25 Sep Where to Eat, Drink and Sleep in St. Helena, Napa Valley
A few trips to Napa in the past few months had me exploring St. Helena, in the heart of Napa Valley. I shared my thoughts on where to eat, drink and sleep in St. Helena in California Winery Advisor and am re-sharing it here.
In the center of Napa Valley is the town of St. Helena. Eighteen miles north of downtown Napa and ten miles south of Calistoga, St. Helena is known as Napa Valley’s Main Street. Packed with acclaimed wineries and home to more Michelin starred restaurants than anywhere else in Napa Valley, St. Helena embodies perfect wine country charm. Heading to Napa Valley for the weekend? Settle in and explore St. Helena.
St. Helena is home to numerous accommodations ranging in price. If you want to splurge, check out the new Las Alcobas Napa Valley, a 68-room resort offering rooms with private terraces and an on-site spa, or the luxurious Meadowood Resort. But, for a more affordable, yet unpretentious, luxurious option, select the Harvest Inn (1 Main Street, St Helena). Situated on eight acres, the Harvest Inn was first built in 1975. The property is home to 320 redwood trees and artwork is scattered throughout the property. You can enjoy a self-guided art walk through the peaceful property, swim in one of the two pool or workout in the small gym. Harvest Inn has 78 updated rooms, some of which have fireplaces and hot tubs. The Vineyard View rooms overlook Whitehall Lane’s Leonardini Vineyard and other rooms have views of the lush gardens. The restaurant at Harvest Inn serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and features menus that highlight locally sourced ingredients. Be sure to try the bacon at breakfast, a recipe created by Hector, the bellman at the Harvest Inn. The hotel hosts free wine tastings on Monday and Friday, is dog-friendly and offers complimentary car service to wineries within a three-mile radius. Add to that, Harvest Inn does not charge any resort fees. Harvest Inn really offers a great value for the price.
WHERE TO GO WINE TASTING IN ST. HELENA
St. Helena AVA encompasses 6,800 acres of vineyards and is located at the narrowest point between the Vaca and Mayacamas mountain ranges. A narrow corridor is formed where the cool evening bay fog travels up resulting in diurnal temperatures of hot days and cool nights. The micro-climate combined with the gravely volcanic loam soils results in high-quality red wine production and makes St. Helena one of the best winegrowing regions in Napa. With more than 170 wineries in St. Helena, here are nine that I recommend, both for the quality of wine as well as the experience.
Charles Krug Winery
Charles Krug Winery was the first winery in Napa Valley, established in 1861. It has been owned by the Mondavi family since 1943 and today is run by the third and fourth generations. The tasting room is inside the beautiful, high-ceiling Redwood Cellar, a lounge space with a long tasting bar, as well as communal tables and couches, and a view of the barrel room housing hundreds of wine barrels.
Enjoy a tasting of the wine in the Redwood Cellar ($45) or sign up for a tour and tasting ($75) where you can tour the property in addition to the tasting. If you get hungry, you can order a plate of Salumi di Casa, produced with Charles Krug wines and Journeyman Meat Co, from the Cucina Di Rosa Salumeria. Paying tribute to the family’s Italian heritage and their matriarch Rosa Mondavi, who loved cooking, Cucina Di Rosa also has an Outdoor Pizza Kitchen, open Thursday – Monday from May to October.
Ehlers Estate
Located in the northern pinch of the valley, on the west side of the river, Ehlers Estate is a 42-acre property that was purchased by Germans Bernard and Anna Ehler in 1885. Continuously producing wine since 1886, the Leducq family purchased the property in 1987. Having lost a child to cardiovascular disease, in 1996 the Leducqs started the Leducq Foundation, a Paris-based, cardio-vascular and neuro-vascular research center. One hundred percent of the winery’s profits go to the foundation which has received more than ½ billion dollars since its start.
Ehlers Estate produces 8000 cases from estate fruit, 75 percent of which is Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc. A visit to the 132-year-old stone barn at Ehlers Estate is by appointment only between 9:30 am and 3:30 pm daily. Each visit is a personalized, intimate experience for groups no larger than eight, with a dedicated wine ambassador who will pour four wines for $35.
Rombauer
Yes, the producer of the infamous big-buttery style of Chardonnay also produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. Rombauer has 500 acres planted and harvests 100 percent of the grapes by hand. While two-thirds of the production is Chardonnay, the small lots of red wines are worth a visit.
