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Old 15 February 2020, 12:34 PM   #1
patrickjb
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Napa Reccomendations

Hi All -

Wife and I are looking to go away sans kids for a long weekend this year - and we've landed on Napa.

Most likely going to do a Thurs in SF to do dinner with friends, and then head up Fri-Sunday.

Any recommendations on places to stay, and places to drink and eat would be greatly appreciated!

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Old 15 February 2020, 12:49 PM   #2
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My favorite restaurant https://www.botteganapavalley.com/
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Old 15 February 2020, 12:50 PM   #3
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What wineries you thinking of hitting up?
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Old 15 February 2020, 01:07 PM   #4
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I go once or twice a year with my wife. Here’s my last itinerary.


Trip to Napa

Friday, Aug 17
- [x] Land @ 9am
- [x] 9:45 - pick up Car
- [x] 11:15 - Arrive Napa Valley
- [x] 11:30 - Beringer Tour (30 min)
- [x] 12:30 - 1:45 - Lunch at Brix
- [x] 2:00 - Caymus Tasting
- [x] 3:00 - Mumm - Tour (60 min)
- [x] 4:15 - Mumm - Oak Terrace tasting
- [x] 5:45 - Hotel
- [x] 8:00 Dinner Bistro Jeanty

Saturday, Aug 18
- [x] 9:30 - 10:45 - Schramsberg Tour
- [x] 11:00 - 12:00 - Castello Di Amorosa Tasting
- [x] 12:15 - Cal Mart groceries
- [x] 12:30 - 2:00 Picnic Chateau Montelena
- [x] 2:30 - 4:00 Chappellet Private Tour
- [x] 8:00 Dinner CORDEIROS

Sunday, Aug 19
- [x] 10:30 - 12:00 Jarvis Tour (20min prior)
- [x] 12:30 - 1:45 Lunch Bistro Don Giovanni
- [x] 2:00 - 2:45 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Tasting
- [x] 3:00 - 4:30 - Del Dotto Historic Caves
- [x] 8:30 - Dinner Auberge du Soleil

Monday, Aug 20
- [x] 8:00 Breakfast in Saint-Helena
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Old 15 February 2020, 01:08 PM   #5
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Cottages of Napa valley

Do the tourist thing first, Del Datto cave tour, Darioush, Silver Oak, Castello di Amorosa, Chappallet vineyard tour.

You can send any amount you want for lunch or dinner but the only ones I would go back to is Oxbow market, Gotts roadside, Bistro Jeanty, Brix, Farmstead, Oakville grocery. Have a great time
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Old 15 February 2020, 01:17 PM   #6
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I forgot do the olive oil and wine tasting at round pond. That was an experience. I like to buy some California herbs de provence and a couple fresh loaves at oxbow then buy some fresh Round Pond Olive oil
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Old 15 February 2020, 07:51 PM   #7
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Quote:
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My favorite restaurant https://www.botteganapavalley.com/
Agree
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Old 15 February 2020, 09:38 PM   #8
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Been a while, but we stayed at the meadowood. Which was great, but further away from most wineries.
The food places that stuck out to me were - auberge du soleil (sp) and morimoto.
Obviously lots of wineries so go to ones you know and drink
Have fun and let us know what you end up doing
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Old 15 February 2020, 09:41 PM   #9
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All the recommendation are good but for me personally I never miss a drive to Hog island oyster farm

Grab some whites, rośe or beer and whatever you want to barbeque.


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Old 15 February 2020, 10:13 PM   #10
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Super helpful, as always.

Cheers gang.
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Old 16 February 2020, 04:04 AM   #11
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If you have never been wine tasting in the area, and like wine, one thing to keep in mind is that the entry level tasting fee usually cover their lower grade price point or most recent vintage wines. This is even more prevalent at some of the larger operations. Consequently, you will not be impressed.

If you are looking to buy, then go for the reserve and single vineyard focused tasting menu. It is usually double the price but well worth it.
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Old 16 February 2020, 04:05 AM   #12
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And also, if you are doing reserve level tastings, they are usually happy to bring our some different bottles that may not even be on the menu.
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Old 16 February 2020, 04:35 AM   #13
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There was a thread similar to this a few days ago with some good info.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=722030
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Old 16 February 2020, 04:41 AM   #14
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Artesa is a beautiful facility with wonderful wines. Recommend you visit.


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Old 16 February 2020, 04:57 AM   #15
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Find lodging and explore. Napa at its best is discovering wineries for yourself. Its Napa ffs. Stop, try a win. Leave, stop, try a wine. repeat until you can't walk.

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Old 16 February 2020, 05:09 AM   #16
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You beauty of driving around wine country on the weekends (and other times) is you know already that EVERYONE has been drinking.
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Old 16 February 2020, 05:14 AM   #17
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You can't really go wrong in Napa, but Healdsburg, Calistoga and St. Helena are also good areas to check out - less crowded and commercial than some places in Napa/Sonoma.

Calistoga:

Schramsberg (sparking wines) in Calistoga has a great hour long tour through their caves with a tasting at the end. You'll need a reservation in advance.

Sam's Social Club is great for brunch.

St. Helena:

Schramsberg's sister winery, Davies, in St. Helena is a really nice red wine tasting that you also need a reservation for.

Gott's Roadside is a very popular casual burger restaurant.

