#111: Field notes from Napa Valley
The pursuit of excellence and relentless beauty
Today’s newsletter finds you in the final hours of my trip to Napa Valley, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to: a grand statement and not hyperbolic.
I feel like I say that a lot—attributed to my tendency to be easily delighted—but I’m already plotting my return. Three nights in Napa (tacked onto the end of a trip to Vegas to attend a BTS concert) was nowhere near enough time. The valley rewards those who arrive with a group of friends, a huge appetite, and a driver’s license, three things absent on this trip. I did visit three wineries, all intentionally different from one another, and left feeling thirstier to see more. There’s a reason my friend is heading back for a fourth visit. “There’s just so much to see, you’ll see,” she told me the day before I left.
At one point, I texted my sister that I felt homesick because it was simply too beautiful here. I stayed at the Auberge du Soleil, where you could easily spend an entire day doing absolutely nothing beyond lingering over breakfast, wandering the grounds, and staring out at the valley below. At times it felt like I was in Tuscany or in the South of France. Then I'd remember that this is California—that America, for all its faults, is home to some of the best land of all.
The timing coincided so perfectly with the ending of my WSET wine course. I get my results back in about a week and am waiting with bated breath to find out whether I’m actually as knowledgeable as I think I am. And I have plans to put this to use (more on that soon! hehehe).
When I enrolled in the course back in March, I set a certain expectation for myself, one that reminded me of how I approached college. It wasn’t enough to simply enjoy something; I wanted to be good at it, too. To know that my enthusiasm could withstand scrutiny. It’s a tendency that has followed me into adulthood and perhaps explains why I’ve chosen such an independent, solitary career path. I am only as good as the standards I set for myself.
This trip sent my mind in so many different directions. Digesting the beauty is one part of it. But what stayed with me most was the pursuit of excellence that seems woven into Napa’s identity. I haven’t visited enough wine regions to make sweeping declarations, but there was something here that felt distinctly American: the relentless drive to make something great even greater.
What Napa possesses is a uniquely American kind of glamour. Not the inherited legacy and grandeur of Europe, but something more ambitious and self-made. You see it in the cutting-edge technology. The almost stubborn commitment to sustainability. The extraordinary resources poured into vineyards and wineries. The sheer opulence of it all. And this was after visiting only three estates.
It’s a distinctly American vision of luxury. In many ways, Napa reminded me of the world Ralph Lauren has spent decades building: aspirational, romantic, polished to perfection, and deeply invested in the idea that beauty and excellence are things you can create through vision and determination.
So much of what I write about ultimately comes back to the same question: how do we make life more beautiful? And why is it important?
I ask that question with the full awareness that much of the time, beauty, pleasure, and leisure are privileges. But I also think this is what makes them worth pursuing with intention. It’s less about being interested in more and being more interested in better. And when you seek better, you aren’t just consuming these things—be it wine, food, fashion, design. You’re participating in a system that allows excellence to endure. Their work enriches your life; your support allows them to keep making it. This feels like a worthwhile exchange to me.
And because no Digestifs travel dispatch would be complete without a healthy dose of outfit documentation, here are some from the trip. I’m also sharing my summer skincare at the very end to reward those who make it that far ;)
I wrote this newsletter on Monday while I was still in Napa. By the time you’re reading it, I’ve already made my way to Istanbul, where I’m spending a brief moment before continuing on to Bodrum to get a taste of the Aegean Sea.
The next two weeks will be spent moving around quite a bit, but I’ll be working, writing, photographing, and sharing from wherever I happen to be. I don’t treat travel as a complete escape from my work; if anything, it tends to sharpen my appreciation for beauty, craftsmanship, and the small rituals that make life feel richer—the very things I find myself returning to, trip after trip.
Love you all and happy summer!!