Up Valley is what most people picture when they say "Napa" — cabernet country, vineyards climbing the hills, the towns tightening to a single Main Street. Drives between stops are longer than down-valley but the wines are bigger and the views are the postcard. Three itineraries below.
Day 1 — The cabernet day
10:30am · Pickup. First stop is Frank Family (Calistoga) for the standard tasting — friendly, walk-in friendly, sparkling and cab in sequence.
12:30pm · Lunch at Goose & Gander in St. Helena. Order something simple — burger, pickled vegetables. Easy on the palate.
2:30pm · Appointment-only tasting in Rutherford. Honig for sustainable cab, or Frog's Leap for organic + the property tour. Book 10–14 days ahead.
4:30pm · Last stop on the way down. Inglenook if you want a piece of history, or ZD Wines for an easier walk-in.
6:30pm · Hotel. Dinner at Press (steakhouse) or Cook St. Helena (casual Italian). See dining for more.
Day 2 — Mountain wineries
Mountain wineries are appointment-only by default — the roads are narrow and they can't handle drop-ins. The drive up is part of the experience: vineyards in clearings between trees, the valley shrinking below.
10:30am · Pickup; head up Spring Mountain. Pride Mountain Vineyards straddles the Napa/Sonoma county line and the tour is one of the better "what's a mountain winery" introductions. Appointment required.
1:00pm · Back down to the valley floor for lunch. Auberge du Soleil's terrace if it's sunny (lighter à la carte options at lunch), or Brix.
3:00pm · Howell Mountain side. Cade Estate or Ladera — both appointment-only, both worth the climb.
5:30pm · Back to hotel. Indian Springs pool if you booked Calistoga; otherwise a quiet hotel dinner.
Day 3 — The slow Calistoga day
Tasting in the morning, hot springs in the afternoon. Built for day three of a longer trip when the palate's tired.
10:30am · Chateau Montelena — stone castle, lake, history (the 1976 Judgment of Paris). One of the most photogenic estates in the valley.
12:30pm · Lunch downtown Calistoga. Sam's Social Club at Indian Springs, or Solbar at Solage if you want to wander pools between courses.
2:30pm · Cave tour at Schramsberg— sparkling, dim caves, ~$60 per person.
4:30pm · Hot springs at Indian Springs or a spa treatment at Solage. Driver returns 2 hours later.
8:00pm · Dinner at Truss(Four Seasons) or back to the hotel for room service. The simplest dinner is the right dinner today.
Notes on driving up-valley
Highway 29 north of St. Helena is two lanes and slows behind anything. Silverado Trail is the faster parallel if you're covering distance. From St. Helena to Calistoga is 18 minutes on a Monday and 45 on a busy Saturday. We pick the parallel depending on the day.
For the southern stretch, see the down-valley plans. For the wineries themselves, the wineries guide.