At around 40 miles in length, one end in the cool of San Francisco bay, the other in the warmth of the inland, the disneyfied Napa Valley is, it is easy to forget, a superb wine region. And with many superb growers. Having survived Prohibition, it grew from the sixties from a region without about 20 producers into a 200 plus producer area. Sub areas include Stags Leap and Carneros. Overall the valley does best with the Bordeaux grape varieties, especially in areas like Stags Leap, but places like Carneros are good sources of Chardonnay and Pinot for sparkling wines. The valley is full of Parker anointed and consumer acclaimed icons, including, Harlan, Screaming Eagle and Shafer. (CW 23/01/12)