BY
GEORGE FULLER
In California’s Napa Valley you can ask anyone you meet the simple question, “Where do you recommend we go for dinner?” and their typical answer will require you to take notes with a pad and pencil. It’s not that the locals are exceptionally verbose, but the litany of must-try restaurants in this valley north across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco is that long and that compelling.
In Yountville, for example, The French Laundry—often named by culinary magazines as the best restaurant in the United States—is just one of three you’ll be told you have to experience. Chef Thomas Keller’s second Yountville eatery, Bouchon, is a block away; and completing the small town triumvirate is the celebrated chef’s newest sensation, Ad Hoc, where Wednesday’s fried chicken (coated in a buttermilk/onion/garlic batter, fried in peanut oil, garnished with thyme and rosemary) has spawned a small legion of devotees.
Then there’s the original Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, where for lunch one day my wife and I found one of this world’s best blue cheese burgers. Ever. This trendy burger stand doesn’t skimp with the proportion of blue cheese on beef either, and the garlic fries were so heavily coated that they were bright green with fresh and tasty garlic. We could smell them being delivered from half a restaurant away. Saving the best for last, we ordered a double dark chocolate shake that was so dark and creamy that even a serious chocoholic like my wife could only say, “Ohhhhhh…that’s good.”
Save some room on your notepad though, because when you ask the question, “Which wineries shall we visit?” the list you will want to write down will be far longer. This is Napa, of course, and the entire valley—and neighboring Sonoma as well—is renowned for producing our nation’s finest wines.
On the other hand, if you make the same query of golf courses, you won’t need a pen at all. Just remember, Sonoma Golf Club is far and away the consensus best course in the region. Unfortunately it’s private, and there are few compelling nearby public choices. As one might expect, golf takes a back seat to vineyards in this wine-loving region, and rightfully so.
The good news is that access to Sonoma Golf Club is a perk guests staying at neighboring Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn have automatically. Or,you can book your travel with Kris Moe Golf Schools, whose unique combination of golf instruction and play with wine-tasting and even winemaking has been based at Sonoma Golf Club since 1995, and enjoy the best of both worlds.
With a tee time in place, one of the classic golf experiences in California awaits you. Set amidst giant oak trees and subtly rolling meadows, the course opened in 1928 to rave reviews, and over the years it has maintained its reputation among the finest courses anywhere. No less an authority than Sam Snead remarked once that it was his favorite course, a reaction most players have when they walk off 18. And not just amateurs, either. Today, Sonoma Golf Club is site of the Champions Tour’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship (Oct. 30-Nov. 2, 2008).
Of the daily fee courses that are in the vicinity, StoneTree Golf Club ($85-$120; 25 minutes from Napa) seems to be most popular. A design collaboration of Johnny Miller, Sandy Tatum, Jim Summers and Fred Bliss, StoneTree dishes up pleasing views and a strong round of golf. Although it tops out at just more than 6,700 yards, most players will have all they can handle from the 6,354-yard black tees.
There’s also something to be said for playing nine holes at the unassuming Vintner’s Golf Club ($25-$35) in Yountville, and being able to get back to the business of wine-tasting that much faster. To that end, follow the stream of cars flowing up and down Highway 29 through the towns of Napa, Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga, and like my wife and me, you’ll uncover a 25-mile stretch of blacktop lined with more wineries than you could possibly stop at during any one visit. Trust me, we tried.
The entry signs along the highway read like a roster of old friends—Mondavi, Domaine Chandon, St. Supery, Heitz—and many new friends waiting to be met. Side roads snake off to the left and right, leading to more wineries—Honig, Trefethen, Clos Pegasus, Duckhorn. And on the Silverado Trail, which parallels the highway, even more vineyards and wineries are to be found—Chimney Rock, Stag’s Leap, Clos du Val and many more.
One of the best we found during our expedition was St. Supéry Winery, along Highway 29, just north of Napa, where a fascinating tour educated us about the entire winemaking process, and a bustling tasting room provided us with many superb samples, including their excellent sauvignon blancs.
We also found that with so many wineries to visit, food to enjoy and golf balls waiting to be hit, the idea of a day trip to Napa and Sonoma is no longer feasible. And with the opening of Calistoga Ranch—now considered the most luxurious destination in the Valley—Carneros Inn and Solage, our choice for a recent visit, the accommodation options have been markedly improved in the past two years.
Located in the town of Calistoga, Solage is an eco-friendly, dog-loving, spa- and fitness-oriented retreat built in a series of individual luxury studios. And while the rooms are comfortable (with individual beds and bowls for our hounds), the main attractions are the spa and the delightful restaurant, Solbar.
The spa offers the opportunity to soak in Calistoga’s famed mineral waters or, as my wife and I did, indulge in a signature couples Mudslide. An hour-long variation on the area’s historic mud bath treatments, our Mudslide was prepared by a personal mud chef who mixed a potion of hot mud and healing oils for us, then closed us off in a heated room to smear the concoction over each other’s body. This was followed by a soak in a mineral bath and 20 minutes in a gravity free chair. I came out feeling smooth and relaxed all over…and more Northern California hip than even I would have thought possible.
Later that evening, we enjoyed a wine-and-dine experience at Solbar, highlighted by local small-production wines and locally-grown produce. Even now, miles and months away, the chilled corn soup with avocado slices and the peach cole slaw served with my short rib lasagna stand out. I wasn’t sure I would have dared pairing peaches with cole slaw, but the sweet and crunchy combination was outstanding. Adding a glass of crisp Honig sauvignon blanc to the course made this new culinary treat an even better discovery.
After a few days of wine tasting and mud baths, golf and relaxation, we started to feel like locals ourselves. So when a newcomer approached and asked our suggestions for a memorable meal, I knew exactly how to respond: "Well, do you feel like a chocolate milk shake or peach cole slaw? And do you have a pencil?”
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