Departures

AT FIRST I DIDN'T NOTICE the T. Rex look- ing over my shoulder. As tourists window- shopped on St. Helena's charming Main Street, I stood inside the showroom of designer Erin Martin checking out display cases filled with vintage shaving kits, rid- ing crops, and a taxidermied African por- cupine wearing a cowboy hat. The offbeat collection of objects fit the playful aes- thetic Martin applies to her winery and interior design projects. "Do you like our dinosaur?" asked the woman at the front desk. I looked up and, sure enough, just behind me was a 15-foot-high skeleton of a T. Rex baring its teeth. "It's yours for $3.9 million," she said.

The dinosaur was the first of many sur- prises I encountered on a trip to Napa, a destination both blessed and cursed by its reputation. Napa has near mythic status among wine consumers who visit to pay homage to an industry that put Califor- nia on the wine map. But now some locals call it "Disneyland for adults" because of its neo-Italianate tasting rooms and self-consciously quaint shops. Jaded wine pros dismiss its pricey Cabernets as Texas soda. But a new Napa is emerging as hote- liers and restaurateurs widen their aesthetic range and appeal to visitors in search of some- thing different. As a result, Napa yields subtler and more varied pleasures than ever-especially when it comes to wine.

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