One of the better wine regions in Napa Valley, CA that you’ve probably never heard of is Pritchard Hill. It’s not an official appellation but it is home to several wineries with long traditions and/or serious ambitions. We visited three of them to get the lay of the land and scout locations for a client’s bridal luncheon.

From Highway 29, we took the Oakville Cross road to Silverado Trail, then north to Sage Canyon Road (Route 128), which winds around Lake Hennessey. Our first stop was Chappellet, the first family to put down roots (did I just say that?) in these hills. The property was developed in the late 60’s and its age is apparent in the current facility. Happily, they are in the midst of a major reconstruction, building a brand new underground winemaking facility. The property is enormous, 640 acres, which we surveyed from the back of a way cool 4×4 Austrian troop-mover known as a Pinzgauer. With a glass of Cabernet in our hands, we bounced through the boulder-strewn vineyards to a shaded picnic area surrounded by vines. Then we darted up the hill to a tented tree house that can seat eight for an intimate dinner. Think Out of Africa. Our last stop was a gorgeous meadow overlooking Lake Hennessey, where the staff was setting up for a private event. The views were spectacular. I’d love to come back for sunset.

We wound our way back down the hill past Continuum, Tim Mondavi’s newish estate, on route to our second destination, Ovid. The approach to Ovid puts a lump in your throat. If you ever wondered what you might buy with your lottery winnings, this is it. Everything, and I mean every-thing, is just so. The Architectural Digest-worthy touches start at the gated entrance and greet your eye at every turn. The building itself was designed by Howard Backen, architect to the stars and master of soaring, free-flowing spaces that are at once modern and rustic.
Ovid makes two wines, a classical Bordeaux blend that varies in proportion from year to year and another blend called “Experiment” which is just that, a trial wine. Albeit a very expensive one. We tasted their flagship bottle and it was, in a word, decadent. It smelled of cedar and cherry and chocolate. Lush, ripe and chewy. Even the packaging was rich. This is a special place and impossible to get into. But once you do, you’re treated like royalty. Come here and I guarantee you will never forget it.

Our last stop was Kuleto Estate, formerly owned and indulgently designed by the restaurateur Pat Kuleto. Where Ovid is compact and focused, Kuleto is sprawling and wild. There are over 100 different vineyard blocks here, each with different elevations and exposures and a variety of grapes planted on them, including five or six Cabernets. You can really geek out on wine here but that’s not why we came. We came to see what the man behind Boulevard and Waterbar and Postrio and Nick’s Cove (and a dozen other places we love) created for himself in wine country.
Kuleto’s love of food and hospitality is on abundant display here with a dozen different spots for private tastings and events. There are three outdoor pizza ovens because two is clearly not enough. There is a patio nicknamed the Amalfi Coast (which will make sense once you pull up a chair). There are perches and roosts and nooks and crannies scattered all across the property where you can sit and sip and soak up the view. It’s a heck of a twisty turny drive to get here but once you do, they take good care of you.