Pops’ California Wine Country Travel Guide, Yountville

Napa Valley has a lot of towns up and down the valley all with their own charm. Yountville is one of the towns and is located just a few miles north of Napa. The town's name is derived from the name of early pioneer George Calvert Yount. Yount was considered responsible for establishing the first vineyard in the Napa Valley.

Yountville is the home of the French Laundry, a gourmet restaurant owned by chef Thomas Keller, with a three star rating from the Michelin Guide, and a two-time winner of the title "best restaurant in the world" by "The Worlds 50 Best" restaurant rating organization. Keller also owns another restaurant in Yountville, Ad Hoc. Other restaurants which have won Michelin stars in Yountville are Bouchon, Richard Reddington's Redd and Étoile at Domaine Chandon. Two other Yountville restaurants have achieved Michelin's "Bib Gourmand" rating, Philippe Jeanty's Bistro Jeanty and Bottega. The chef at Bottega is Michael Chiarello, who said: "For those of us that have to commute or run to the airport and back, it’s nice to come to a community that has almost everything you need within 300 yards”. "To stroll downtown Yountville today is to thumb through the pages of a Zagat guide." Gourmet dining in Yountville dates to 1977, when Philippe Jeanty opened the restaurant at Domaine Chandon, owned by French champagne house Moet & Chandon. If you are planning on going to The French Laundry you need to make your reservation well in advance, maybe months in advance. As for price I talked to a friend of mine that ate there last week and he said it was about $300/person. The other restaurants listed are all very good and may not require reservations. Lunch is another option to dinner and may be easier to get in.

For places to stay all the hotels and bed & breakfast inns are within walking distance. You’ll have the choice of a bed & breakfast to a hotel and spa. Make your reservations early as they tend to fill up fast.

As with the hotels all being centrally located the same is true of the shopping. Within a few blocks you will find shops of every kind. The V Marketplace is an old brick multi-story building that houses many different shops. I collect art and have purchased many pieces at the North Bay Gallery in the V Marketplace. They also have a location in Sonoma. Some of the restaurants I mentioned are also located there.

Next I’ll talk about some of the other towns further north of Yountville.