Traditionally January is the month for fresh starts and planning those all important get-a-ways. We’re doing our part to help you discover new places to make memories.

After 30 years of wine tasting experiences you’d think we would have just about exhausted the list of places to go and people to see. But no, not in the Napa Valley!  After all, there’s over 150 wineries to visit and over 435 wine brands.

It was wicked fun! And like most things it gets better when you involve your friends. In fact our friends at Beau Wine Tours arranged the whole day.

Knowing, as we do, there’s nothing like experience to shape a memory, Beau invited us to try their fantastic Napa Valley Daily Limo Tour and lunch.  Our driver and guide was Bill Boerum who was fantastic!

Mark Hawkins hosting our Beazley House group in Failla's cosy hunting lodge.

Our first stop of the day, was at the quaint Faille Wines – a hidden gem off the Silverado Trail specializing in Bordeaux-style wines. We were greeted by Mark Hawkins. whom we immediately recognized, but couldn’t quite place. Turns out we have several mutual friends. And Mark had been to the inn during our famous Facebook Meetup on July 29. He proceeded to pour us one delicious Pinot Noir after another. We immediately thought of half a dozen of our guests who will LOVE Failla and Mark.

Bill next whisked us off to Ehlers Estate just north of St. Helena. Founded in 1886, this lovely old stone winery is steeped in history. Here we were greeted by Maria Newman, who we first knew from  over 25 years ago at the Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Co. Now, Maria is a mom and the tasting room manager at this wonderful winery.

Maria showed us a new way to prepare our glass for a taste.

Ehlers Estate is a very unique winery. Their French owners pour all of their proceeds from their wine sales into the Leducq Foundation to support international cardiovascular research.  This means they concentrate on making the best possible wines they can (and DO!) and aren’t slaves to some fat corporation.  And the wines Maria poured us proved the wisdom of this point.

Bill brought in our lunch which was from The Girl and the Fig restaurant in Sonoma. And Maria let us enjoy it right in the tasting room (an exception for us and due to the weather). The wines paired beautifully with our feast of generous sandwiches and two different salads, plus dessert. Magic!!

Our next stop was Sullivan Vineyards and our old friend Asa Baird. How popular is this winery? They were SOLD OUT of their wines! Proving it’s good to have friends, Asa poured us wines from their library and THEN gave us the bottles. After a relaxed tasting  and extra warm greetings from Za-Za, the golden lab, Asa  introduced us to Sean Sullivan, the oldest son and general manager.

Off to our fourth and final destination, off the Silverado Trail, in the heart of the Stags Leap District, Ilsley Vineyards climbs east into the Vaca Mountains. Originally planted by the Downey family prior to 1900, the Estate vineyard now consists of 17 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 acres of Malbec, 2 acres of Sangiovese and 1 acre of Petite Verdot.

Ilsley Vineyards has been producing fine wine for 50 years!

Al Carravajal, married to Janice Ilsley, poured just enough wine to keep our attention until he could coax Ilsley family patriarch Ed into joining our curious group. Ed and his wife Sandy raised three children on the old property who are all involved in this FAMILY run winery. At Ilsley, the label of “family winery” isn’t a marketing strategy; it’s a way of life.  The work is divided between three third-generation siblings and their spouses.  Each has a full time job and works for the family business as a labor of love. The proof was in our glasses.

Set in the shadow of the palisades of Stag’s Leap, Ilsley Vineyards has views that are nearly spectacular as their lovingly made wines.

Pleasantly buzzed, we were gently taken back to the Beazley House by Bill from Beau Wine Tours which reminded us yet again of  why we chose Beau to re-introduce us to our fantastic Napa Valley!

Born a runt with a useless right paw she could have been doomed at birth. Another breeder might have buried this imperfect puppy. But not Gary Miller. He had a heart which could see perfection takes many forms.

So this crippled runt was offered to us. And we too saw a puppy not a problem. We named her Autumn for her beautiful fall coat, but quickly shortened it to “Tummy” because she loved to have her tummy rubbed.

But at the Beazley House she was all business.  Tummy’s business was retrieving, and she took it seriously. She couldn’t just walk so she chose to run. As a three legged dog she wasn’t just special, she was amazing.

A rare break between throws.

Guest’s concerned “awwwws” quickly turned to awe,  as she leaped, ran and scrambled for balls. We cautioned, “she’ll retrieve until YOUR arm falls off, before she’ll quit.”

She had a perfect role model in her “big sister” Sissy, our first Golden.

Tummy with her big sister Sissy.

She did anything Sissy could do; she knew no better.  Sissy could jump into the car, Tummy learned. Sissy could run like the wind; it was a breeze for Tummy. Sissy climbed hills like a rock hound, Tummy was a trooper.

