Whats Haute: Napa Valley – Newton Wine Tasting Bar, The Ranch on Soda Rock, Étoile

WINERIES
Far Niente

The beauty of Napa Valley instantly envelops guests as they arrive at the estate of Far Niente. The winding path leading to the winery is carpeted in a variety of vibrant blooming flowers and acts as a yellow-brick road leading to the glittering land of Oz. More than 8,000 azalea blossoms (the largest planting in California) blanket the 13 acres of gardens in complementary shades of fuchsia and cotton candy. Other natural delights that adorn the property include 100 autumn gold ginkgo trees, and a canopy of dogwoods, redwoods, acacias, and century-old cork oaks. With a history that dates back to 1885, the estate, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was revived in 1979 after a 60-year slumber due to Prohibition. But a tradition steeped in such rich history doesn’t mean that owner Gil Nickel is stuck in the past. Far Niente received worldwide recognition in 2008 for their new technology, Floatovoltaic, which enables them to use solar panels floating on pontoons in their irrigation pond for a net-zero energy bill. Landscaping and technology aside, the estate-bottled chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon show that contrary to its name, which means “without a care,” Far Niente deeply cares about the quality and taste of its grapes.

1350 Acacia Drive
Oakville
707.944.2861

ART
Newton Wine Tasting Bar

[highlight_text] And for $20,000 you won’t find any wood glue here; the glass shelves are held in place by steel cables reclaimed from an architectural site. [/highlight_text]

The worlds of fashion and art have always melded together, blurring the lines between the au currant industries. With an innovative new piece, now the worlds of wine and art are doing the same. Napa Valley-based Newton Vineyard, established in 1977, has teamed up with U.K. designer Claire Danthois to create a luxury wine tasting bar. Re-inspired Elements: A Tasting Installation is a conversation piece in fine art and high-end furniture. The shape of the wine bar screams ultra-modern, while the composition of the materials is a tribute to Old World substance. The construction of the wine tasting bar is a recycled blend of a 300-year old oak from a wine merchant in Danthois’ hometown of Bristol and wine barrels used to age Newton’s red wines. And for $20,000 you won’t find any wood glue here; the glass shelves are held in place by steel cables reclaimed from an architectural site. Only five exist in the world, with only four available for sale. The fifth one will find a permanent home at the Newton estate in St. Helena.

Newton Vineyard
St. Helena
707.963.9000

RESORTS
The Ranch on Soda Rock

While not located in Napa Valley, this Sonoma-based property is still worth mentioning. Along with a three-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot country home, vacationing at this estate also comes with a customized set of services that go beyond basic restaurant reservations. The certified natural chef incorporates fresh fruits, edible flowers, herbs, artisan breads and cheeses in the meal plans, while the agricultural director employs biodynamic farming techniques that nature intended. Geese and sheep graze the cover crop and designated plants attract beneficial insects. An organic fruit, vegetable, and flower garden, saltwater pool, and outdoor kitchen enhance the property, which produces 60 cases of cabernet sauvignon each year, under the direction of award-winning winemaker George Vierra. Developer Cynthia Palmera ensured that the quintessential country home was designed with environmentally sustainable elements, providing a clean décor as a statement in modern luxury.

4803 East Soda Rock Lane
Healdsburg
707.327.7232

RESTAURANTS
Étoile

In a list of superlatives, Étoile, the restaurant at Domaine Chandon, claims some of the best of the best. An “Award of Distinction” in 2007 from Wine Enthusiast Magazine, an “Award of Excellence” for their wine list from Wine Spectator, and a Michelin Guide recommendation for the third year in a row, surely had the foodies descending in droves on Napa Valley’s only fine dining restaurant located within a winery. Its latest nod as one of the “Top Ten Romantic Restaurants in the USA” by Forbes Traveler enhances its reputation as much as the sparkling wines do the menu. The culinary team partners with the Chandon winemakers as seamlessly as their world-renowned bubbles do with their gastronomical delights. The regional California menu with a French flair tempts sophisticated palates and the lunchtime crowds fill the dinning room. The dinnertime ambiance reflects a romantic mood as the kitchen aromas from the seven-course tasting menu ($105) waft through the air.

1 California Drive
Yountville
707.944.8844

RESTAURANTS
French Laundry

At The French Laundry, time moves slowly to nurture ripening romance. The path into the two-story stone house passes through a pastoral garden of country roses and seasonal herbs. Inside, the 15-table restaurant presents a divine dining experience, a three- to four-hour affair that that must be properly planned two months in advance-reservations are taken a minimum of eight weeks in anticipation. Jacketed diners are served the finest French dishes that chef/owner Thomas Keller has to offer. Each day he creates two new nine-course tasting menus where no ingredient appears twice. Every element of his restaurant sings with emotion, from the lovingly blended signature coffee to the passionately presented extra, extra virgin olive oil. Nothing at this restaurant is anything less than storybook.

