With over 600 restaurants across the California selection, our Inspectors combed the Golden State for the best and brightest cuisines from Armenian to Vietnamese. And ahead of this year's California MICHELIN Guide Ceremony, we wanted to focus on one of the state's most rarefied areas, wine country.
The region boasts some of the state (and country's) most incredible spots—think The French Laundry, Press, and Auberge du Soleil, to name a few—but we narrowed the list down to MICHELIN Guide spots on the grounds of vineyards. So grab a glass of your favorite vino, and below, discover some unique destinations that will have you thinking you're under the Tuscan sun.
Auro
Calistoga (Napa)
As a teen, Chef Rogelio Garcia used to ride his bicycle past The French Laundry. His aunt lived a block away and he always wondered, “Why are those people so dressed up?” Fast forward a few years, and he learned the answer—by working there, along with several other top spots. Now he helms Auro at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley in Calistoga. Chef Garcia was brought in early, helping to design the restaurant that overlooks the 4.7-acre vineyard of Elusa Winery, best known for Cabernet and Syrah. “It was an empty space and I wanted to create a fine dining restaurant—I’ve always wanted to do that,” he says.
For Garcia, this passion project was more than just a line on his resume. Born in Mexico City, his family relocated to California when he was young, then moving to the Napa Valley when he was 15—the same year he started working in restaurants. It’s a full circle moment for him.
The setting also offers so much more than just a scenic backdrop; it also dictates his approach to the five-course tasting menu. “For me, wine country cooking means using the resources right here.” While Auro is chef driven, with the sommelier moving in lockstep with Garcia, wine dinners allow him to see the menu in a new light. “It’s a different way of looking at food when you’re creating dishes based on the wine (vs. the other way around). It’s exciting because it opens up a different palate.”
Cyrus
Geyserville (Sonoma)
“Our setting is about a sense of place,” says Douglas Keane, Chef/Owner of Cyrus. After shuttering the original Cyrus in 2012, Keane relaunched the restaurant in a new location overlooking vineyards that produce Cabernet Sauvignon. “The restaurant is built ten feet above the floor of the valley to rise above the floodplain zone, which creates the amazing effect of floating above the vines,” he says. “Instead of sitting on the vineyard floor, guests get to look over the entire valley.”
“It took 10 years of dogged perseverance for Cyrus to relaunch,” adds Keane. “This parcel was originally a prune packing plant; plums were the mainstay crop of Alexander Valley for many years before grapes. We often honor the agricultural roots of the prune packing plant with our menu’s dishes, especially when plums are in season. Sonoma County isn’t just Wine Country, it’s a diverse farming country with coastlines, open pasture, and mountains offering all manner of culinary treasures.”
While the vineyard is a separate entity and serves as a scene-setter, it does inspire Keane and his team. “The menu is obviously crafted to work well with wine, and specifically those of Alexander Valley.” Still, it’s deeper than that for him. “Wine Country cuisine embodies the ethos of the people who live here; how much they enjoy food and wine, the pleasure of entertaining at home, as well as dining in restaurants. From a chef’s perspective, it is the best place in the world to cook, not only for the products we get, but just as importantly, the guests we get to cook for each night. Dining is primary entertainment here and people are willing to give us a generous amount of their time each evening to care for them.”
The Restaurant at JUSTIN
Paso Robles (Central Coast)
The Restaurant at JUSTIN is not a place you’ll happen upon. Instead, it’s a destination. “We are a 25-minute drive from the center of town along winding roads where you’ll find deer, turkey, even wild boar,” says Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom. “Our restaurant and tasting room are located in the middle of the vineyard.” That location is something she takes to heart. “People come out of their way to come here, and we take that into consideration, offering wholehearted hospitality.”
The restaurant and the winery work hand-in-hand, something that Haggstrom especially enjoys. “While we have bottles and glasses from around the world, the extensive portfolio produced right here from JUSTIN makes my job fun,” she says. “I’m always considering wine pairings.” Indeed, the restaurant offers a JUSTIN-exclusive wine pairing. “You’ll sample 6-8 different wines during the 11-course tasting menu, with 2 dessert wines,” she adds.
The Restaurant was established in 1992 by Justin Baldwin out of necessity. “He was inviting people to experience his wine and there was nowhere to stay or eat,” says Haggstrom. He opened a small inn with two rooms, along with a restaurant. Now, there are four rooms and an impressive dining room.
Another example of the strong partnership between the vineyard and the kitchen is their inventive reuse of products. “Our vineyard team’s farming methods include using cover crops to add nutrients to the soils. Then, we in the kitchen will take advantage of those cover crops in our cuisine,” she explains. It’s one of the many reasons The Restaurant has earned a Green Star. “For example, we’ll use the daikon radish and its flowers they use in one of our dishes. It’s another way to work together to minimize waste.”
Hero image: Aaron Leitz/Cyrus
