Napa Valley is turning over a new leaf
Northern California’s emerging cadre of upstart eateries, sustainable vineyards and smartly designed lodgings are worth raising a glass to.
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Any journey that begins with a robust, ruby-red cabernet sauvignon is off to a good start. At Ashes & Diamonds, a wine estate at the gateway of the Napa Valley, it’s paired with a chaser of invigorating mid-century design. With its retro-modern white buildings, zigzag metal roof and sunshine-yellow chairs, Ashes & Diamonds is a departure from the European-style wineries the region is known for. Owner Kashy Khaledi is also championing a return to the minimalist, low-intervention drops of yore. It’s illustrative of a larger trend playing out across the region’s spiffy resorts, dining hotspots and vino attractions that could be described as the “de-Tuscanification” of Napa Valley. In its stead is a sensibility that’s pure, unfiltered California – and worth raising a glass to.
Just north of San Francisco, Napa Valley is charmingly compact. Its four major towns – Napa, Yountville, St Helena, and Calistoga – are easily navigable in under an hour. Though to pass through so swiftly would be a crime. On a recent visit, I’m determined to experience its harvest of creativity. Later that afternoon I drive across the Napa River and up a winding ridge road near Yountville to arrive at Poetry Inn. This bespoke bolthole has only five rooms, which were recently updated by design star Erin Martin. Martin’s deft touch is evident in sensual textures, handsome furnishings and edgy artworks that now gracefully coalesce in each suite. A wrap-around balcony in my room offers sweeping views over plots of perfectly straight vines and the gently rolling hills of Stags Leap. The only better vantage point might be from the hot-air balloons that lazily drift across the horizon each morning.
A tantalising charcuterie and cheese spread, along with a bottle from the Lede Family vineyards, is a precursor of what’s to come. Napa Valley is a cornucopia of exceptional food and seasonally driven restaurants. In Yountville, for instance, perhaps more aptly referred to as “Kellerville”, acclaimed chef Thomas Keller established his culinary empire with The French Laundry. In fact, this tiny town has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than any other place in the world. That night I stop by Press where chef Philip Tessier is rethinking the classic steakhouse. “Our opportunity is to showcase what California has to offer,” he tells me, presenting a heavenly trio of shellfish – oysters in lemon and horseradish, braised abalone with pickled cucumber, and smoked scallops with crisp chestnut slices. Ricotta gnudi in a smoky jamón-bone consommé, and halibut wrapped in alternating yellow and green zucchini ribbons with carrot purée exemplify his inventive range.
Breakfast the next morning is delivered on my Poetry Inn balcony by chef Lynn Vita. It’s nothing I would ever prepare for myself at home and a divine match for this cool autumnal morning: maple-roasted delicata squash, leafy salad with mushrooms and a warm Jerusalem artichoke fondue. Coffee is served in a fetching stoneware mug from Carter and Co in St Helena. Not long after, I’m perusing the wooden shelves at this retail store teeming with cream-hued, handcrafted ceramic dinnerware. It’s easy to spend the morning flitting between the shops in town. Martin Design, Erin Martin’s store, is filled with an eclectic assemblage of art, found objects, and creations of her own design. At Trick Pony, it’s a rotating mix of covetable objects, vintage jewellery and eyewear. For lunch, meanwhile, at the Charter Oak on the south side of town, a plate of raw vegetables straight from the restaurant’s 1.5-hectare farm paired with an umami-rich fermented soy dip is classic Napa Valley.
On the northside of St Helena is a brooding 19th-century mansion, complete with windowed turret, dramatic spire and picturesque gardens. This is Faust Haus, the tasting room for the Faust winery’s drops grown in Coombsville, half an hour’s drive south, and an event space that’s a triumph of the new wave of Napa design. Cloistered rooms on the ground floor are painted in bewitching shades of black, blue and red. A mural by Italian artist Roberto Ruspoli flows up the wooden staircase in an allegorical transition of evil to good. On the first floor, clean whites and natural-toned furniture complete the switch to a bright, open space. Tasting an ambrosial 2019 syrah downstairs in the blue parlour with Connor Burns, Faust’s director of guest services and hospitality, I wonder what makes Napa so unique. “Only two per cent of the world’s climate is Mediterranean,” he offers. “And Napa falls into that.” Then there’s the region’s geological diversity. “You have such a wide variety of soils in such a small space … and we have wet and dry seasons,” he adds. “All of that comes together to give Napa its unique expressions.”
The area’s microclimates are on full display the following morning. No matter when you visit, it pays to pack layers of clothing – the weather can shift precipitously. After leaving sunny Yountville, I arrive at a mist-shrouded Calistoga in the northern end of the valley and head to the Four Seasons Resort, the new kid on the block. Staying here is the ultimate grape-to-glass experience for oenophiles and food lovers alike. The hotel, which opened last November, has 85 rooms featuring live-edge wood headboards, graphic pendant lights and custom flourishes, while views take in mountains and its own world-class vineyard, Elusa. From the terrace of Truss restaurant, I watch as the mist, backlit by the sun, meanders around the guest suites and green vines between them. Calistoga is renowned for its rejuvenating mineral hot springs, and I’m ready for a bit of pampering myself at the Four Seasons’ Spa Talisa. I’m treated to a marine algae and salt scrub before a detoxifying thermal mud wrap. I’ll cap it off with vineyard vistas from the misting deck before jumping on the road once more.
