A roundup of new things to sip, see, and do in and around the region
New Wine Experiences
A few of Wine Country’s favorite high-end producers have made major updates recently. Last winter, Heitz Cellar, one of the valley’s oldest cabernet houses, opened a lovely new tasting salon on the original property in St. Helena. Less than a mile down the road, Ink Grade, a vineyard that dates back to the 19th century, just launched its own handsome tasting pavilion. Perhaps the most stunning new guest experience belongs to Roy Estate’s La Residence. After the 2017 Atlas fire destroyed the previous winery, the owners undertook a five-year rebuild, and visitors can now try the estate wines paired with a farm-to-table meal and views of Soda Canyon. Reservations are essential at all of these properties.
New Restaurants
This past December, the owners of longtime valley favorite Bistro Don Giovanni opened Scala Osteria in the heart of downtown Napa. The lively space is adorned with a playful mural depicting the Gulf of Naples, while menu highlights include wood-fired pizzas and antipasti such as house-marinated white anchovies with Calabrian chilies. In Yountville, meanwhile, Thomas Keller has made his pop-up Regiis Ova Caviar & Champagne Lounge permanent, continuing to serve sturgeon roe, bubbly, and other delights that diners can enjoy along with live jazz. In downtown St. Helena, a wellness-oriented eatery and retail space from designer Ann Backen, NO|MA House Café & Collective, is due to open next month.
New Entertainment Options
Spring is the season for art walks. On May 20, Yountville Art, Sip & Stroll brings more than 50 wineries, musical performers, and artists to the town’s main drag, Washington Street. The latest from the Rail Arts District (RAD) Napa is the Terracotta Corridor, a free outdoor exhibition of large-scale carved and glazed works by 11 artists from the Mission Clay Products Arts and Industry residency program. Theater buffs, meanwhile, can look forward to this year’s edition of Broadway and Vine Napa Valley. Tony-nominated producer Jacob Langfelder brings Broadway stars to Yountville for monthly performances from June through September. This season’s opener, on June 27, is slated to feature five-time Emmy Award nominee Tituss Burgess.
New Hotel
Auberge Resorts Collection’s new Stanly Ranch sprawls across 700 acres at the southern tip of the valley, offering 135 rooms and suites, adults-only and family-friendly pools, the state-of-the-art Hale House spa, and fine dining at the great hall–style restaurant Bear. The aesthetic cherry on top of the vineyard-laced estate is Infinity, a monumental sculpture by local artist Gordon Huether perched at the property’s highest point; it’s a great place to watch the sun sink into the bay at the end of the day.
From $1,300, aubergeresorts.com/stanlyranch
