In 1978, Chef Sally Schmidt and husband Don purchased a building in Yountville, which is in northern California’s Napa County (yes, Napa is a county). While the building had quite a history up until that point – it was a saloon in the late 1800s and most recently served as a laundry house that specialized in a French-style of laundering clothes – its future would help not only help put the entirety of Napa on the map but changed the course of the culinary world.
Sally, a visionary when it came to both sourcing ingredients and cooking based on the seasonality of one’s harvest, re-imagined the space as a restaurant soon after purchasing the building, naming it The French Laundry as homage to its past. Her ability to take locally grown items and make them shine earned both her and the eatery worldwide acclaim. In fact, she was among the first to create a concept that focused on what it today called California cuisine. After 17 years at the helm of the eatery, Chef Thomas Keller took over the space. By this time, the area’s wine industry was growing exponentially, leading to a period of responsible but rapid growth in the area as well as throngs of visitors from near and far.
In years since Keller began his journey at The French Laundry, it has become one of the most recognized fine dining restaurants in the world.
And the area around it? The Town of Yountville is an outdoor oasis and the epicurean epicenter of Napa’s wine country. Here are 10 of the ultimate experiences – culinary and otherwise – available in the region today, in addition to getting a coveted reservation at the Three Michelin Star restaurant.
Dine Around Downtown
The French Laundry is in good company, as there are six other Michelin-recommended eateries and another dozen similarly award-winning hotspots walking distance from the restaurant, each similarly setting the culinary world ablaze with innovation, sustainability, precision, and flavor to spare. No trip to Yountville, then, is complete with making reservations at several of the downtown area’s most impressive restaurants in RH Yountville, Bottega Napa Valley, The Restaurant at North Block, Ad Hoc, Bouchon Bistro, Ciccio, Lucy Restaurant & Bar, and Bistro Jeanty. Here is a taste of what to expect at each:
RH Yountville: think larger-than-life chandeliers glowing in every direction, a hauntingly sexy wine vault room, and inside-outside aesthetic that must be seen to be believed. Menu highlights include mini lobster rolls with caviar, crispy artichokes with potatoes, and shaved prime rib atop a garlic baguette.
Bottega Napa Valley: the house that celebrity chef Michael Chiarello built, expect Italian delicacies with California sensibilities. Must orders include creamy ancient grain polenta with fontina cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano and ricotta “pillows” with tomato sauce and Pecorino Romano.
The Restaurant at North Block: think coastal cuisine cooked over life fire at this downtown gem, with both a chef’s season tasting menu and a la carte offerings such as maple leaf duck breast with confit potatoes and San Francisco halibut in laksa broth.
Ad Hoc: a Thomas Keller restaurant with killer cocktails and a family-style menu that boasts sneaky good fried chicken.
Bouchon Bistro: yep, Keller again. Here, it is all about seasonal French fare and the buzzy raw bar.
Ciccio: California cuisine at its best and housed in a historic space that was Italian grocer more than 100 years ago, the wood-burning pizza, and vegetable dishes here always impress.
Lucy Restaurant & Bar: wholly inspired by the on-site culinary garden, delight in dishes incorporating the day’s harvest as mains, sides, and even through garnishes that change regularly.
Bistro Jeanty: famously founded by Michelin Star and James Beard Award winner Philippe Jeanty and lovingly led by his daughter Camille today, Bistro Jeanty is a celebration of the chef’s native France in an authentic, unassuming way.
Savor Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams at RO Restaurant & Lounge
Has there ever been a duo more associated with opulence and wealth than Champagne and caviar? In Yountville, everyone can experience them together thanks to RO Restaurant & Lounge, which was co-founded by Keller and initially just a pop-up concept. Its overwhelming popularity led to the opening of a permanent space in Downtown Yountville in 2021.
