A Hazy August Afternoon in Napa Valley

It was one of those early August weekends that feels like the peak of summer. The air had that familiar warm haze, so we drove north for the afternoon for a change of scenery. The landscape is always such a study in contrasts this time of year.

The vineyards themselves are an incredibly lush, ordered green, with rows stretching out in perfect lines across the valley floor. But just beyond them, the surrounding hills are all golden and dry under the bright, unfiltered sun. It creates a very specific kind of quiet out there, punctuated only by the occasional car on the highway.

We ended up at Cliff Lede Vineyards and found a spot on their stone patio, under the shade of a pergola. It was nice to just sit for a while with a glass of red wine, looking out at the hills through the patterned shadows. A simple afternoon, and then the drive back home.