SpringвЂ™s emerging grape leaves turn hillsides a brilliant green, plumed with golden swathes of mustard blossoms. When to visit Napa Valley? Each season has its charms. Napa Valley cuisine has come into its own as well, with dozens of world-class restaurants offering meals on a par with the vintages served up alongside them. Today, the region boasts some of the most coveted wine grapes anywhere, including To Kalon Vineyard, planted in the 1860s, as well as contemporary cult bottlings like Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate. At the time, France was considered the worldвЂ™s foremost wine region, but this triumph forever changed the international perception of Northern CaliforniaвЂ™s wines. Long considered CaliforniaвЂ™s most famous wine region, Napa Valley exploded into the global spotlight following the 1976 Judgment of Paris, when a Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from Calistoga trounced nine other Chardonnays in a blind tasting in Paris, including extremely prestigious bottles from France. DonвЂ™t miss, for instance, the rediscovered Merlot, whose plush texture and earthy cherry flavour are appealing to a new generation of red wine fans. Roughly an hourвЂ™s drive north of San Francisco and boasting more than 400 wineries, Napa Valley is a connoisseurвЂ™s paradise, inviting visitors to explore beyond the regionвЂ™s signature Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Napa Valley reigns as the land of grand estates, luxurious tasting rooms, quaint towns and elegant lodges, many of which line the celebrated Silverado Trail. InsiderвЂ™s tip: One way to spot Chef Keller is at top food and wine festivals, such as the star-chef-studded Pebble Beach Food & Wine. Just driving through town on the way to wine tasting? Stop by Chef KellerвЂ™s Bouchon Bakery for a perfect macaroon or buttery slice of quiche. The menu highlights classic bistro fare, such as steak frites, soupe Г lвЂ™oignon, escargots Г la bourguignonne, and confГ®t de canard. If you canвЂ™t snag a reservation (tables fill up months in advance), visit Chef KellerвЂ™s neighboring Bouchon Bistro for impressive French-influenced food in more casual surroundings.

The tasting menu is sublime, with changing seasonal dishes as well as Chef KellerвЂ™s signature вЂњoysters and pearlsвЂќ (oysters and caviar in sabayon). With three Michelin stars, The French Laundry is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should be on any fine-dinerвЂ™s bucket list. Though he isnвЂ™t a star on a food show, Chef KellerвЂ™s fame is almost unsurpassed in the food world, simply based on the brilliance of his food and the quality of his dining experience, both epitomized at this Yountville institution.

French laundry