Springtime Secret

Visiting Napa Valley in springtime is like finding out that Napa has been keeping a secret. With California’s Mediterranean climate, the valley is greener in spring than in summer, and the grapevines during budbreak are at their sweetest and most charming, as pops of baby chartreuse leaves reveal the first signs that the valley is waking up.

This is the wine season’s prelude. As the year unfolds, there will be weddings and warm nights and the rush of harvest, but spring is a glorious time that should not be missed.

Regardless of the season, some things always say Napa: history, terroir, and family. Enjoy all three while taking in the peace, beauty, and freshness of spring in Napa, with tasting appointments that reveal different sides of the valley.

Larkmead Vineyards

Where Napa’s Past Lives in the Present

Starting at the top of the valley between St. Helena and Calistoga, Larkmead Vineyards represents Napa’s incredible history. It was founded in 1895 and has been stewarded by the Solari-Baker family since 1948. The estate has found its own voice beyond its storied past, yet it remains one of Napa’s foundational estates.

“Larkmead carries generations of history, yet it is very much alive and evolving.”
-Samantha Silva, Larkmead Estate Director

Larkmead’s is a classic luxury tasting, complete with vineyard guide, cellar visit, and a tasting with a view. A sweep of vineyards and quiet grandeur asks you to stop and take in the 115 contiguous acres of estate vineyards from which the blocks are farmed and vinified separately, then blended to honor the site’s complexity. And the sustainability story is real: the estate received CCOF organic status in 2023 and holds Napa Green Winery and Napa Green Land certifications.

The tasting experience often begins in The Gallery, where more than twenty original works by proprietor Kate Solari Baker showcase Napa Valley’s light and landscape. Her paintings don’t simply decorate the space; they orient you toward place and the details that make this valley feel alive.

Next, you step into the vineyard blocks that supply the estate’s wines, and the tasting becomes less about notes and more about connection. Seeing the rows up close—feeling the slope, the exposure, the subtle shifts from block to block—gives context to what’s in the glass.

“By walking through the vineyard blocks we harvest, and tasting wines in the place they are made,” Silva shared, “Guests begin to see the connection between the land, the seasons, and the care in every bottle.”

Baldacci Family Vineyards

Where Stags Leap AVA Remains an Ode to Cabernet

Traveling south, the road bends into the Stags Leap District, and Napa’s mood shifts—more sculpted and dramatic. At Baldacci Family Vineyards, the welcome is warm and contemporary. Baldacci’s Cave Tour & Estate Tasting was named No. 2 Best Winery Tour in the U.S. in USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards (2025)—and No. 1 in California.

“We want tastings here to feel comfortable, not scripted,” said second-generation winemaker Michael Baldacci. “You’re in our home—walking through the cave, tasting wine from the barrel, and seeing where the work actually happens—which changes how people understand what’s in the glass.”

The Stags Leap District AVA rose to international fame at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, a watershed moment for Napa Valley. With a terroir shaped by volcanic soils and cooling San Pablo Bay breezes, these refined Cabernets are known for dark cherry and black currant fruit, silky tannins, and a balance that favors precision over sheer force.

The family acquired their Stags Leap property in 1998, and today it includes an Estate House, a 19,210-square-foot wine cave, and 17 acres of organic vineyards planted primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon.

The signature experience begins with a sparkling hello—Baldacci’s Pops sparkling wine—before you settle into a conversational seated tasting with seasonal bites alongside the wines. If you choose the cave experience, you walk through the hush of the underground space, taste wine from the barrel, and return to the Estate House feeling like you’ve seen the estate and the wine from the inside out.

And for the traveler who likes the ultimate experience, the estate’s aged-wine programs add another layer—wines selected from a decade past, and a deeper library that can reach up to 25 years—because sometimes the most luxurious thing you can drink is time.

Mi Sueño Winery

The Dream That Became a Winery

For your final stop, you head near the town of Napa, where the story turns from land and legacy to something more intimate: a family’s dream made real.

Mi Sueño (“My Dream”) Winery was founded in 1997 by Rolando and Lorena Herrera and tells the story of Napa’s immigrant backbone. Rolando, born in Mexico, began as a dishwasher at Auberge du Soleil in 1982 and later rose through winemaking roles at Domaine Chandon and Beringer. His talents took his dream to new heights as Director of Winemaking at the world-renowned Paul Hobbs Winery, before he ventured out to found his own winery. Lorena, raised among the vines of Napa and Sonoma, brought deep viticultural roots to their endeavor.

“When people visit Mi Sueño, they’re tasting our life story—not just the wine.”
– Rolando Herrera, Owner and Winemaker

Hospitality here is personal and proudly family-run. The Herreras have six children, all integral to the business and mentored into the next generation. “For me, success is knowing our guests feel the story behind the wines. We’re a family winery, and when people visit, we want them to feel that closeness—to feel welcomed, seen, and part of something personal,” Rolando shared.

Mi Sueño’s story begins in Napa’s southernmost AVA, Los Carneros, where spring carries a cooler, bay-influenced edge—marine air that keeps Chardonnay crisp and measured. From that first bottling of Chardonnay that put them on the map to their current lineup of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Rolando and Lorena have built a winery known for quality and heart.

A tasting begins with an educational tour of the working winery, where the Herrera family shares their hands-on approach to winemaking and explains why each wine exists. Guests then transition to a seated tasting in the barrel room, sampling five curated wines paired with artisan chocolate truffles. The whole experience is relaxed and refreshingly unpretentious.

Rolando said, “I want guests to leave feeling inspired—like dreams really can grow over time.”

These three estates, forming a single arc from the north to the south of the valley, shine a light on some of Napa’s greatest offerings: Larkmead’s view of Napa’s history, Baldacci’s story of terroir and refinement, and Mi Sueño’s living, breathing proof that Napa’s future is still being written.