Napa Valley weekend: Wineries, eateries and shopping abound in Yountville
Sometimes the itinerary calls for bougee amusements — and we can’t think of a better Napa Valley locale for indulgence than Yountville.
A quaint stretch of wine country located mostly along a one-mile roadway, Yountville is home to some of the world’s most recognized restaurants, several of Napa Valley’s most distinguished tasting rooms and a couple of surprises that will quickly elevate your weekend away. Read on for an itinerary ripe with accessible luxury experiences in a town created with ease and comfort for locals and visitors alike.
Plastered with large, white block letters that announce “Market” across the top, the delicious yet unpretentious Ciccio has changed hands without losing favor. It’s still under its original ownership, but Meadowood chef Christopher Kostow has taken charge. In a town known for Michelin stars — Thomas Keller’s famous French Laundry has three — standing out is no easy task, but Ciccio does it with ease, offering a down-to-earth approach to fine dining in Yountville.
Don’t miss Ciccio’s popular gnudi ($28) — a puff of housemade, cream-filled pasta that is neither gnocchi nor ravioli and whose cacio e pepe treatment offers flavors of burnt peppercorn punctuated by Pennyroyal cheese. It’s just one of many clever options on the menu, which includes short lists of pasta, pizza and mains. If you order the Pork Chop Milanese ($42), perfectly crusted and cooked to perfection, accompany it with a side of wood-fired broccolini ($15). And the focaccia ($8) served with garlic butter is a must.
The dive bar next door, Pancha’s of Yountville, was recently sold and awaits reopening — still as a dive bar — but Ciccio sits on a stretch of road peppered by some of Yountville’s most impressive wine and food options. In the scant mile between The Restaurant at North Block (where you can also book a room) and Keller’s other pride and joy, Ad Hoc, it’s hard to go wrong. RH Yountville is hard to miss with its sparkling patio chandeliers. R+D Kitchen doubles as an outdoor bar and chic hot spot with a veggie club sandwich ($19) — cucumber, French feta, avocado and pickled onion — that will have even omnivores craving more.
Between meals, wine tasting is a popular adventure. Yountville lies in the heart of Napa Valley, after all, and its founder, George C. Yount, was the first person to plant grapes in the region in 1839. So our first stop is Cornerstone Cellars, where you can pair your wine tasting flight ($50) with a cheese or charcuterie board — and a bit of shopping.
Yountville requires that new tasting rooms devote space to non-wine uses in an effort to diversify its walkable downtown. So Cornerstone, for example, shares its building with Tina Stephens, a casual clothing shop. JCB Yountville next door offers a similar tasting room-meets-retail shop experience with branded JCB jewelry, luxury candles and more. Handwritten Wines pairs a stylish shopping space with its tasting lounge, where the Bread and Butter wine tasting experience ($100) includes four wines, white truffle potato chips, Bouchon Bakery baguettes, artisan butters, Coppa Salame and P’tit Basque cheese.
Priest Ranch, whose bacon and wine pairings ($85) have made it a local fave, has retail space in its tasting room and a restaurant next door. Head for the Kitchen at Priest Ranch, and you can pair your smashburger ($18) with a glass of Priest Ranch cab.
Meanwhile, Honor Market takes a different approach to the hybrid model. This gas station-meets-bottle shop sells a variety of local vinos plus coffee and hot dogs in an indoor-outdoor setting that is much too chic to be called a convenience store.
There are almost as many high-end hotels in Yountville as restaurants and tasting rooms — and again, you can hardly go wrong. But the Napa Valley Railway Inn stands out for one charming reason: Its rooms are housed in converted,100-year-old railway cars from the town’s original depot. The bright red exterior makes it hard to miss, even tucked, as they are, into a quiet corner of a parking lot.
Prefer a bird’s eye view of the valley? Consider a loftier vantage point by taking a hot air balloon ride ($280 and up) with Napa Valley Aloft, one of the original balloon companies to provide agricultural aerial tours here — and, weather permitting, those balloons launch from a lot at the neighboring V Marketplace, just steps from the inn.
We’ve concentrated on eating, drinking, shopping and soaring, but the town also has an immersive art scene. The annual Yountville Art, Sip and Stroll on May 18 combines all our favorite things — art, wine and delicious bites — in the heart of town. And the Yountville Art Walk proffers a stroll-worthy, year-round display of 38 outdoor sculptures by artists from around the world. (It’s also a good way to stretch your legs between tasting appointments.)
With most of the pieces placed along the main drag, it’s easy to do a self-guided tour of the art walk. Pick up a map at the Yountville Community Center or Welcome Center (at 6516 and 6484 Washington St., respectively), then keep your eyes open for the QR codes at each sculpture location to access more information. There’s a free audio tour option, and Yountville Arts provides docent-led tours ($25), as well.
And afterward, there will still be time for more sips and bites.
If You Go
Ciccio: Open from 5 to 9 p.m. daily at 6770 Washington St. in Yountville; www.ciccionapavalley.com.
RH Yountville Restaurant: Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends at 6725 Washington St.; www.rh.com.
R+D Kitchen: Open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Sunday at 6795 Washington St.; www.rd-kitchen.com.
Cornerstone Cellars: Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 6505 Washington St.; www.cornerstonecellars.com.
JCB Tasting Salon: Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 6505 Washington St.; www.jcbcollection.com.
Handwritten Wines: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 6494 Washington St.; https://handwrittenwines.com.
Priest Ranch Tasting Room: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 6490 Washington St.; www.priestranchwines.com.
Honor Market: Open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 6795 Washington St.
Napa Valley Railway Inn: Rooms start at $245 per night. 6523 Washington St.; www.napavalleyrailwayinn.com.
Napa Valley Aloft: Hot air balloon rides ($280 and up) are offered daily, weather permitting. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and until 3 p.m. weekends at 6525 Washington St.; www.nvaloft.com.
Yountville Art, Sip and Stroll: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 18. Admission to this art, wine and food fest is free. Tasting packages ($40) include a glass and four wine tasting tokens; www.artsipstroll.com.
Yountville Art Walk: Find details on these public art installations at the town’s welcome center, https://townofyountville.com and https://youraudiotour.com/tours/72/.