Auberge du Soleil is the Catherine Deneuve of California Wine Country, a grande dame still at the very top of her game. Twenty years since she first started welcoming guests, Auberge du Soleil lures you in with a well-trained staff and then beckons you to unwind with expansive vistas of Napa Valley's pastoral sweep. By the time you enter your Mediterranean-style room or suite, you will already have fallen under her classy spell.

Though the resort is perched atop Rutherford's rolling hills, on the eastern edge of Napa Valley, and though the views are the valley's best, Auberge du Soleil's olive trees and vineyards create an intimate oasis of privacy. You often hear muted whispers of celebrity sightings here, but you'll most likely barely catch a glimpse of your fellow guests. Originally constructed as a restaurant, the "Inn of the Sun" soon followed, immediately becoming the finest luxury property in Wine Country and easily among the top handful in California.

Upon

Auberge du Soleil is the Catherine Deneuve of California Wine Country, a grande dame still at the very top of her game. Twenty years since she first started welcoming guests, Auberge du Soleil lures you in with a well-trained staff and then beckons you to unwind with expansive vistas of Napa Valley's pastoral sweep. By the time you enter your Mediterranean-style room or suite, you will already have fallen under her classy spell.

Though the resort is perched atop Rutherford's rolling hills, on the eastern edge of Napa Valley, and though the views are the valley's best, Auberge du Soleil's olive trees and vineyards create an intimate oasis of privacy. You often hear muted whispers of celebrity sightings here, but you'll most likely barely catch a glimpse of your fellow guests. Originally constructed as a restaurant, the "Inn of the Sun" soon followed, immediately becoming the finest luxury property in Wine Country and easily among the top handful in California.

Upon arrival guests are escorted through a private gated driveway, alongside a sinuous collection of 50 sun- and earth-toned cottages, surrounded by olive trees, sage and rosemary bushes, and dramatic sculptures. Beyond your private trellised terrace, the bucolic landscape could easily be France or Italy.

Like the immaculate grounds, every interior detail has been chosen with utmost care and taste, from the Provencal-style furnishings to the bowl of chocolates by the fireplace. But a word of warning: Don't approach the bed before you're really ready to call it a night—the cream Matelasse bedcover, pillowtop mattresses, and Italian linens could make getting out a near impossibility. If anything helps, though, it'll be the deep soaking tub, with a dash of botanical bath oils, candles, and soft jazz. Other high-ticket amenities include in-room espresso machines, fine teas, plasma TVs, and sumptuous robes. The welcome bottle of wine and platter of cheese and snacks softens the landing even more.

Though you might be hard pressed to leave your room (and delightfully private terrace), don't miss strolling the grounds, which are off limits to non-resort guests. From the cabana-encircled pool and sculpture garden to the trellised tennis courts and all the way up to the soaring bar, the only things on the horizon are vineyards, hot-air balloons, and hawks. Of course, when you're ready to indulge in outstanding Napa Valley wines, head to the wood-beamed bar, where the indoor fireplace, a wraparound porch, and a small patio attract a global clientele who've come in search of one of the most intimate bars in Wine Country.

Kim Grant has been writing about the best places to stay in North America since the day after graduating college in 1984. Since then she has written over 35 guidebooks and for countless websites and print publications. She is also the editorial director of a forthcoming website on the best places to stay and the travel acquisitions editor for Countryman Press.