Looking at Greystone – the Culinary Institute in St. Helena
It is Mustard season in the Napa Valley
This is a rare unobstructed view of the Culinary Institute of America’s historic Greystone building. I shot this photo in January of 2006. The beautiful field of mustard is now planted to Zinfandel vines. The vineyards belong to the Charles Krug Winery. The winery was undergoing massive changes at the time and vines in this field had been dug up. Today, one would not be able to enjoy this fantastic display of nature at work with the historic Greystone building in the background. One of the great pleasures of visiting the Napa Valley in the Winter is experiencing the mustard season. Typically, mustard begins to grow 30 days after the first significant rainfall in December. The more rain in the Napa Valley, the more the mustard seems to grow and spread. The best mustard views are when the plant is growing in between the vineyard rows. This gives the vineyard a spectacular appearance. There is no one perfect spot to view the mustard. Your best bet is to drive along the crossroads of the Napa Valley that connect Highway 29 to the Silverado Trail. It is also wise to take a drive up the hilsides of the Vaca Mountains on the eastside or the Mayacamus Mountains on the westside. If you find a delightful view of mustard, send us your photo and we will do our best to display it. By the end of March, the mustard season will sadly come to an end.
