Planning a spring getaway to Napa? Here are some new (or recently renovated) places to check out.
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone opened Gatehouse Restaurant at its historic St. Helena property in January. Orchestrated by CIA faculty-led students, Gatehouse Restaurant is the capstone experience for CIA students. It's open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. (Photo courtesy of Gatehouse)
Ottimo, the Italian market by chef Michael Chiarello, opened in January in V Marketplace, Yountville. The marketplace includes brick oven pizza, hand-pulled mozzarella, an espresso and dolci café, craft beer and wine, and a tasting bar. (Photo courtesy of Ottimo Napa Valley/Adrian Gregorutti)
Acacia House at the new Las Alcobas in St. Helena is scheduled to open this spring. The restaurant was created by chef Chris Cosentino with business partner Oliver Wharton of San Francisco’s Cockscomb restaurant. The menu at Acacia House will feature a selection of small and larger plates. Cosentino and Wharton will oversee the food and beverage components at Las Alcobas including an on-site artisan bread program with a focus on sprouted grains. (Photo courtesy of Las Alcobas)
The Charter Oak, an “elemental restaurant” by chefs Christopher Kostow and Nathaniel Dorn of the Michelin-three starred Restaurant at Meadowood, will open in St. Helena in spring 2017. The menu, with Chef Katianna Hong at the helm, will reflect the products of the Napa Valley and surrounding San Francisco Bay Area with an elemental cooking style highlighting one or two ingredients at a time.
Charlie Palmer Steak by chef Charlie Palmer, also owner of Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer and Harvest Table in St. Helena, is slated to open at the new downtown Archer Hotel Napa this year. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Palmer Steak)
Gabrielle Collection taste + opened in March in downtown Napa. It offers bites paired with Gabrielle Collection, Pietro Family Cellars and O’Connell Family Vineyard wines. (Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Collection)
Outland opened in March. This collective tasting room represents Farella Vineyards, Forlorn Hope and POE Wine, which is only offered for tasted there. They offer flights, by the glass, as well as by-the-bottle selections. (Photo courtesy of Outland)
Tannery Bend Beerworks, Napa’s newest homegrown brewery, opened its taproom and brewing space south of downtown in March. Tannery Bend Beerworks is brewing beers made with unique, locally sourced ingredients. The taproom offers an ever-changing menu of lighter fare such as grilled cheese, grilled blue crab, popcorn and more created by chef Tyler Rodde. (Photo courtesy of Tannery Bend Beerworks)
RiverHouse by Bespoke Collection in downtown Napa launched portfolio tasting with Bespoke Bento Box in February. The tasting is paired with a bento box from Morimoto and includes the chef’s selections of sushi, tempura and teriyaki beef, adjustable for dietary needs. (Photo by The Napa Wine Project)
B Cellars in Oakville plans to launch its exclusive heritage experience in May. The private tasting experience includes a tour of the caves, followed by a tasting in the Beckstoffer Heritage Room of wine made from Beckstoffer Heritage Vineyard sites paired with small plates. B Cellars is the only winery in the Napa Valley that produces a wine from each one of the six Beckstoffer Heritage vineyards and the only winery that is allowed by Andy Beckstoffer to also produce a wine blended from several Beckstoffer Heritage vineyards. (Photo courtesy of B Cellars)
Odette Estate Winery, located in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, has achieved official status as a certified Gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) project by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Odette’s sister property, CADE Estate Winery, was the first winery in the Napa Valley to become LEED Gold certified for the entire property, including the hospitality building, caves, and production facility. (Photo courtesy of Odette Estate)
Trefethen plans to reopen its iconic winery in Napa on May 6, after repairs of damage from the August 2014 Napa earthquake. As one of Napa Valley’s only surviving wooden wineries from the 19th century, Trefethen’ was designed by the leading California winery architect of the 1800s, Hamden McIntyre, it was awarded a listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. (Photo courtesy of Trefethen Winery)
Stone Brewing is set to open in the historic Borreo building in downtown Napa this summer. It plans to offer 24 beers on tap, indoor and outdoor dining, and a 10-barrel brewhouse with recipes unique to the Napa Valley. (Architectural rendering of the historic Borreo Building in downtown Napa to be occupied by Stone Brewing, Napa Design Partners)
Gordon Huether Studio installed two sculptures at the new Culinary Institute of America at Copia on First Street in downtown Napa in February: “Fork” and “Is That Bob And Margrit?” A Gordon Huether Sculpture Garden, a curated selection of the artist’s work, will be featured throughout the 2017 BottleRock Napa Valley festival grounds. “Up We Go!,” another new sculpture, may be viewed in front of the Yountville Community Center, located at 6516 Washington St. (“Is That Bob And Margrit?” by Gordon Huether)
Active Wine Adventures launched an innovative new tour service in Napa Valley last summer, pairing wine and food with scenic hikes and inspiring art. The company offers private, guided tours: hike and wine, art and wine, Literary Legend and custom wine tours by SUV. In April 2017, they started a new Hike & Beer Tour featuring scenic hikes, lunch and local microbreweries. (Photo courtesy of Active Wine Adventures)
