I've been visiting wine country for at least twice a year for 20 years. What do you want to know?
Some unsolicited advice:
1) The Napa Valley has gone from expensive, to silly expensive, to "I can't afford to do this anymore" expensive. I still love going there. But the amount of places I can afford to visit has dwindled. Oxbow Market, particularly the Fatted Calf; and maybe 20 wine tasting rooms are still on my Napa menu(V. Sattui is the first place I go, every time). I'm not paying $100 for a few ounces of wine, with no way to make the tasting fees disappear with purchase.
2) Sonoma County and particularly the Suisun Valley appellation have prices comparable to what Napa was 20 years ago. I'd stay near one of those areas instead and make forays down/over to Napa. The entire area is lovely.
3) It makes no sense to visit Napa to learn about wine. That's like entering the Indy 500 to learn how to drive. Better to bring an educated palate there and "learn your licks" anywhere else. France, even. When I first started visiting, it was all about the Cabernet Sauvignon for me. 20 years later, I just want a bottle of Old Vine Zinfandel -- I can buy an entire case of first-rate Dry Creek zin for the same as one bottle of Rutherford's finest. And I'll enjoy it more. This is the sort of thing you want to learn before going there, where a 750ml bottle can easily hit four figures and anything hovering around $100 is considered "el cheapo."
