Peaks and Valleys: Our Trip to Napa in 2026 – Day 1

Backing up the clock a bit, our owner, Matt, in December this past year, started teasing the idea of heading to Napa for the 2026 Premiere Napa Valley auction. I’ve been to Napa several times over the past dozen or so years, but never to the Premiere event. So, I was naturally excited, not only to be heading back, but to be heading there in an official “work” capacity for the first time!

Fast forward to February 17th of 2026, and we are boarding a plane heading to the wine promised land of the United States. I’m ready, my liver is ready, and my tastebuds are more than ready! Landing in San Francisco we were greeted with cold weather and rain, and of course, traffic. Not to be deterred, I kept my eye on the prize.

We had set up several private tasting appointments to mix in with the tasting events of Premiere week. I was joined by a Napa veteran (Matt), and a Napa newbie (Chris), so this was going to be fun on both accounts.

First appointment of the trip — OVID winery high up Pritchard Hill, the “Rodeo Drive” of Napa. I’ve been here twice and every time it gets more beautiful and exquisite. Our drive up the hill remained clouded and rainy, yet by some stroke of meteorologic magic, the weather broke and the sun came out, as if to say “welcome to Napa, gents.” The view alone is worth the price of admission, but OVID never rests on their laurels. They make two wines in their “Experiment” line, a white and a red, which change every year. They also make a drop of Syrah, and two “grand vins,” Hexameter, a Cabernet Franc dominant blend, and Ovid Napa Valley, a Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend. These three are all entirely estate grown from the vineyard on Pritchard Hill. These have long been some of my very favorite wines produced in Napa, regardless of price. To say we  set the bar on the very first day, would be an understatement!

Next we decided to head to the obligatory lunch spot, Gott’s Roadside, or as the original sign still states, Taylor’s Refresher. No trip to Napa would be complete without a Burger and milkshake from here. It’s a must!

Our final tasting of the day was the “Rutherford Dust” tasting event as part of Premiere week, featuring the wineries in the Rutherford AVA. Benchmarks such as Inglenook, Alpha Omega, and Quintessa were on hand, as well as some much lesser known wineries such as Greer, Rutherford Hill, and Cathiard. There were a few direct to consumer wineries that were small family owned properties as well. I thought the wines of Greer, Rutherford Hill’s Merlot and winery only Heaven’s Peak Reserve wine, and Cathiard wines were standouts in the lineup.

We would end our first day with dinner at the Culinary Institute of America Greystone, a gorgeous, old stone building, with dinner being entirely run by Culinary students, both front and back of the house. A couple of slight hiccups, but overall, the food was fantastic! Day 1 in the books.