Julie had been to Domaine Chandon with a friend back when we first met, and she wanted us to have dinner on their lovely grounds, but the dining room has a limited operating schedule and was closed during our Napa stay. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the beautiful grounds and a large, sundrenched tasting room. The luck of the draw put us in front of Mark, who proved to be the best of the wine servers we encountered in the Napa Valley. The tasting was $16, and since I don't particularly care for sparkling wines, which happens to be Domaine Chandon's forte, I intended to pass, but Mark would have none of it.
He said that their grapes made excellent flat wines as well, so I had a very unique tasting, sampling wines that to me were superior to the vaunted Cakebread wines. As I look at the price list, I see that the Pinot Noir (L'Argile, Carneros) is $65 per bottle, so perhaps they are considered to be of similar quality by others, too. Mark gave excellent descriptions of the nuances of everything he served.
Julie had signed on for the Classic Tasting of Sparkling Wines, which included Brut Classic, Blanc de Noirs, Rose and Extra-Dry Riche. I have to admit they were all excellent too. Each was better than any champagne I have ever tried. I particularly liked the fruit-rich Rose. I was tempted to buy a bottle both that day and also when I saw it on sale at Ralph's for about $14. It would be good to serve at some kind of special occasion. 
We took a long drive through the Napa Valley the next day and visited one more winery. Sterling Winery has a unique hilltop location near St. Helena which gives it commanding views of the valley. The $15 tasting fee includes a tram ride to the top. Unfortunately, the little tram wasn't running that day because of an electrical problem, but fortunately they gave us free admissions and drove us to the top in a Mercedes van. 
Sterling has self-guided tours with periodic tasting stations. Along the walk through the state-of-the-art winery, there are also videos playing on monitors to describe the process of making wines. It's an excellent way to see a modern winery, and the wine was all quite good. 
At the end of the tour is a little patio with tables and chairs where patrons lounge and take advantage of the beautiful views for the final tastings.