When visiting, there is a regular menu with several drinks and a slew of Asian-inspired delights. However, given the “RO” in the name stands for Regiis Ova – a company founded by Michelin-Starred chef Keller and Shaoching Bishop that sources caviar from a select number of sustainable sturgeon farms around the world – do not miss The Tasting of Regiis Ova Experience coupled with a flight of Champagne. During this exclusive seated experience, indulge in Golden Ossetra, Ossetra, Hybrid, Supreme, Siberian, and Royal Caviar in the same sitting along with classic garnishes and hand-made potato blinis. The tasting is enhanced with two-ounce pours of three ultra-premium Champagnes. While the menu is always changing expect sips from the likes of Dom Pérignon, Modicum, and Laurent Perrier, among others.
Sleep in Style
There are sweet suites tucked into charming boutique hotels and resorts across Yountville, and then there is The Villa at the Estate at Yountville. This 6,600-sq.-ft. secluded and hidden palace nestled right into Downtown Yountville boasts five bedrooms – two of which are primary suites and all of which have en suite bathrooms – a chef’s kitchen, vintage turntable with records, daily turn-down service, private pool and hot tub, game room, and more. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer epic views and ample natural light from one side of the villa, while the other is dark and romantic with seductive exposed brick, rich woods, and modern accents straight out of Architectural Digest.
Guests of the villa have access to the entirety of the resort property and its amenities in addition to the private space, which includes complimentary electric bikes, car services, live music each morning, a well-appointed fitness center, bocce ball, tennis, complimentary daily breakfast, a full-service spa that is themed for Veuve Clicquot Champagne in style and color where every treatment may be accompanied by a bottle of the French Champagne for an enhanced fee.
Pair Pizza and Wine at Silver Trident
Bob Binder does things big. The showman – known for founding Oceana Cruises – and his partner Walter Jost founded Silver Trident in 2009 with the goal of creating utterly exceptional single-varietal wines that quite simply just make people happy. A visit to their Yountville tasting home is a full sensory experience. Truly wanting it to feel like home, the duo partnered with Ralph Lauren Furnishings to create a floor-to-ceiling look throughout the space that evokes a cozy-yet-luxurious aesthetic with a different vibe in every room.
Beyond the furnishings, they also wanted to make the tasting experience feel like something one might do with friends in their own homes, so for many years they offered a whimsically arranged potato chip extravaganza, pairing salty, sweet, and spicy potato chips with five of their most popular varietals. And while the tasting is still available and ultra-popular, in 2024 Silver Trident took things to a whole new level by introducing a pizza pairing. During this experience, enjoy five of the brand’s hand-selected, small production wines, each paired with a mini pizza – or pizzetta – on a Detroit-style crust topped with items like short rib, duck confit, and local king trumpet mushrooms.
Balloon and Bike
Napa Valley Bike Tours sets itself apart from other operators in the area thanks in equal parts to its guides – true locals with all the fun “behind-the-scenes” stories, many of whom have been guiding for 10 to 20 seasons – and its packages, the most impressive of which is a combination hot air balloon adventure and e-bike tour to multiple wineries.
The package is offered in partnership with Napa Valley Balloons and starts with an early-morning takeoff, soaring high above Yountville with views of the entirety of Napa Valley as well as the Mayacamas, Howell, Diamond, and Atlas Peak Mountains. The air time is about an hour, not counting fabulous transportation, and is followed by either a half- or full-day guided electric “pedal assist” bike tour along mostly flat or gently rolling hills. Depending on the length of the tour, the ride includes stops at wineries along the way for tasting experiences as well as a gourmet picnic lunch from the iconic Bouchon Bakery.
Go Mad at Fritz Taproom
There is a popular saying by locals in wine country that “it takes a lot of great beer to make great wine,” referring to all the cans, bottles, drafts, and kegs enjoyed as winemakers and their teams work the harvest, especially during the hotter months.
In Yountville, everyone can enjoy great beer sans working harvest thanks to the by-appointment-only Mad Fritz Taproom. Newly opened in 2024, Mad Fritz uses what they call a winemaker’s lens to create beers unique to Napa and really Yountville itself.
