Fall in Napa Valley

Jack London slept there. They have an annual mustard festival. Robin Williams and Ray Manzarek live there, as do some of America's best wines and wineries. Fall is a great time to visit Napa and Sonoma. The Wineline crew just got back.

Highlights include:

• The weather
• Etude Cabernet (yup, not just for Pinot anymore)
• Christophe Paubert, the new winemaker at Stags' Leap, and his fresh, zesty Viognier
• Trefethen Chardonnay (Burgundy style)
• Private dinner at Stags' Leap Manor house
• Midday sun
• The lovely Danielle Cyrot and her her lovely St. Clement wines
• The architectural madness and Merlot goodness that is Darioush
• A ramble in Yountville

Where to stay? I like Bardessono Hotel in Yountville and Carneros Inn on the Sonoma Highway. Auberge du Soleil, Kenwood Inn, Solage Calistoga, Hotel Healdsburg and the Napa River Inn are other popular favorites.

> ArtInfo.com article.

> A gaggle of photos here.