It’s that quiet, adventurous energy that inspired our newest experience— the Dawn Patrol—a sunrise vineyard hike and open-fire breakfast shared over a glass (or glasses) of The Mascot.

For us, Dawn Patrol represents more than just antemeridian merrymaking. The name we chose for these seasonal gatherings carries historical associations with such qualities as courage, curiosity, and a taste for adventure—not to mention the drive to push one's personal boundaries. The term's origins are several: it first referred to the high-flying reconnaissance pilots of World War I; then, decades later, to the early Southern California surfers who rose before sunrise to catch the best waves, despite frigid temperatures.

The golden hour sunrise at Dawn Patrol (Oakville, CA).

WWI Pilots: A Legacy of Courage and Precision

The phrase “Dawn Patrol” can first be traced to the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC), which later became the Royal Air Force (RAF). These pilots would take off in the early hours of the morning to reconnoiter in preparation for whatever engagement the coming day might bring. They would rise in the still-dark hours, carefully prepare their aircraft, and take to the skies. Their mission was clear: to scout, observe, and gather crucial intelligence, all before the rest of the world stirred.

There was a quiet heroism in these early morning missions. It was an era when pilots had to rely on their skills and instinct, working with minimal light and maximum focus. The dawn provided a silent and sometimes perilous stage setting for a drama in which every decision and reaction was of utmost consequence.

A California Surfing Tradition

Even before these WWI pilots soared through the skies, another group of pioneers was embracing the dawn in a completely different way, in and on the waves of Southern California's beaches. Well in advance of the wetsuit, true surfers paddled out before light, when waves were cleanest, before morning winds turned onshore. At this hour, the ocean was glassy, the beaches empty, and the impending sunrise cast an ethereal golden glow over the Pacific.

These intrepid few adopted the name "Dawn Patrol" for their morning ritual, and the moniker was an appropriate one. They weren’t just chasing waves—they were chasing something deeper. A sense of freedom, solitude, and the simple pleasure of being out on the water before anyone else. Like the pilots of the Great War, they embraced the quiet power of the dawn and the prospect of beginning each day with purpose.

A morning vineyard hike kicks things off at Dawn Patrol.

An Invitation to Embrace the Morning

The joy, excitement, and vitality of the new day is what we sought to capture with our own Dawn Patrol event—an early morning expedition at which guests are invited to savor the stillness of the moment and the awakening of the world atop a breathtaking hillside in the Napa Valley.

We begin before sunrise with a short hike through some of our younger vines, then gather for an open-fire breakfast and a glass of The Mascot. The experience offers not only a chance to enjoy the calm of the countryside at an entrancing hour, but also the opportunity to meet new people from various walks of life with a shares curiosity to briefly step away from the ordinary into vistas both memorable and powerful.