A Napa Loop Without the Buzz
- Digital Rabbit
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Scenic back roads, a quiet hike, wildflowers in bloom, and a brush with history—our wine-country escape was all about the journey, not the tasting.
On our most recent trip to Napa Valley, Glen and I weren’t chasing wine—we were chasing scenery. Rather than zip up Highway 29 with the rest of the world, we took the back roads from Fairfield to Calistoga, winding past Atlas Peak, through Chiles and Pope Valleys, into Angwin, and finally descending to the Silverado Trail. On the return, we made a loop: hiking in Bothe-Napa Valley Park, then driving to Vichy Springs and on to Montecello Road, down Wooden Valley Road, and back to Fairfield.
Not long after leaving Fairfield proper, we passed Bally Keal Winery. I pulled over to snap a photo of their front-lawn art—an aluminum sculpture of a wine bottle eternally pouring into a glass. Later, I learned Bally Keal also has a car museum, and it's open to wine tasters. Clever marketing!
A few miles on, curiosity led us to detour a mile to Mankas Corner in Suisun Valley. I needed to know what, exactly, was at the corner. We found Vezér Family Vineyard, a tasting room, and Mankas Grill. Suisun Valley proudly claims to be the Petite Syrah capital of the world—but since we didn’t stop to taste, that claim remains unverified (at least by us). Maybe next time.
The drive was delightfully winding and virtually empty. We pulled over now and then to take in the views: vineyard after vineyard after vineyard. It made me wonder—who’s drinking all this wine?
Chiles Valley Road felt familiar. We’d been here before, and this time we could see how well the landscape had bounced back from the 2020 fires. The scars were still visible—charred tree trunks, blackened poles, scorched barn walls—but the valley had come back to life. We passed Rust Ridge and Volker Eisele, two vineyards open for tastings by appointment. I’d happily return to Volker Eisele someday—their wine is outstanding. Rust Ridge intrigues me mostly because they have horses and a B&B. Who wouldn’t want to wake up to vineyard views and horses?
The town of Angwin, perched on the hill above the Silverado Trail, is practically a campus. Home to a Seventh Day Adventist college, church, and hospital, it feels like a self-contained world. From there, it’s a scenic descent to the Silverado Trail—and worth it to skip the congestion that often snarls Route 12.
On our return, we hiked Bothe-Napa Valley Park before heading into new territory: Vichy Springs. This little town sits just past the Silverado Resort and includes Cordeiro’s Steakhouse, which gets great reviews (and charges accordingly). We didn’t eat there—another time, perhaps—but the road that followed, Montecello, was a beautiful drives. It eventually led us to Wooden Valley Road, which we had taken earlier en route to Chiles Valley. We had come full circle.
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