Our favorite place in the world is wine country. Sadly, the Napa Valley has become unbelievably commercialized in the past 10 years. We can even see a HUGE difference in the number of visitors in the last 8 years since we moved to the Bay Area, resulting in traffic jams, crowded tasting rooms, sold out Inns and hotels, and an overall frustrating experience. After “discovering” the relatively unknown joys of Sonoma Valley (especially the Dry Creek and Russian River areas), we rarely returned to its more famous, congested, and often-times maddening neighbor, Napa.
We are happy to report that we have found a small, somewhat concealed haven where you can enjoy the very best of Napa Valley without the aggravation. The area is called Spring Mountain and is located approximately 15 minutes from downtown St. Helena. Getting to and through St. Helena during high season can be challenging, but once you turn off of the main street and make your way up the mountain, you will be exposed to one of the most breathtaking areas in all of Northern California. The “typical” commercialization of Napa is nonexistent, and the enormous, perfectly manicured wineries that you would expect to find turn out to be small, sometimes disheveled, family-run operations. And then you start meeting some of the locals…they don’t seem to have a care in the world, and are perfectly content in their “close isolation” to one of the most popular and busiest towns in all of Napa Valley. And therein lies the beauty of Spring Mountain.
Here are a few suggestions on where to visit in and around Spring Mountain:
- Favorite B&B: Mill Vigne
- St. Helena Restaurants: Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Terra Restaurant
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