You and your better half have plotted out your wine-country getaway to a T. First, you're touring some of the biggies. Mondavi, Sterling, Inglenook. Then several mid-sized vintners: Beaulieu, Franciscan, Clos du Bois. Next, some personal favorites Silverado, Frog's Leap, Grgich Hills.

Finally, you're hoping for a few chance encounters with small-lot specialists whose bottles never leave the valley. Those can be the most fun of all.