Yountville, founded in 1855 as Sebastopol, was renamed in 1867 in honor of George C. Yount, a pioneer widely credited with planting the first wine grapes in Napa Valley. Tiny and charming, the town has long counted just a modest population (3,500 today), growing slowly even with the arrival of the railroad and eventually becoming an incorporated town in 1965.
Over the past few decades, Yountville has evolved into arguably Napa Valley's most celebrated culinary hub, and its main street, Washington, is often bustling with visitors strolling its pedestrian-friendly confines. Many of the city's oldest buildings have been preserved and repurposed, including V Marketplace. Built in the early 1870s as Gottlieb Groezinger Winery, this large stone complex in the center of town is now dedicated to shopping and dining. The French Laundry, a Grand Award winner and the city's most famous restaurant, resides in a home built in 1900 that was initially a saloon and then a steam laundry business, from which the restaurant created its name.
Yountville makes a good home base for a quintessential Napa Valley vacation, offering visitors a jumping off point in the heart of the valley (15 minutes to either St. Helena or downtown Napa). Yountville's small-town charm blends seamlessly with its several luxury hotels and concentration of top-notch dining options. Totaling just 1.5 square miles, it is an entirely walkable town, and while restaurants dominate the scene here, there are more than enough downtown tasting rooms that one could happily visit over the course of a few days and never have to get into a car. Oak Knoll is the closest neighbor to the south, with Stags Leap District just east of town adding yet more choices to your itinerary.
Yountville and its nearby AVAs include more than a dozen tasting rooms, and when you butt up against Stags Leap District and Oak Knoll to the east and south, respectively, there's an abundance of wineries within a few minutes' drive. These southern appellations are influenced more by San Pablo Bay, bringing fog and cooling breezes that yield an elegant style of Cabernet Sauvignon. The climate also favors other grapes, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and more.
What Yountville lacks in size, it more than makes up for with its assemblage of exciting culinary options. Home to chef Thomas Keller's The French Laundry, a Grand Award winner since 2007, the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group also operates Best of Award of Excellence winner Bouchon Bistro, plus Bouchon Bakery, Ad Hoc + Addendum and RO Restaurant & Lounge. Packed into city limits are another dozen or so eateries, including Best of Award of Excellence winner Bottega, and Lucy, an Award of Excellence winning restaurant within the Bardessono Hotel.
Despite its compact size, Yountville offers an array of lodging options, from boutique B&Bs to lavish, luxury hotels. In general the options lean toward the lavish, with the average rate around $500–$600 per night during winter months and as high as $800–$900 in summer.
The Estate Yountville is by far the biggest complex, a 22-acre village within the town spanning most of the west side of Washington Street and including two separate hotels (Vintage House and Hotel Villagio), plus a private five-bedroom villa along with shopping, restaurants and a spa. Bardessono and North Block also offer luxe accommodations, with resort amenities such as an on-site spa and restaurant. For something smaller, there's Maison Fleurie's 13-bedroom southern-France-inspired B&B (directly behind Bouchon Bakery). It's also among the lower-priced options, but without skimping on style and comfort.