Tastings at Rombauer are by appointment only. The Classic Tasting offers five wines, a mix of the best-known wines (Chardonnay) as well as limited-production and single-vineyard bottlings for $25. For $100, you will enjoy a flight of reserve wines after touring the property, including a tasting in the underground caves which are 1,900 linear feet.
Joseph Phelps
Family-owned and operated Joseph Phelps Vineyards was founded in 1973 by construction executive and entrepreneur Joseph Phelps who built the winery into the critically-acclaimed winery known internationally. Today, Joe’s son Bill Phelps, as well third generation family members Will Phelps and Elizabeth Neuman run the winery. In addition to delicious wines, a visit to Joseph Phelps Vineyards is an experience.
A personalized, seated tasting on the terrace with a Wine Educator guide ($75) is enjoyable but what is really fun is to play winemaker for the day and to do an Insignia Blending ($100). You will begin with six Insignia components and then make your own blend, which you can compare with the current Insignia vintage. Other experiences include a Single Vineyard tasting ($100) where you can discover the intersection of soil, microclimate, exposure and varietal selection or Barrel Ageing Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($100) tasting where you study the role of oak barrels.
They also offer a Wine Aroma Challenge ($100) and an Insignia Retrospective Tasting ($250). Or enhance your wine experience with a food pairing. Joseph Phelps Vineyards added a commercial kitchen in 2014 during a remodel and offers a Wine & Cheese Pairing ($125), a full multi-course lunch with the Bountiful Table ($275) or a unique interactive food and wine pairing experience with “Playful Plates” ($195) where Winery Executive Chef Brian Sutton creates seasonally inspired plates to contrast and complement the wines.
Crocker and Starr
Crocker & Starr was born in 1997. The estate is 100 acres organically farmed with 85 acres planted to red and white Bordeaux varieties. Owner and winemaker Pam Starr is one of the most passionate Cabernet Sauvignon wine producers you will ever meet. She believes that “the magic of all wines comes in the mystery of a great Cabernet.”
Crocker & Starr offers three experiences. The Farmhouse Porch Experience ($35) is an intimate tasting and conversation on the porch of their 1918 restored farmhouse adjacent to the Crocker Starr vineyards. The personalized Vineyard Experience ($45) starts with a sip of Sauvignon Blanc on the porch of the farmhouse, followed by a stroll into the vineyard for the rare opportunity to see and touch the organically grown vines and grapes. The tasting then takes place in the Garden Arbor or Stone House. Crocker & Starr also offers an Al Fresco Experience in which the wines are paired with artisan cheese and charcuterie.
AXR Napa Valley
AxR is a new winery named after the AxR rootstock. This rootstock was resistant to Phylloxera for 35-40 years and it was the prominent rootstock used in building the modern California wine industry.
While AxR is new, the property has quite a history. The property was first opened by August and Frederika Hirsch in 1883 who sold it to a financier in 1896 who went bankrupt in 1904. It was then owned by the St. Helena bank until a French couple bought it in 1906 for a saloon and also built small cottages on the property in 1910. During Prohibition this was a resort/speakeasy and by 1922 it was one of the most expensive brothels in Napa. Post-prohibition, in 1933, it became a resort again. Then in 2001, the property became V Madrone Winery, with their first vintage in 2005 and a tasting room that opened in 2008.
In 2017, AxR founders Kelly Trevethan, Mark Schratz and Don Van Laeken, as well as consulting winemaker Jean Hoefliger took over. The property was remodeled and re-opened in February 2018. The new space is modern and comfortable with warm grey colors and is like being at a friend’s house. You will be met at your car with a glass of wine and then enjoy a walking tour as you learn about the history of the property tasting wines along the way. By appointment only, tastings are private, lasting 90 minutes, and include tastings of both V Madrone and AxR wines ($50).
Long Meadow Ranch
Long Meadow Ranch, owned by Ted Laddie and Chris Hall, is an organic, sustainable, integrated farming system that includes vineyards, olive groves, and Highland Cattle. With three estates, Long Meadow Ranch has more than 150 planted acres, all farmed using organic practices. In St. Helena, Long Meadow Ranch’s Farmstead is a place for community and a place where you can have coffee, lunch and dinner, where you can taste wines, olive oils and whiskeys or you can shop.