The CIA at Copia in downtown Napa will launch their new Tasting Showcase in May 2017 in the building’s atrium. Guests may taste wines directly from the producer (up to seven at a time), while learning about the California wine industry in the new Wine Hall of Fame exhibit, also launching this spring. (Photo by Victor M Samuel)
The Meadowood Spa in St. Helena has won the hospitality industry’s highest honor of five stars from the Forbes Travel Guide, just 15 months after opening its doors in November 2015. The Meadowood Spa, which is the first five-star spa in Napa Valley, is designed to be an elevated spa experience for estate guests and members. The spa offers eight treatment suites, each with its own private bathroom, steam shower and built-in seating lounge area. (Photo courtesy of The Meadowood Spa)
Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer in St. Helena is undergoing a major enhancement of its grounds and landscape. A new sculpture garden debuts this month and includes 11 new pieces, curated by ÆRENA Galleries & Gardens. (Photo courtesy of Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer)
UpValley Inn & Hot Springs, formerly the Comfort Inn Calistoga, is undergoing a renovation that is expected to be completed in May. All 55 guestrooms will feature new furnishings and bathrooms with a rustic-meets-modern style. The Inn also features geothermal hot springs mineral pool, whirlpool and steam room. (Photo courtesy of UpValley Inn & Hot Springs)
River Terrace Inn in downtown Napa is refreshing its arrival experience by enhancing the porte-cochère and lobby, in addition to a redesign of the bar and lounge. This portion of the expansion is set to be completed in May. The inn also is adding eight suites, an enhanced river front experience with a newly landscaped river walk and an additional 1,500 square feet of event space. It is scheduled to be completed in November. (Photo courtesy of River Terrace Inn)
Wine Country Inn in St. Helena completed an extensive renovation of its Winery House building in March. It includes guest reception and 14 rooms in the main Winery House. The inn has 29 now has guest rooms, 80 percent with vineyard views, and landscaped gardens. The property includes a large heated outdoor pool and hot tub as well as massage therapy treatments. Rates include a “Napa-style” breakfast buffet, a split of Duckhorn wine, and water and soda upon arrival. (Photo courtesy of the Wine Country Inn)
Rancho Caymus Inn, an historic boutique hotel in Rutherford, is being brought back to life by the developer of Hotel Yountville. It was originated by the late vintner, designer, pilot and Renaissance woman, Mary Tilden Morton (from Berkeley California’s Tilden Park & Morton Salt families). The renovation has restored the hotel’s natural beauty and features 25 large suite-style rooms with heritage wood ceilings, fireplaces, living areas and private patios. (Photo courtesy of Rancho Caymus Inn)
The Ink House is set to open its renovated historic lodging in June. The original home of California pioneer, Theron H. Ink, the inn combines Italian elegance, wine country style and gracious hospitality. The 130-year-old residence has been completely restored over the past two years, under design by Napa Valley architectural firm Backen, Gillam & Kroeger. (The Ink House room sketch by Sarahliz Lawson Design)
Vintage Estate, comprised of the Vintage Inn and Villagio Inn & Spa in Yountville, is undergoing a complete renovation. Both hotels and spa have teamed up with SB Architects and interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates. Renovations are expected to be complete at Vintage this spring and at Villagio in early 2018. (Photo courtesy of Villagio Inn and Spa)
Auberge du Soleil plans to unveil eight new guest rooms and suites in May. The work is designed by San Francisco interior designer Suzanne Tucker. (Photo courtesy of Auberge du Soleil)
SENZA Hotel, in partnership with More Associates and Construction, plans to complete a significant renovation to its eight-room Parker Mansion this spring. The historic mansion dates to 1870 and houses SENZA’s Parker Classic and Parker Plus rooms. The revamped interior design, undertaken by Leslie Wilks Design, will offer guests new modern bathrooms, oversized showers and a custom amenity line from Marin-based Prima Fleur Botanicals. (Parker Mansion, photo courtesy of SENZA Hotel)
Las Alcobas opened in St. Helena in March as a sister property to Las Alcobas in Mexico City. Las Alcobas features 68 guest rooms and suites with terraces and outdoor fireplaces; Acacia House, a signature Chris Cosentino restaurant; Atrio, a 3,500 square foot spa; an outdoor swimming pool, meeting and event facilities; and all of the brand’s signature amenities and services. (Photo courtesy of Las Alcobas)
Archer Hotel Napa, a new hotel in the heart of downtown Napa, is set to open this year. Spanning five stories, the hotel will have 143 rooms and 40 balcony-clad suites with sweeping 360-degree view of Napa Valley from its expansive rooftop. Charlie Palmer Steak will be the hotel’s signature restaurant and also provide the culinary direction for the 17,000–plus square feet of indoor and outdoor event space. (Architectural rendering of Archer Hotel Napa)
Planning a spring getaway to Napa? Napa’s official tourism marketing organization, Visit Napa Valley, has released its spring list of new restaurants, wineries, hotels and attractions to check out. Click through the gallery above for all the details.
This article was originally published in the North Bay Business Journal.