6640 Washington St.
Yountville
707.944.2380
WINERIES
Hall St. Helena Winery

It’s not news that Hall St. Helena produces good wine. With more than a century of history in Napa Valley, the wine portfolio of the estate includes sauvignon blanc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and a unique red blend. However, the latest venture for vineyard owners Craig and Kathryn Hall will be branching out from the grapevine and sowing some seeds in an architecture investment. And from the Hall’s perspective, if you are going to team up with someone on an architecture project, who better to do it with than the master, Frank Gehry? In a project slated for completion in 2011, the Halls, Gehry, and local architect Jon Lail are building a 10,000-square-foot winery composed of glass, stone, plaster and wood. The state-of-the-art facility will include an impressive visitors’ center that, in addition to serving as a celebration of fine wine, will also house the Hall’s extensive modern art collection. For those planning a trip to Napa before the grand opening, exclusive daily tours are available throughout the construction process, offering Frank Gehry fans a chance to witness his work in progress. Photographs, drawings and more than 30 design models will be on display as well as a tasting of current-release Hall wines.

401 St. Helena Highway S
St. Helena
707.967.2620

TRAVEL
BeautifulPlaces

It’s a beautiful world and one that should be experienced in the lap of luxury. BeautifulPlaces is a full service hospitality company dedicated to the luxury traveler. Recognized by Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, BeautifulPlaces’ dedicated epicurean concierge services plans a detailed agenda for a culinary adventure, blended with luxury accommodations befitting the sophisticated globe trekkers. While some may mock this prima donna mentality, the prima villa in the heart of Napa Valley is nothing to scoff at. Terra del Cuore is one of the wine country’s grandest estates, with a trio of Tuscan-style houses swathed in olive trees, oleander bushes, fruit trees, flower beds, and, of course, native crawling grapevines. This luxury Napa Valley property will serve as the home base for a customized itinerary that can include exclusive vineyard entry; one-on-one sessions with acclaimed private chefs; balloon and helicopter tours; private tutorials in wine pairing; lessons in making cheese, olive oil and chocolates; night sky viewing with an accredited astronomer; and expert assistance in building an individual wine collection. In-home spa treatments and certified nannies are also available.

800.495.9961

RESORTS
Bardessono

With such a luxurious “green” environment, Bardessono coins the phrase “eco-hedonism.”  The 62-room resort, located on six acres of the 80-year-old Bardessono estate, features 540-square-foot guest rooms that are outfitted with fireplaces, flatscreen TV’s with surround sound, and both indoor and outdoor showers. Personalized services crafted with the help of MTM Luxury Lodging include in-room spa treatments complete with spa butlers. In their hopes to obtain the ultimate prize of LEED-platinum certification, the holistic haven includes a “green” spa that is heated and cooled by an underground geothermal system, Coyuchi organic linens and terrycloth, dispensers for shower and bath products (in order to eliminate travel-size plastic containers), on-site electric vehicles, and an Earth Tub for composting kitchen waste. Edible flower expert and culinary gardener Noel Lopreore provides fresh, organic ingredients for the demonstration kitchen, where Executive Chef Sean O’Toole prepares delectable treats in the 92-seat restaurant.

6526 Yount Street
Yountville
707.204.6000

RESTAURANTS
Ubuntu

While traditionally Ubuntu means “humanity towards others,” when one steps inside the doors of this Napa Valley restaurant, he or she will soon learn that it also means a taste explosion in your mouth of the best that nature has to offer. Executive Chef Jeremy Fox (Food & Wine magazine “Best New Chef 2008” and San Francisco Chronicle “Rising Star,” in 2008) employs a farm-to-plate approach, changing the menu on a daily basis, depending on which local farmers show up at his door that morning with bounty in hand. Some of the standouts of Fox’s earth-conscious cuisine include Four Butter in a Cast Iron Pot, roasted, puréed and raw with vadouvan spice and brown butter toast; Andante Dairy’s ‘Minuet’ stuffed with black truffles; and Hickory-Smoked Anson Mills Grits with apple-barbeque brussels sprouts and shaved rutabaga. The 19th-century dining room is outfitted with tables crafted from windfall trees that were blown over in a 2002 storm in Occidental. Decorating the garden patio are recycled chairs from the 1940s. While the organic entrées and the green décor are impressive, perhaps it is the upstairs yoga studio, offering 53 different classes each week, that earned Ubuntu the New York Times award of “No. 2 Most Intriguing Restaurant in the U.S.”

1140 Main Street
Napa
707.251.5656
WINERIES
Cade Winery

It’s a venture that has had Napa Valley talking since development began in 2006. CADE Winery is slated to open in early March with the coveted LEED-certified status, and aspirations of achieving Gold level certification soon. Owned by PlumpJack Group (who also manages its sister property, PlumpJack Winery), CADE Winery is touted as a state-of-the-art “green” facility for its use of solar power, 30 percent fly ash concrete, 98 percent recycled material-steel, and Forest Stewardship Council-certified glass and wood. Under the direction of general manager John Conover, and with heavy-hitter investors like San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and composer Gordon Getty, the estate hovers over the wine country from its perch atop Howell Mountain, with a hillside swathed in Manzanita trees. In a command to take the road less traveled, CADE Winery invites guests up the hill for private tours and food and wine pairings of the estate’s three varietals, an Estate cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc as well as a cabernet sauvignon, under the direction of award-winning winemaker Tony Biagi. The recent appointment of Executive Chef Kent Nielsen ensures CADE’s emphasis on organic and sustainable cuisine. DJ Nielsen, the hospitality manager (and wife of Chef Nielsen) will lead guests on an enlightening trip though blending seminars, private cooking classes, and wine tutorials.

360 Howell Mountain Road S
Napa Valley
707.965.2746