Crossing the Mayacamas mountain range between Napa and Sonoma valleys is to enter a different viticultural universe. Cabernet sauvignon is king throughout the warmer, sun-drenched subregions within the Napa AVA (American Viticultural Areas), whereas chardonnay and pinot noir reign supreme among a staggering variety of other grapes in Sonoma County. Where Napa is polished and compact, Sonoma is rugged and rural, its distinctive coastline, heritage oak and redwood hills, and sunny creek beds giving it a variety of microclimates found almost nowhere else in the world.
Outside the town of Forestville are the canary-yellow rustic suites of Farmhouse Inn. The cosy stay, from Sonomans and siblings Joe and Carol Bartolomei, has a Michelin-starred restaurant, a farm-to-table spa and seriously stylish suites. Mine is adorned with a four-poster bed, enveloping couch, and eggshell-toned linens. Heated tile floors in the bathroom are a clever touch for crisp mornings. At dinner that night, I’m joined by Joe for an inspired tasting menu that spans duck prosciutto salad, octopus in ajo blanco and a trio of rabbit. “So much of the draw of Sonoma are the players here,” Bartolomei says. “Not only wine, but cheese, produce, dairy, and all manner of craft products made by people who care.”
“You have such a wide variety of soils in such a small space … and we have wet and dry seasons, all of that comes together to give Napa its unique expressions”
Farmhouse Inn is ideally situated for exploring the untamed west, including the romantic coastal town of Jenner, scenic Goat Rock Beach and the evergreens of Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. Watching the morning light filtering through these towering giants is a humbling experience. Swathes of the forest floor bear the ashen scars of 2020’s fires. Newly rebuilt trails leading to the 1400-year-old Colonel Armstrong tree clearly demarcate barren forest floors scorched by the fire, and fern-covered underbrush where firefighters kept it at bay. Two years ago, fires also wiped out more than 30 wineries in the region, but it’s rebounding. Many wineries are exploring sustainability initiatives, including less water-intensive farming, and addressing climate change head on.
It’s raining by the time I reach Flowers Vineyards & Winery on the north side of the Russian River Valley. Nothing is more welcome to locals than a healthy downpour. “We really needed this,” says Adam Wallace, the estate’s marketing manager. He ushers me through the House of Flowers, the Scandinavian-style tasting room by Walker Warner Architects in San Francisco. The stump of a black walnut tree dominates the space, along with a monumental photograph of the nearby coast by Adrian Gaut. “We didn’t want to make big-oak chardonnay,” Wallace says, lining up a few glasses for our tasting. “Our vineyards are up at high elevations, surrounded by redwoods on the coast. We wanted to respect that, and the unique minerals and salinity it would give our wines.” This is well expressed in the 2019 Camp Meeting Ridge chardonnay, along with bracing notes of citrus and just enough acidity to make it one of my favourite drops.
It’s a 10-minute drive into Healdsburg, the beating heart of Sonoma County and gathering hub for its bountiful producers and artisans. There’s no shortage of stores, restaurants, and tasting rooms dotting the grid-pattern streets, and I’ll spend the following days drifting between them. For tony tasting rooms with fantastic selections there’s Lioco, whose chardonnay is a standout, while Bloodroot’s pinot noir is worth more than a few splashes. At Marine Layer it’s the range of Gap’s Crown vintages that has earned the winery a cult following. And then there’s the zinging zinfandel at nearby Quivira Vineyards, a full-bodied blast of sweet blackberries and raspberries enhanced with warm baking spices. Naturally, a designated driver is a godsend in these parts, and since I’m staying at Montage Healdsburg, I can avail myself of its private shuttle service for guests.
Opened last year, Montage has 130 guests rooms and suites spread over a sprawling 100-odd hectares, along with a spa, work-out facilities, two pools, a restaurant, and activity spaces. My plush cabin, set on a knoll up a winding path, has floor-to-ceiling windows that open to glimpses of the surrounding hillsides. Returning to the main lobby via a golf-cart escort, I grab a bite at Hazel Hill – a tangy artichoke soup with alba pioppini, aka shimeji, mushrooms and truffle oil takes the chill off a cloudy day while looking out over the estate. The 10 hectares of vines here are managed by dynamic wine producer Jesse Katz of nearby Aperture Cellars. Katz’s contemporary tasting room cuts a striking silhouette above the vines, with sharply angled rooflines, arresting photography and the blades of a camera aperture ring moulded into the ceiling. The wines are similarly cutting-edge.
Later that evening I’ll return to Healdsburg for a meal at three Michelin-starred restaurant SingleThread. Here, husband and wife team Kyle and Katina Connaughton have conjured magic out of the Sonoma soil. Katina manages the farm, between the Russian River and San Lorenzo Ranch, while Kyle helms the kitchen. The ryokan-inspired interiors and tasting menus are influenced by Japanese traditions, a reflection of Kyle’s years spent in Japan studying kaiseki and sushi. “We’re not trying to follow trends,” he says. “Our menu choices are informed by what Katina is doing at the farm.” The meal begins with an explosion of little bites, including wagyu beef in a hot dashi, followed by abalone with silky uni, duck-liver parfait with yellow petals and a black-cod crêpe “taco”. Elegant, adventurous and enormously tasty, the meal is a wonderful epilogue to my immersion in wine country.
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