Wine & Food

In Yountville stands an unassuming stone building. It sits less than two kilometers from the spot where George Yount once planted his first vines, and dates back to 1900. At first it was a saloon. In the 1920s it became a French steam laundry, which is where the name it still carries today comes from: The French Laundry.

In 1978, Sally Schmitt opened a restaurant there. In 1994, chef Thomas Keller took it over and turned it into one of America's most celebrated restaurants. It has held three Michelin stars since 2007. Its multi-course tasting menu is considered the blueprint for what's now called Wine Country Cuisine: small, richly composed courses built from ingredients often grown in the restaurant's own garden just across the street.

Fat is the key pairing for a Cabernet this bold. A grilled cut of beef almost always works, because the fat coats the tannins and softens them on the palate, while the char from the grill mirrors the same vanilla and smoky notes the wine picks up from the oak barrel. Tender braised short ribs work just as well. A rack of lamb pairs for the same reason.

Outside of harvest season, the valley reveals something else. Between the vine rows in late winter, wild mustard blooms in brilliant yellow, sown deliberately to add nitrogen to the soil while keeping pests at bay. For the region's kitchens, that's no coincidence. It reflects the same philosophy as the wine itself: what comes from the local earth comes to the table first, whether that's grapes, walnuts, or olive oil from the groves along the valley's edge.