Introduction by Linda Reiff

There is a moment in late fall when it feels like I have Napa Valley all to myself. The time is not set, it is always a surprise, and when it arrives I welcome and relish it. Harvest is over and the result of the frenzied activity in the vineyards now rests in the wineries. It is quiet. It is still. The colors have muted. I take a mental snapshot and hold on to it.

I first visited the Valley in the early 1970s, in the back of a station wagon, in tow as my parents studied many vineyards before they planted their own. I remember how breathtaking it was. I thought the old stone winery buildings were perfect settings for the tales I would surely write. I returned to the valley a number of times in different seasons as an adult and with a much better appreciation for a place that offered so much beauty, where agriculture had not just been preserved but flourished, and where the people were more welcoming and gracious than any I'd ever known.

One cannot help being swept away by Napa Valley and I succumbed in the summer of 1995, moving here to accept a job that has allowed me to delve into, deeply respect, and fall in love with all that it has to offer aesthetically and substantively.

While Napa has earned its title as America's legendary wine region, people are often surprised to learn, in fact, how geographically small it is. Napa Valley vineyards produce only 4% of all California wine, and its total vineyard acreage is just one-eighth the size of Bordeaux. But within this slice of heaven lie many joys. The diverse terrain provides for a wide variety of world class and memorable wines. Those wines are now matched in character and quality by our restaurants, food purveyors, gardens, inns, spas, educational programs and entertainment.

Much has been written about the splendor and bounty of the valley. But nothing can capture it as well as your own eye, or the eye of a vibrant and brilliant photographer who loved the place as much as anyone could. Wes Walker lived here for twenty-eight years. He tilled the soil as a dedicated grape grower and he participated in the valley's life as a respected community leader. He photographed the valley for years celebrating the landscape, the light, the vineyards, grapes and harvests. Then, he opened his eyes to the architecture, the art, the produce, the caves, the restaurants and the culture that had grown up around the wineries. His pictures chronicle the grace of the valley, its evolution and its astonishing aesthetic in seemingly all matters. This passion for the valley seems to burst through these pages. Thank you, Wes, for creating something that we can all hold onto.

Linda Reiff, Executive Director, Napa Valley Vintners