Napa was a.maz.ing. We had such an incredible time - it was beautiful there. The perfect way to celebrate John Buss's 30th birthday. Here's a peek into our winery itinerary.
We started off our day here, and it could not have been more perfect. I lie. It was rainy. It could have been sunshine-y. It didn't keep us down. The views are beautiful, the service is great, and the bubbly was awesome. Oh - and this is where I broke a glass and it was nbd. I was mortified, they were so nice about it.
I made him stand in the rain for a picture.
Not really our vibe - very modern - more of an art gallery vibe. Lots of people. But we really enjoyed their Pinot Noir. It is literally built into the hillside.
Look at that drab sky.
But the hillsides were still really green!
Very small winery that we really liked. We were the only ones there and we really enjoyed it. Need to spend more time there on our next visit. Also, their second label is Naughty. What's not to love?
Squinty! The sun finally came out.
Nekkid pruned vines. The buds usually break about two weeks from now. We have to go back in the fall when the grapes are ready to be harvested!
I believe these are the oldest hand excavated caves in Napa. We had a great tour guide - very knowledgeable. You do all of the tastings out of barrels. This was our last winery of the day so I was quite loopy at the end of it! Since we were the last tour of the day we stayed around a bit longer, socialized, and danced (they turned up the music and turned on the disco ball) and stayed until they kicked us out. This is where we tasted the same wine out of three different types of barrels (American Oak, French Oak, and something else) - there was such a drastic difference between the three of them.
That's the tour guide and the birthday girl (from Bethesda - her parents took her to Napa for her 21st) holding up my leg. Oh boy.
Good thing we had a driver!
Day 2:
The grounds are BEAUTIFUL. So glad Kristen recommended this to us.
And the owners also collected cars
We said goodbye to Far Niente
We headed north up 29 to explore the Calistoga region. We weren't at Frank Family for long, but it was very nice and if we had more time could have enjoyed the grounds some more.
They had bubbly.
Beautiful view- so nice in the sunshine, and nice that you can hang out on their back terrace and do the tasting at your own pace. We weren't thrilled with any of the wines, but it was nice to enjoy the sunshine.
See the sheepy? They bring them into the vineyards before the buds break to do a little fertilizing and lawn maintenance.
Hottie alert!
Our last winery of the day and we LOVED it here. At the top of the hill, we sat out on their back terrace overlooking vineyards and a pond. Very comfy cozy, the staff was excellent, and we were able to relax and unwind. They brought the tastings out to you at a reasonable pace - no rush at all. We were able to take our time, enjoy the weather and the views. They were very knowledgeable, the wines were reasonable, and they made you feel at home. Another place we will definitely go back to. We didn't get too many pics. And the pics we did get we looked exhausted (we were!) so I'm not going to share those here. But there is this one...with me running to make it for the timer.
Winery pup (always a pic for Carrie!)
That wraps up our two days in Napa. But on our way out of town, we couldn't resist going back to Domaine Carneros to sit out on their terrace and enjoy their bubbly.
After joining the wine club, we were moved from chairs like these...
to comfy cozy chairs like these! Fancy!
Oh my goodness we did not want to leave! But we had to get the rental car back.
Adios, Napa!
More to come on Napa: Food
