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George Medovoy, Editor (Above, the sweeping green lawn in front of the Harvest Inn's Manor House lodging. Could this be the English countryside in the Napa Valley?) Rick Swig is standing on a wide stone terrace on the edge of Whitehall Lane Winery's vineyards in St. Helena, the lovely little Napa Valley town of 5,000. My wife and I are visiting his Harvest Inn, where the line of demarcation between the inn and the vineyards is all but invisible. And beyond the vineyards, in one of nature's prettiest pictures, stand the Mayacamas Mountains, whose shadings can change with the hours of the day as moods reflect the ripples in your own soul.
(The view of the vineyards and the Mayacamas Mountains from the Harvest Inn) Swig's newest enterprise is located on eight acres of land a stone's throw from St. Helena's quintessential Main Street, where the antique lighting once illuminated the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. I take it all in and realize that the vineyards, the mountains, and flowering vines climbing over a stone wall at the inn reflect what Swig calls "perfection" to describe the reality of the Napa Valley. Thinking of the Immigrants For a moment, there on the Vineyard Terrace, I think of the immigrants, like those hardy Italians, who settled here and worked the old country into the land, tending the soil whose fruits have earned Napa Valley vintages world renown and respect.
(A comfortable bedroom in the new Fountain Neighborhood section of the inn) The
Swig family name was long associated with San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, and
Rick Swig rose to be the Vice President and Managing Director of the Fairmont
Hotel Management Company. For Swig, the Harvest Inn is something very dear to Swig's heart, having recently acquired the inn and renovated it with a $6-million expansion, including 20 additional guest rooms built around a community courtyard with a large fountain. The new guest rooms have fireplaces, entertainment centers, high-speed Internet access, standing glass showers, over-sized bathtubs, and private courtyards.
(The new Fountain Neighborhood addition at the Harvest Inn is part of a major renovation and expansion) In addition to the recent additions, there are 54 other guest rooms, including suites and cottages, with views of Whitehall Lane Winery's vineyard or the inn's lushly landscaped gardens. The other part of the Harvest Inn story centers around Chip Conley, San Francisco's iconoclastic hotelier, whose Joie de Vivre Hospitality -- which specializes in unique boutique hotels -- manages the Harvest Inn. For each of his hotels, Conley picks an average of five words to define its character, and then everything, including the staff, is selected for the unique hotel "personality." Conley selects the descriptive words from notable magazines, like Rolling Stone, for example.
(Just follow the brick pathway and imagine yourself in another world) In keeping with this novel approach, Swig named the Wine Spectator as the magazine model for the Harvest Inn and has come up, so far, with three descriptive words: relaxed, romance, retreat. I've
been trying to come up with two more of my own to make five.
(A water fountain crafted out of two old wine barrels is seen -- and heard -- along a pathway at the Harvest Inn) What a joy to wake up in the morning and, before a hearty buffet breakfast in the inn's Wine Country Kitchen, to meander down a pathway where everything opens up to reveal the broad, green Manor Lawn and the two-story Manor House, with its intricate period detailing. I had the same feeling in the main building at check in time, with its rich wood interior and the intricately carved lion's heads.
(Ah, what a special treat, an outdoor massage under a grove of redwoods and near the spreading vineyards) As you walk along the brick pathway, you must also be prepared for a small redwood grove planted on the edge of the vineyards, where you can indulge yourself in a spa treatment, followed up, perhaps, with a dip in one of the inn's two pools. And we loved the sweet oranges that were placed on a table at one of the pools. What a nice touch!
(Sweet oranges by the Jacuzzi -- what a lovely touch!) The next day we did what just about everyone who visits this charmed valley must do - we set out for a winery tour, in this case to the Frank Family Vineyards down the road in Calistoga. Where "Hollywood Meets Vine" The story here is also one of "perfection," but it comes with a funny little footnote: it is a winery where, as the saying goes in these parts, "Hollywood meets Vine." The winery's co-owner is Disney executive Frank Rich, who fell in love with the Napa Valley and wine making and partnered with long-time Napa wine producer Koerner Rombauer. Rich is enthusiastic about the winery, which was first constructed as the Larkmead Winery in 1884 - making it the third oldest winery in the Napa Valley. At the winery, we walked through the original old building, which had been part of Larkmead Winery. The historic structure had thick stone walls and high-stacked barrels, in addition to a vintage 1963 T-Bird and a 1932 Packard, both of which belong to Koerner Rombauer.
(The historic building at the Frank Family Vineyards winery) Most of the winery's wines are sold at the winery, though national distribution is growing. Of note: wine tasting here is still free. The winery makes five sparkling wines - Blanc de Blancs ($27.50), Blanc de Noirs ($27.25), Rouge ($27.75) and a vintage Reserve ($55). It also produces Chardonnay, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel. Back at the Harvest Inn later that day, I took another walk down the brick path to the plaza because I wanted to see the vineyards again, these precious rows of Napa "gold" lined up in neat rows below the Mayacamas Mountains. I wondered about a fifth word to describe the feel of this inn and came up with a word that captures it all, I think, in the most perfect way: magical. WHEN YOU GO… For more information or reservations about the Harvest Inn, call (800) 950-8466, or visit www.harvestinn.com. The inn is located at 1 Main Street in St. Helena. The Frank Family Vineyards winery is located at 1091 Larkmead Lane in Calistoga. The winery is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. No appointment is required for tasting, and there is no charge either for tasting or a tour. Tours
are available Tuesday - Thursday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
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