The Calistoga resort is pairing its 4.7-acre Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard and on-site winery with hands-on blending, private cellar visits and Michelin-starred dining.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley is set beside 4.7 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Calistoga, with Elusa Winery located on the property.
- Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley says it ranked No. 1 in the United States in The Zoe Report’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Wine Hotel.
- The Calistoga property centres its wine programme on 4.7 acres of organically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon and the on-site Elusa Winery.
- Guest experiences now range from personal blending and wine-and-chocolate tastings to private visits at Davis Estates, ADAMVS and Chateau Montelena.
- The resort combines its wine focus with Michelin-starred dining at Auro, Spa Talisa and a Napa Valley Getaway package requiring a minimum two-night stay.
(NEWS) CALISTOGA, California, United States, 2026-Sep-19 — /Travel PR News/ — Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley has taken the No. 1 U.S. position in The Zoe Report’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Wine Hotel, according to an announcement issued by the Calistoga resort on September 18. The result arrives during Napa Valley’s harvest season, but the property is using the recognition to draw attention to a broader year-round wine programme built around its estate vineyard, on-site winery and private visits to neighbouring producers.
The Zoe Report describes its 2026 Jet-Set Readers’ Choice Awards as an inaugural reader-voted programme spanning hotels and resorts across a wide range of travel categories. Four Seasons said voters highlighted the Napa property’s vineyard setting, tastings, pools, dining and personalised service when placing it first in the wine-hotel category.
The resort sits on 4.7 acres of organically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon vines, with Elusa Winery steps from the accommodation. That combination gives guests the unusual option of moving between a luxury hotel stay and a working wine estate without leaving the property. Forbes Travel Guide currently rates the resort Five-Star, while its location at the northern end of Napa Valley puts Calistoga’s wineries and geothermal-wellness traditions within easy reach.
General Manager Robby Delaney said the resort has focused on strengthening the connection between the vineyard and the people behind it. “What means most about this recognition is that readers noticed the personal service as much as the wine,” he said, adding that the setting may bring travellers to Calistoga but service is what can encourage them to return.
Wine experiences move beyond a standard tasting
The most hands-on addition is Blend Like a Winemaker, designed for groups of six or more at Elusa. Guests tour production areas before experimenting with component wines, creating a personal blend and bottling it to take away. A separate Chocolate and Wine Tasting Experience pairs Elusa wines with locally made chocolates chosen to either complement or contrast with the wines.
The resort is also extending the wine itinerary off property. A private Davis Estates visit, about seven minutes away, moves through the vineyard and Howard Backen-designed winery before descending into 11,000 square feet of caves. Barrel samples lead into a tasting of four current-release wines paired with seasonal dishes, while the Davis family’s private car collection can be viewed on request. Four Seasons says complimentary house-car transportation is available for the visit on request.
Farther afield, a private ADAMVS experience on Howell Mountain combines a vineyard and biodynamic-garden walk with estate wines and selections from the Adams family’s Bordeaux properties. At Chateau Montelena, the Insider Experience includes library and current-release vintages plus access to areas outside the standard visit. The programme has added resonance in 2026, fifty years after Chateau Montelena’s Chardonnay prevailed at the 1976 Judgment of Paris.
Dining and wellness broaden the wine-country stay
Wine remains a central thread through the resort’s restaurants. Auro, led by Executive Chef Evan Neumann, serves a seven-course tasting menu built around seasonal Napa Valley ingredients. The MICHELIN Guide lists Auro with one star, while Four Seasons’ current restaurant information says its wine programme has held Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence since 2023. TRUSS Restaurant + Bar provides a less formal counterpoint with seasonal California dining and vineyard and Palisades Mountain views.
For travellers balancing cellar visits with downtime, Spa Talisa draws on Calistoga’s mud-treatment tradition through its Calistoga Mud Experience, offered as an enhancement to massages and facials. The spa also includes eucalyptus steam rooms and a heated whirlpool facing the vines, while the resort has separate adults-only and family-friendly pools.
A packaged route into the vineyard
The Napa Valley Getaway bundles vineyard-view accommodation, daily breakfast, an Elusa Library Experience for two and a seasonal welcome amenity. The offer requires a minimum two-night stay and reservations at least three days in advance.
Travellers planning a more customised itinerary can review the resort’s broader collection of experiences and offers. The latest award does not change the fundamentals of a Napa trip — winery reservations, transport and timing still matter — but it underscores how some wine-country hotels are increasingly turning the vineyard itself into the organising idea for the entire stay, from the room terrace and tasting room to dinner and the spa.