But while Sissy was a Golden Retriever, Tummy was a RETRIEVER. Sissy chased squirrels, but Tummy was all about the ART of retrieving.  She never changed; rubbed her poor little crippled foot raw, no matter, it grew tough. And she used her little clubbed foot as a tool to knock down the balls when necessary.

And she wouldn’t quit. She might rest a bit as she got older, but “quit” wasn’t in her.

Even when she stopped eating  just after this Thanksgiving, she didn’t stop chasing balls. Nor did she stop going to work. She’d skip breakfast, but she wasn’t going to miss “Let’s go to work!”

We tried everything to get her to get back on her feed, but she knew better. After all there was the “new kid” Pumpkin to train. And Corgi pups aren’t born retrievers,  they have to be taught.

Through patience and example Tummy taught Pumpkin the art of retrieving.

Tummy used every bit of her energy and patience to prepare Pumpkin for her role as the Beazley House canine companion.  She endured pulled ears, milk teeth and inattention with a mother’s patience. She knew she didn’t have much time.

We didn’t. She hid it well, stringing us along with eating bits here and there. Sleeping in these last mornings only so she could rebound in the afternoon and playing full on in our den with the puppy at night.

Just two days ago she finally couldn’t go on: she couldn’t even stand up. Oh, she’d bat a ball into submission if thrown to her, grab it and await another, but she couldn’t stand. Just retrieve.

A trip to the hated Vet’s office confirmed the terminal cancer so many of her litter mates died from. They re-hydrated her, gave her something for her nausea and the gift of a goodbye evening with her family.

For a couple of precious hours she could stand again and catch a ball and take a hug while licking away a twelve year old’s tears.  She played with the puppy and then laid down for one last night at home. Their paws touched as they stretched out on the den’s floor.

The next morning it was off to work to say goodbye to her Beazley House family. She lay like a pampered princess as innkeepers, housekeepers and friends bid her a tearful farewell.

Her last vision was our tear-streaked faces as we cradled her and Doctor Mary sent her on her way to a place where her Sissy would show her where lost balls go and all dogs are perfect like her.

We were left to go back to a place of empty spots where there should be a Golden Girl but now just has abandoned tennis balls waiting to be retrieved.

Pumpkin now waits to show guests all she learned from the best Retriever this side of Tennis Ball heaven.

Pumpkin has big paws to fill a huge void.

They say you can see a New England Fall from outer space.  But if you come to the Napa Valley in November you won’t have to go that far. And with temperatures in the upper 60s it’s downright balmy by comparison.

Napa Valley is where the "Daylight" goes after Daylight Savings Time.

Early rains in October and the first Sunday of November have greened up our hills, turning California gold into Irish green. But the real show is in Napa’s vineyards.Whether they’re on hillsides or the valley’s floor the vineyards are a rich tapestry of yellows, oranges and reds.

Used to be we’d  say they “cut the phone lines and blocked the roads” when November came…that’s how abrupt the High tourist season would end. With Napa’s rebirth as the valley’s food and Wine capital, things are changing.

On the Napa River, “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto continues to wow his many followers at his new, high-end Morimoto Napa with his East-Meets-West combinations and imaginative sushi. Steven Barber, of Napa’s Barbers-Q, has opened his new restaurant Fish Story to rave reviews. And Tyler Florence, a TV celebrity who has penned five cookbooks, is planning a rotisserie restaurant to fill out the new 3rd Street Waterfront complex on the new Napa Riverwalk.

Local’s favorite Winter dishes and comfort foods–fresh vegetable soups, steaming mussels and simmering stews–are migrating back onto the menus at long established Napa eateries. Chef Marcos’ award-winning chili is back at Celadon.  Served with freshly baked cornbread made with jalapeno and sweet corn and a mixed green salad, it is only available at lunch. At night Celadon’s signature mussels are sure to warm more than just your heart.

The word’s gotten out how beautiful the Napa Valley is in November. It’s like high season but without the crowds, and with the color turned up to maximum instead!

A valley Oak stays stubbornly green amid golden grape leaves.

The harvest hurry is over and vintners are taking a hint from their wines  resting on their lees and refocusing on their guests. Harvest celebrations abound as yet another Napa Valley vintage is history.

Beazley House guests enjoy our famous Sherry and cookies by the glow of the fire in the mansion’s living room. Soon it will be hot mulled wine time.

November weather, while occasionally wet, is never New England cold. And the rain has the good taste to not outlast its welcome. A Pacific storm will blow in and out before you can recall its name; leaving much faster than distant relatives.

After all, we didn’t get the nick name “Sunny California” just for our smiles!