Napa Valley · Stays
Auberge du Soleil: The Valley's Grande Dame
Long before wine country had a dress code, a hillside in Rutherford set the standard, fifty rooms across thirty-three acres of olive and oak, and a restaurant that has held its star for nearly two decades.
September 15, 2026 · Words by Katherine Doyle, Culinary Editor · Photography, see credits
Photography courtesy of Auberge du Soleil
Every wine region has one property that wrote the rules the others follow. In Napa Valley, it is Auberge du Soleil, a hillside in Rutherford where, more than forty years ago, fine dining arrived in wine country and never left. The restaurant was among the valley's first; the hotel that grew around it became the address against which every subsequent Napa resort is quietly measured.
The setting does the first half of the work. Fifty guestrooms and suites are set across thirty-three acres of heritage olive and oak trees, with the valley floor spread out below. The finest of them are freestanding private maisons, more than 1,800 square feet of indoor-outdoor living, each with a separate living room and fireplace, a spa-like bathroom with soaking tub and walk-in shower, and an outdoor sculpted tub and rain shower under the open sky.
Photography courtesy of Auberge du Soleil
Photography courtesy of Auberge du Soleil
Auberge du Soleil is not the newest address in Napa Valley. It is the reason the others exist. For availability and reservations, inquire through the journal.
Details verified at time of publication. Photography courtesy of Auberge du Soleil.
Inquire About This Stay →
