My cousin, Terry, came down for a quick visit from Washington state. We snuck away for a day trip to Napa Valley.
I dropped the kids off at a friend’s house, (thank you, Tina), and we were in Napa just before noon. Our friends Eric and Crystal were coincidentally in Napa, celebrating their anniversary. They joined us and spent the day with us.
First stop: Duckhorn
This is a favorite wine of a client of ours, so went there first to pick up a couple of bottles for him. They encourage reservations, but we were able to be seated without them. The property is lovely and the tasting room is bright and airy, with natural sunlight shining through the windows.
The path from the parking lot to the property…
Eric and Crystal in the tasting room…
David and me…
Next stop: Cuvaison
This property has one of my two favorite pinot noirs right now. They also have two tasting rooms. One tasting room is in the Carneros region. It is a beautiful, modern, room, with a patio that overlooks their vines. Gorgeous. The other tasting room is on the Silverado Trail. It is not as visually impressive as the Carneros room, but it is still nice, and bonus, you can picnic here. (Only select properties allow picnicking.)
If I can share two good Napa Valley tips, they would be these: 1) Share tastings. Not only do you save money, but you can also visit more properties. 2) Buy your picnic items at home and bring them, instead of waiting in the insane boutique grocery lines in Napa to pick up lunch.
I brought a picnic lunch for us to enjoy at Cuvaison. The weather was perfect, and we all marveled at the amazing day we were having.
Terry, me, David
David, Eric, Crystal, Terry
Heading to stop 3, we were behind a truck full of grapes!
Next stop: Darioush
If I had anything negative to say about this day, was that everyone else had the same idea to visit Napa. We were stuck in traffic everywhere. Something that typically would take 15 minutes was doubled. Oh well.
Darioush had been a place that I had wanted to go to for quite a while. I had heard that their tasting room is one of the most visually beautiful places to visit. The grounds are unique and gorgeous, and yes, so was the tasting room. Unfortunately, it was so busy, we decided not to wait around for a tasting. Next time.
Getting ready to go in…
Back on the road. We did not stop here, but this is a drive by shot of one of our favorite wineries for their quality wine: Chimney Rock
Final stop: Domaine Carneros
This is not necessarily a tip, but a preference. We always start or end our wine trail with a sparkling wine. This is our favorite place to end our trail. Domaine Carneros. I have posted about this magnificent property before. They have an incredible patio that overlooks the hills.
We were stuck in traffic most of the way home, but it was worth it.