cellar to million-dollar Robert Bechtel abstracts hung on the living-room ceiling.
Northeast in downtown Napa, graze at Oxbow Public Market (below) and get an eyeful of intriguing local art at Nest ( 707-255-7484; www.napanest.com; 1019 Atlas Peak Rd; 10am-6pm Thu-Sun), such as Kana Tanaka’s indoor thunderstorm of blown-glass raindrops.
Small towns with outsize reputations line Hwy 29, from tiny Yountville, home to the most Michelin-starred eateries per capita in the US, to charming historic St Helena, where Napa congregates at the Farmers’ Market ( 707-486-2662; www.sthelenafarmersmkt.org; Crane Park, off Grayson Ave; 7:30am-noon Fri May-Oct) for first dibs on heirloom tomatoes.
Calistoga is the down-to-earth north end of Napa, where for centuries native Wappo headed for rejuvenating rolls in the volcanic mud. Today, Indian Springs ( 707-942-4913; www.indianspringscalistoga.com; 1712 Lincoln Ave; 9am-8pm) offers volcanic mud baths ($85) with free access to its hot-springs pool, while vintage-1950s Dr Wilkinson’s Hot Springs ( 707-942-4102; www.drwilkinson.com; 1507 Lincoln Ave; 8:30am-5:30pm) features wallows in volcanic mud and peat moss, mineral whirlpools, steam rooms and blanket wraps ($89). Couples prefer Lavender Hill Spa (707-942-4495; www.lavenderhillspa.com; 1015 Foothill Blvd; 10am-6pm Sun-Thu, to 8pm Fri & Sat) for private cottages ($70 per person) with side-by-side clawfoot Jacuzzi tubs filled with lavender-infused mud.
Eating
French Laundry ( 707-944-2380; www.frenchlaundry.com; 6640 Washington St, Yountville; fixed-price menu $240; dinner 5:30-9.30pm daily, 11am-1pm Sat & Sun by reservation) The definition of California fine dining: inspired and seasonal, setting international trends with extraordinary ingredients plucked from the organic garden out back. A culinary experience worthy of lifetime achievements – a 40th birthday, say, or a Nobel Prize. Book one to six months ahead; call at 10am sharp.
Ad Hoc ( 707-944-2487; www.adhocrestaurant.com; 6476 Washington St, Yountville; 5-9pm Mon, Wed, Thu-Sun, 10:30am-2pm Sun) Don’t bother asking for a menu at Thomas Keller’s most innovative restaurant since French Laundry: chef Dave Cruz dreams up his four-course, $48 market menu daily. No substitutions are offered unless you mention dietary restrictions when making reservations, but none are needed – every dish is comforting, garden-fresh and fabulous.
Ubuntu ( 707-251-5656; www.ubuntunapa.com; 1140 Main St, Napa; small plates $6-14; 5:30-9pm Mon-Thu, 11:30am-2:30pm & 5:30-10pm Fri & Sat, 11:30am-2:30pm & 5:30-9pm Sun) Chef Jeremy Fox’s seasonal, vegetarian menu features natural wonders from the biodynamic kitchen garden,