An Update from Napa and Sonoma

Balmy spring days have finally arrived in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and the Napa and Sonoma valleys are alive with possibility. Here’s a taste of what’s happening at Harper-recommended properties in California’s classic wine country: The Restaurant at Meadowood (pictured above) in St. Helena recently received its third Michelin star, joining Thomas Keller's French Laundry as the only restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area awarded the three-star honor in the red guide. Poetry Inn proprietor Cliff Lede's eponymous vineyards will co-host an intimate dinner at their hillside winery on Friday, April 29, 2011 as part of the Stags Leap District Vineyard to Vintner celebration.

The Milliken Creek Inn’s holistic spa treatments are a restorative rite of spring—and the treatment spaces, situated riverside, enjoy a special, natural soundtrack as the winter runoff continues to fill the Napa River. The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil marks its 30th anniversary this year, and its sought-after terrace tables, with their panoramic vineyard views, are perfectly suited for the warmer days.

In Healdsburg, the elegant Les Mars Hotel, has just completed a round of improvements to the property. And nearby, at the 1881 Victorian estate, Madrona Manor, Executive Chef Jesse Mallgren will be celebrating the arrival of spring with exciting, innovative dishes that incorporate fruits and vegetables from the property’s eight acres of gardens.