Seek • October 29, 2024
by Karen
Tasting Away in Napa
Here’s How We Spent Four Days in Napa
My husband, Brian, and I always have a lot to celebrate in the Fall: our Anniversary and both of our Birthdays, so a few years ago we decided to stop trying to come up with gifts and instead make travel our “presence”. Last year for our 25th Anniversary, we went to Switzerland and Italy - I will definitely share that itinerary soon. This year, we went to Napa for a few days in between visiting our daughters.
We had been once before and moved around a bit more between Sonoma, Downtown Napa and Healdsburg, but this time we wanted to just stick to one area and relax. So we chose Yountville and it was perfect - we only got in our car twice, thanks to the bikes at the hotel and all of the incredible restaurants within walking distance. We had four nights and three full days, which was nice and we didn’t feel like we were packing too much into each day. The weather in October was beautiful - sunny and 70 degree days and then a little cooler in the evenings.
Where we stayed:
Hotel Villagio at The Estate Yountville
6481 Washington St. Yountville
This is a really understated resort hotel that is part of a 22-acre estate. There is a small vineyard you can walk through, event spaces, a spa decked out by Veuve, a private villa you can rent, restaurants and another hotel, The Vintage House.
Both are beautiful boutique hotels with gorgeous lobbies, rooms and pool areas. I would have preferred staying at the VIntage House, because it is a little brighter and decorated more in my style, but it wasn’t available. With that said, there wasn’t a single flaw, other than the room and lobby being a bit dark at the Villagio.
Bonus, they offer a complimentary breakfast that you can enjoy at either location (so we would wander over to the VIntage House for that) and a lovely wine tasting from 5-6:00 in the Villagio lobby.
They also have pedal assist ebikes that you can take out, which are so fun to take the edge off some of the hilly areas there.
Where we ate:
(the food was so awesome at every spot, so I am just going to tell you what we ordered
While our hotel served breakfast, we supplemented with a baguette (the epi) from this bakery and of course I had to get a salted caramel macaron.
6525 Washington Street, Yountville
Dinner - Brussel Sprout Salad, Arancini, Gnocchi for me and Braised Short Rib for Brian
6795 Washington Street, Yountville
Late dinner after a long day of tastings - Pan Asian Noodle Salad for me and Ding’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich for Brian
7377 St Helena Highway, Napa
Lunch - Heirloom Tomato Salad, Crispy Deviled Eggs, Crispy Kohlrabi Fritters
6534 Washington Street, Yountville
Dinner - Haricot Verts special, Olives, Truffle Frites and Mussels for Brian and profiteroles for dessert
7856 St Helena Highway, Napa
Lunch - like no other specialty market - I love this place!
Woodfired pizzas and wine!
6510 Washington Street, Yountville
Late night snack of tomato soup with puff pastry top and fries
It’s worth noting this market because it is very close to where we stayed and we went there on our last visit. It is a cool public market loaded with different food and wine vendors. You can grab and go or belly up at some of the small restaurant areas. In one stop, you can try Model Bakery, Gott’s Roadside, and our favorite was hanging at Hog Island Oyster Co.
Where we tasted wines:
This was an unplanned, fun find as we discovered it along the bike path, so of course we had to stop. We each had a tasting and loved how nice and casual the winery was, including a front seat view of them taking in the grapes and starting the winemaking process. We bought Jillian’s Red Wine Blend and Flat Rock Ranch Malbec and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
This was a really fun afternoon that ran into the evening thanks to the very generous amount of pours they shared with us. We reserved a wine and cheese pairing and sat in their beautiful tasting room. The wines were so good and we really lik that they aren’t sold in stores or restaurants, so we feel like we tried some really special wines. We bought Oakville Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Tartan Red Blend and Moon Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
This was a very cool spot and our tasting was really fun. It’s all about mixing music and wine here, so the winery is filled with cool song and musical artist references, including a backstage tasting room. Each area of grapes is named after songs. They even create a Rock Block blend that is a merging of two artists (sorry, grapes).
We bought the Sauvignon Blanc and Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a very beautiful property designed and built by a couple who created gorgeous gardens where you can take a garden art walk. The organic wines are created by one of few female winemakers in the area, so extra points for that! We had a wonderful tasting that included walking the property, tasting a lot of wines and ended with our guide singing us a few tunes (he was a former Disney actor and aerial stuntman). We bought Rose’, Making of A VIneyard and Reserve Meritage.
O’So Pro Tip: Most wineries require reservations for tastings, so plan ahead! You can walk in and some are very welcoming, but you may have to wait.
How we spent our time:
Well, obviously we ate some delicious food and drank a fair amount of wine! But, we did also take a nice long bike ride along the Vine Trail, went on a gorgeous hike around Lake Hennessey, watched hot air balloons take off, visited the Chandon gardens and just chilled out in this stunning location.