The best part? They also apply the ideals behind wine tasting to their own tour and sampling experience during the Mad Fritz Brewery Origin Beer Experience. The interactive and sip-filled adventure takes guests on a metaphorical journey, exploring the history of the brewing process while literally exploring the malt-house and sampling eight to 12 beers. The samples are even served in wine glasses.
Explore Baldacci Cave
A family winery in every sense of the word, Baldacci was founded in 1998 by Thomas and Brenda Baldacci and more than 25 years later, their son is leading the ultra-sustainable operation as winemaker. The entirety of the property is astounding, but smart oenophiles will book the cave tour and tasting, which explores some of the most epic portions of the vineyard’s 19,000-sq.-ft. cave carved into the hillside.
During the private tour, there are splashes of various varietals, but the real fun comes when guests are invited to sample direct from the cave barrels. After a behind-the-scenes tour of the production facility, which is not open to the public, guests are then welcomed into the exceptionally appointed estate house for a seated tasting of estate-grown wines, each paired with seasonal bites.
Experience Hestan Estate
In 1996, Stanley and Helen Cheng – founders of Hestan Culinary and kitchen pioneers heavily credited for helping lead the charge to non-stick cookware – established Hestan Vineyards (pictured at top of page) to create wines with elegant structure and velvety tannins that linger on the palate in the most pleasing of ways. Fun fact: the name “Hestan” is a blend of their two names.
With the winery’s success came the opening of its Hestan Salon in Downtown Yountville in 2013. An architectural masterpiece, the space is encased in steel and glass and boasts its cookware right along with its line-up of wines.
Certainly, a visit to the Salon is special, but for those looking for something a little different, after a tasting in the Salon, book a visit to the Hestan Estate. Just a short drive from downtown Yountville, the 237-acre private Estate has only become accessible by reservation since 2023 and is a means to explore Hestan’s premier collection and most sought-after vintages. Here, guests will taste bottles that are not available to the public with the property’s sommelier as their private guide and host and gain entry to some of the most mind-bogglingly beautiful parts of the extravagant outdoor oasis.
Get Your “Fixe” at Chandon
In 2023, Chandon debuted a sweeping renovation in line with its 50th anniversary in the region. The project took three long years, but the result is worth it. Today, the property – called Chandon House – is a love letter to the wilderness surrounding Yountville that flows seamlessly from indoors out with what feels like private spaces for the ultimate in intimate wine country living in every direction.
The grandest of the lengthy list of experiences that debuted as part of the renovation is the five-course culinary journey, a two-hour epicurean adventure with wild, whimsical, and locally sourced delicacies that challenge the palate and titillate the imagination. Each course is paired with a generous sample of the brand’s award-winning wines, with a focus on all things sparkling and red. No expense has been spared on a single element of the tasting, from the tablescape and flatware to the wine glasses and garnish. It is a true showcase of the best Yountville has to offer, one bite at a time.
“Eat Dirt” at Priest Ranch
Priest Ranch, already famed for its savory bacon and pork belly pairing, launched a new experience in 2024 called Taste the Terroir, which they have already nicknamed “Eat Dirt.”
During the reservation, the host presents each guest with a plate of dark clumps. Those clumps, which truly look like different soil variations found across Napa, are hand-crafted chocolates designed in collaboration with Chris Kollar, a local Food Network CHOPPED Champion who was named among Dessert Professional Magazine’s “Top 10 Chocolatiers of North America.” Kollar leads Yountville’s aptly named Kollar Chocolates, known for using European techniques to craft both Old World-style and modern chocolates alike. He worked hand in hand with Priest Ranch’s winemaker Cody Hurd to develop distinctive flavor profiles for each piece of “dirt” that would specifically pair with Hurd’s most distinctive varietals.
For more information, visit www.yountville.com.