The Vineyard Victor

Though Las Alcobas Napa Valley’s first opening was a highly anticipated affair, it was the St. Helena hotel’s second opening—just seven months later— that secured its true wine-country status. The 68-room property from Mexican hotelier Samuel Leizorek debuted last spring, claiming what is possibly the last secluded sliver of real estate in one of Napa’s most coveted enclaves—just steps from the revered Beringer Estate and surrounded by some of Napa’s most storied vines. By October, however, Leizorek was forced to shutter his new hotel as one of the most devastating wildfires in California history blazed through the region. But rather than close entirely, Las Alcobas opened its doors to firefighters and evacuees, providing them with meals and a place to sleep. When the property reopened to guests on October 25, it was as a member of the tight-knit local community—and a new favorite for Napa fans.

Welcoming those devotees are sleek interiors by Yabu Pushelberg that enhance the closeenough-to-touch vineyard views. A circa-1905 Georgian-style mansion houses the hotel’s finedining restaurant, adding a dash of antiquity to

Chris Cosentino’s modern California cuisine. And though Las Alcobas’s four acres—which include a 3,500-square-foot spa and a saltwater swimming pool—give visitors enough reason to stay pleasantly put, we love it most for the relaxed, residential, and not-at-all-resort-like style that implores guests to go forth and explore the sights, sounds, and sips that make Napa so worthy of devotion.

—J.C.