Luxury Napa offers the discerning wine traveler a curated list of wine tasting experiences, resorts, and restaurants.
Napa is, without a doubt, one of the happiest places on the planet. No matter who you are or where you come from, tension and stress just melt away. We are not wine professionals, but visitors who travel to Napa, like you, to escape.
Luxury Napas content includes:
RESORTS. A comparison of pros and cons of Calistoga Ranch and Meadowood.
DINING. Reviews of recommended lunch and dinner spots, such as French Laundry, Press, and Mustards.
GETTING AROUND. Which airport? Which car service? How many tastings in one day?
WINERY REVIEWS. Our curated guide to 19 winery visits was born of frustration at information overload. In a good year, Robert Parker gives 95-point scores to 400 wines from almost 200 producers. Its easy enough to identify the great wines, but visiting Napa is about more than drinking wine. Its about meeting the owners and winemakers, and spending time among the vines and barrels. Over a decade of trips to Napa, we have found that the quality of tasting experiences arranged by concierges varies greatly, even among 95+ point wine producers. Thats where Luxury Napa helps out.
Between the extremes of Mondavi and Screaming Eagle is a sweet spot of Robert Parker 95+ point boutique wineries that sell their limited production via list memberships. We have visited many of these wineries. Yet, as fine as their wines may be, only a few offer that special Napa experience. It could be the owners art or guitar collection, the expansive view from the tasting porch, or the engaging personality of the winemaker or owner. Each of our recommended winery visits offers a special experience, coupled (of course) with great wine.
Examples of recommended wineries include:
Harlan Promontory
Realm
Carter Cellars
Fairchild
Nine Suns
Ovid
Each of the 19 reviews briefly describes the wine tasting experience and what made it special.