NAPA VALLEY, CA—I’m back, as promised, to continue the last post from where I left off. Now where was I? Oh, yes! I had just stopped by Whitehall Lane Winery in St. Helena to report on their current tasting line-up. As you may recall, I described the day as dreary with a fall storm drifting across Napa Valley from the Pacific. The vines were sounding off in all directions with vivid colors of orange and pumpkin. Autumn had arrived.

Every November this expressive Japanese Maple tree welcomes visitors to the Heitz Cellar tasting room in St. Helena on Hwy 29. It’s gradual transformation from green to orange is magical. (I’m not 100% certain that it’s a Japanese Maple but I’d place a small bet that I’m right. If someone can confirm, please let me know. The photo below is a better representation.)

The Heitz Cellar tasting room is located just a few minutes north of Whitehall Lane Winery but on the east side of Hwy. 29. At a time when many of the familiar Northern California wineries have changed hands, Heitz remains independent and family owned. Together, Kathleen Heitz Meyers and her brother David Heitz continue to build on the winery’s distinguished reputation. Their specialty, of course, is vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon and I can attest (as I often drink their wines on special occasions) that they ROCK!

By the way, this year marks the winery’s fiftieth anniversary!

Current wines tasting this month include:

2008 Chardonnay OR 2010 Sauvignon Blanc (depending on availability)
2007 Zinfandel
Ink Grade Vineyard Port (a real treat!)
2006 Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet (Gotta try this one! Plus: they’re running a rare fall special. Regular price $60. As of this week: $48.00!)

(My notes got wet due to the rain and are slightly illegible. But I’m pretty sure that I got the above offerings right. However, just in case you go and find one or two of the wines are different than described above, please do forgive me.)

The tasting room is built of native stone and includes a tasting bar whose block of polished mahogany atop low concrete pillars recalls the plank-and-barrel days of early Napa Valley tasting rooms. During the fall and winter months, there’s usually a fire in the fireplace which is especially nice on a rainy day.

On a back patio, visitors can admire panoramic views of a twelve-acre vineyard—the first Cabernet planted by the Heitzes. Like all the Heitz estate vineyards, it is organically and sustainably farmed.

Just to the right of the column is…

…well, do you recognized these? That’s right. A small grove of fig trees just beside the tasting room. I’m sure many visitors focus so heavily on the grapevines that this miss these elegant fruit-ladened trees… Next up, I stopped by one of the area’s top hotels.

Just a very short drive further north is one of Napa Valley’s renowned hotels The Harvest Inn. It’s just south of the charming town of St. Helena. I stop by often as I like to keep readers visually updated on their gardens. It’s a AAA four diamond luxury retreat. As you can see from these photos the property is more like a country estate. Though I don’t have any recent images of their rooms, they are quite spacious. A friend of mine stayed here last year and when he invited me over to visit he said he “felt like royalty”.

Now, in case you haven’t already guessed, I took these few garden photos, showing all the greenery, last summer and never got around to posting them.

Just after I snapped this image my camera battery died. :(

I’ll photograph their guest rooms later this year and post the images. But needless to say, The Harvest Inn is absolutely stunning. I wouldn’t recommend it unless I would stay their myself. That’s my criteria.

Now, the 3 photos that follow were taken just last week…

Tasha, who works the front desk, is ever courteous and delightful. I peppered her with questions but she never lost her composure. I assumed that the hotel would be fully booked for the holidays but, to my surprise, she told me that they still have availability.

“December is so beautiful here at the hotel,” she said. “Christmas trees are almost in every corner.”

Tasha went on to say that The Harvest Inn is offering A Very Merry Holiday Wine Country Holiday Package that includes breakfast, a welcome basket, and winery tasting passes. It sounded good to me. December can be a great time to visit. The special is posted on their website.

These interior lobby and parlor shots show the attention to detail at the property.

Like anyone’s going to spend time playing chess while in Napa Valley ;-)

I made one more stop to get a quick snack before deciding to head back south.

The Model Bakery in St. Helena is a MUST if you’re passing through town. I simply can’t resist the fresh baked bread, pastries, and sandwiches. Their molasses cookies are favorites of mine.

In addition to their mouthwatering cakes…

It’s the best spot in town to pick up a fresh, quick lunch…

In the next post I’ll cover Mumm Napa, Rutherford Hill Winery, ZD Wines, and more…