Yountville known for fine wine, world-class cuisine, design

Cruise down Highway 29, the St. Helena Highway, and you’ll breeze through Yountville, a Napa County city famous for, among other things, high-end eateries and Michelin-starred restaurants.

In fact, with more than one Michelin star per 1,000 residents, Yountville holds the mantle for most Michelin stars per capita in North America.

Home to scenic vistas, hotair balloon excursions and fine vintages, Yountville remains a secluded gem in Wine Country. Home to fewer than 3,000 people, Yountville exists as an exclusive enclave in one of the state’s most coveted destinations.

Yountville’s reputation as a culinary destination dates back to the late ‘70s, when Philippe Jeanty opened a gourmet restaurant at Domaine Chandon. Most famously, Yountville is known for its connection to chef Thomas Keller, who operates The French Laundry and Bouchon in the city. Both restaurants are critically acclaimed and world-renowned.

Yountville is named after

pioneer George Calvert Yount, the man believed to be the first to cultivate a vineyard in Napa Valley.

Only one-and-a-half square miles in size, Yountville is easy to overlook. But it has plenty to offer.

In addition to the only hot air ballooning launch in Napa Valley, Yountville has six sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of them, the Charles Revengo House, dates back to 1904 and operated as an inn starting in the 1970s. Today the stone-walled structure serves as Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley, a wine, art and design gallery. It’s operated by the Bespoke Collection, a wine producer and lifestyle brand based in Yountville that runs Blackbird Vineyards and Recuerdo Wines.

The Yountville Hills mountain range hugs the northwest side of Yountville, while vineyards are scattered across the rolling, tree-studded landscape.

Yountville’s microclimate even grants the region its own designation with the American Viticultural Area.

Almost a third of Yountville’s population resides on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California, the largest facility of its kind in the country. The Veterans Home of California includes a 1,214-seat theater, a nine-hole golf course, a post office, a library, a fitness center and a library.

A recently completed section of the Napa Valley Vine Trail helps connect Yountville to the rest of Wine Country. When completed, The Napa Valley Vine Trail will be a 47-mile walking and biking system stretching from Vallejo to Calistoga. A recently completed 12.5-mile portion starts at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in Napa and moves north past the famed Oxbow Market on its way to Yountville.

There are fewer than 10 listings currently available in Yountville, according to Trulia.com.

The most expensive, 1124 State Ln., is a seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom spread across two acres that’s listed for $13.25 million. The estate home includes a viewing tower on its third level, as well as a pavilion with three sliding glass walls opening to the gardens.

Shutterstock Yountville is home to less than 3,000 people, according to the most recent census data.

Shutterstock Above: Vineyards are a common sight in Yountville, a refined escape in Wine Country. Below: Barns often accompany Yountville’s pastoral landscape.