Healdsgurg:

SingleThread Farms Restaurant in Healdsburg is an amazing dining experience. They recently received their third Michelin star, but still relatively easy to get reservations. Japanese inspired cuisine. Lunch and dinner have the same menu so lunch can be a good option if dinner reservations are booked.

Hartford Family Winery has a nice tasting room.
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Old 16 February 2020, 05:55 AM   #18
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You beauty of driving around wine country on the weekends (and other times) is you know already that EVERYONE has been drinking.
Solid point.

We usually hire a car / limo service if we don’t have a DD. There are plenty of horror stories, from DUIs arrests to worse.

$300-$500 while steep allows us to enjoy the days stress free...without me ‘risking it all’ ....
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Old 16 February 2020, 07:53 AM   #19
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You beauty of driving around wine country on the weekends (and other times) is you know already that EVERYONE has been drinking.
We generally don't bother with weekends any more just because of this reason. I bike most days for the wine tours and would never go out on a weekend. We have enjoyed the one chauffered tour we did immensely.
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Old 16 February 2020, 08:39 AM   #20
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We hired Gordie to be our driver for the time we spent out there. We paid $125 per person each day for 2 days for the group of 4 but that included all the tasting fees. It was encouraged that we buy at least one bottle at each of the 4 stops per day. He also arranged lunch for us each day. It took all the stress out of planning where to go.

http://www.eyeonwine.com/
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Old 16 February 2020, 11:32 AM   #21
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Try eating at Rutherford Grill. Great patio. I am a bit biased as I designed the building 25 years ago. BV tasting room is on site. Some very nice cabs there.
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Old 16 February 2020, 11:39 AM   #22
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Try eating at Rutherford Grill. Great patio. I am a bit biased as I designed the building 25 years ago. BV tasting room is on site. Some very nice cabs there.
No kidding... wow!! Cheers to you! Really enjoy that spot!!
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Old 16 February 2020, 11:46 AM   #23
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No kidding... wow!! Cheers to you! Really enjoy that spot!!
Thx! I did 10 projects for the owner over a 20 year period. Amazing group.
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Old 16 February 2020, 01:30 PM   #24
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Try eating at Rutherford Grill. Great patio. I am a bit biased as I designed the building 25 years ago. BV tasting room is on site. Some very nice cabs there.
Check out Francis Ford Coppola's Winery which is over across the street in the vicinity. They have some cool movie memorabilia there as well.
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Old 16 February 2020, 01:40 PM   #25
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Go off the beaten path if possible. Try visiting Seavey, Mayacamas, Lokoya, Smith Madrone, Young Inglewood, Amizetta, Burgess, Ovid to name a few.

There is truly something for everyone in Napa, but really depends on what your interests are and what you’re comfortable spending.

I have quite a few Napa wine recommendations on my blog at TheFermentedFruit.com if you’re interested.


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Old 18 February 2020, 01:02 AM   #26
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Try eating at Rutherford Grill. Great patio. I am a bit biased as I designed the building 25 years ago. BV tasting room is on site. Some very nice cabs there.
Off topic, but I was told the owner of Rutherford Grill was part of the Houston's franchise and that is why the menu and decor is similar. Any truth to that?

On topic - I always enjoy Rutherford Grill.
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Old 18 February 2020, 01:13 AM   #27
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One place people may not know about is Safari West, (for a change of pace) about 20 minutes out of Calistoga heading towards Santa Rosa.

The town square in Sonoma is ok much like the one in Healdsburg. You can rent a bicycle in places and do balloon rides at dawn in other places. There is also Indian Gaming in some places as well, within an hours drive of Calistoga.

There are great restaurants throughout the area, Napa county and Sonoma county partly due to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena) and partly due to the fact that San Francisco chefs will often head out on their own and start restaurants in hole in the wall places in the small towns. Some towns with half a main street will have 4 and 5 star restaurants in them. The wine culture and the restaurant culture is everywhere.

I'm not a great foodie but Rutherford Grille is always fun and FULL. Auberge du Soleil is great dining up on the hill in Rutherford as well. My wife's boss is a foodie and does the fine dining thing all over the world, and said it was the best she ever had, for what that's worth.

Something people may or may not know, the Silverado Trail is a road that runs parallel to the highway running from Napa up to Calistoga (highway 29). It's far faster than using 29 and there are plenty of roads back across from 29 to Silverado. There is only about a mile between them. Highway 29 can be a log jam on weekends.
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Old 18 February 2020, 01:54 AM   #28
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We stayed at the Candlelight Inn Napa Valley years ago and absolutely loved it. When we go back we will stay there again for sure....we also booked a Boomerang tour which was awesome to do the wine tasting tour and not have to worry about driving. Enjoy the trip!
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Old 19 February 2020, 12:08 AM   #29
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Yountsville is a great little town to stay in. We like The Villagio butt here are plenty of other places and really good restaurants. I recommend making dinner reservations before you go if you plan on dining at any of the more famous places in the region (English Laundry etc)
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Old 19 February 2020, 12:23 PM   #30
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Yountsville is a great little town to stay in. We like The Villagio butt here are plenty of other places and really good restaurants. I recommend making dinner reservations before you go if you plan on dining at any of the more famous places in the region (English Laundry etc)
French Laundry DUH
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