(%888-766-6328; http://www.
robertmondavi.com; 7801
Hwy 29; tours $15-25, bottles
$19-150; h10am-5pm) is
somewhat of a corporate-
winery experience
and you can expect a
lot of company. That
said, the grounds are
gorgeous and it offers a
good menu of tours and
tastings for those who
are new to wine. The
winery also uses careful
environmental practices
in its farming, managing
1000 acres of naturally
farmed vineyards.5 p88
The Drive » Rows of
grapevines recede into the
distance as you continue 2 miles
north on Hwy 29.4 Rutherford
Another blip of a town,
Rutherford (population
164) is more conspicuous,with its wineries putting
it on the map. The valley
views are spectacular at
Mumm Napa (%800-686-
6272; http://www.mummnapa.com;
8445 Silverado Trail; tasting
$7-25; h10am-4:45pm; #),
which makes respectable
sparkling wines that you
can sample while seated
on a vineyard-view
terrace. No appointment
necessary, and you can
dodge crowds by paying
$7 extra for the reserve-
tasting terrace. Check
the website for discount
tasting coupons.
Meandering paths
wind through the
magical gardens and
fruit-bearing orchards
of Frog’s Leap (%707-
963-4704; http://www.frogsleap.
com; 8815 Conn Creek Rd;
tours & tastings $20, bottles
$18-42, hby appointment;
c#) – pick peaches in
July – surrounding an
1884 barn and farmstead
with cats and chickens.
But more than anything,
it’s the vibe that’s
wonderful: casual and
down-to-earth, with
a major emphasis onfun. Sauvignon blanc
is its best-known wine,
but the merlot merits
attention, and all are
organic. There’s also a
dry, restrained cabernet,
atypical in Napa.
Round Pond (%888-
302-2575; http://www.roundpond.
com; 875 Rutherford Rd;
tastings $25, bottles $24-
95; hby appointment)
tantalizes with fantastic
food pairings on a
vineyard-view stone
patio. We especially love
the olive-oil and wine-
vinegar tastings, which
are included with guided
tours of the olive mill
($30).The Drive » St Helena is
another 4 miles north on Hwy
29, though you may be slowing
to a crawl before hitting the first
stoplight in the center of town.5 St Helena
You’ll know you’re
arriving here when
traffic halts. St Helena
(ha-lee-na) is the
Rodeo Dr of Napa, with
fancy boutiques lining
Main St (Hwy 29). The
historic downtown is
good for a stroll, with
great window-shopping,
but parking is next to
impossible on summer
weekends.
Owned by Bill
Clinton’s former
ambassador to Austria,
Hall (%707-967-2626; http://www.
hallwines.com; 401 St Helena
Hwy; tastings $15-25, bottles
$22-80; h10am-5:30pm; #)
specializes in cabernetNAPA VALLEY WINERIES
Cab is king in Napa. No varietal captures imaginations
like the fruit of the cabernet sauvignon vine –
Bordeaux is the French equivalent – and no wine
fetches a higher price. Napa farmers can’t afford not
to grow cabernet. Other heat-loving varietals, such as
sangiovese and merlot, also thrive here.
Napa’s wines merit their reputation among the
world’s finest – complex, with luxurious finishes.
Napa wineries sell many ‘buy-and-hold’ wines,
versus Sonoma’s ‘drink-now’ wines.NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA5
(^) NAPA
VALLEY