Today I’m sharing details about where we stayed, what wineries we visited and where we ate.
One thing to note was how we set up our days. We mapped out the key wineries we wanted to visit, and made reservations for those wineries that required them, but other than that kept things pretty open so we wouldn’t feel rushed at any particular place. On Friday, we arrived in the afternoon so we opted to visit two wineries within a 20 minute drive of downtown Napa. On Saturday, our only full day, we started our tastings in Calistoga and slowly navigated our way back toward Napa in an effort to maximize our time as most vineyards close by 5:00 p.m.
W H E R EÂ Â W EÂ Â S T A Y E D
Meritage Resort and Spa – this place definitely has a resort feel with multiple buildings, a spa, restaurant, two pool areas and a bowling alley. We didn’t spend much time at the resort though because we were out and about during the day and evenings. The view from our room overlooked a vineyard and part of a valet parking lot. We’ve (regretfully?) been spoiled with hotel accommodations in Hawaii, so we were a bit underwhelmed by the interior of the room for the cost per night.
We had breakfast at their restaurant both mornings and it was delicious — the best french toast I’ve ever had! It was a cozy atmosphere, with lots of wood and low lighting.
The Meritage is on the outskirts of Napa, oddly in an industrial park, so it was about a 10-15 minute drive to downtown Napa and close to an hour drive up to Calistoga (though honestly it was a beautiful drive, so I’m not complaining!). The positive thing about being further away from the action of Napa Valley is that it is that much easier to navigate your way home as you’re that much closer to major freeways.
W I N E R I E SÂ Â W EÂ Â V I S I T E D
DAY 1, Friday, April 13
Stags Leap – located on the Silverado Trail, their tasting room features floor to ceiling stone walls and one full wall of floor to ceiling windows that overlooks their picturesque vineyard and rolling hills. They also have a patio area to enjoy a glass of wine. I can’t drink red wines, so Victor, the gentleman that hosted us, was kind enough to create a white only tasting. My favorite was their sauvignon blanc called Aventi — served extra cold, Aventi would be so good on a summer day with its sweet peach and tropical fruit flavors.
Regusci – just a few doors down from Stags Leap is Regusci. This is one of my favorite spots as they have a tasting room inside as well as a large patio for tastings outside. They also have dogs around, so that immediately awarded them extra points. 🙂 The view is stunning — it overlooks their vast vineyards and garden and the mountains in the distance. Their only white offering was chardonnay. I don’t typically enjoy many chardonnays as I find them too buttery and oak-y, but this one was quite good as they intentionally made it to not have those characteristics. We spent over 1.5 hours here, and they didn’t rush us or make us feel as though we had overstayed our welcome. It was a really lovely experience and Rachel, who hosted us, was incredibly knowledgeable and kind.
We spent over 1.5 hours here, and they didn’t rush us or make us feel as though we had overstayed our welcome. It was a really lovely experience and Rachel, who hosted us, was incredibly knowledgeable and kind. This view never gets old either.
They had the most charming farm stand full of fresh fruits and vegetables grown right on site. A family member tends to the garden.
DAY 2, Saturday, April 14
Chateaux Montelena – located in Calistoga, this winery has an incredibly serene setting featuring its own man-made pond. The Asian influence from the structures in the pond are from previous owners that immigrated from China.
Wine tastings were indoors in a historic stone building dating back to the 1800s. You might have heard of this vineyard if you’ve ever heard of or watched the movie Bottle Shock. I observed at least three separate bar areas for tasting, and again, because I can’t drink reds, our host gave us a heavier pour of their chardonnay.
Caymus – of the six vineyards we visited, Caymus is the only one that offers valet parking. They have an expansive outdoor patio area with cozy, shaded seating areas. We had our tasting in a small room close to their shop. It wasn’t my favorite experience of the trip, and we didn’t spend much time there. The only thing I took a picture of here was their brick floor for inspiration for someday wine cellar when we grow up.
Honig – I’ve been a fan of their sauvignon blanc so we made a stop here when I saw it pop up on our map. It’s maybe a 4 minute drive from Caymus down a quiet, vineyard lined side road. While all of the other wineries are generally surrounded by vineyards, this winery feels like you’re nestled right in the middle of an expansive vineyard adorned with yellow mustard flowers, because you essentially are. It’s tucked right between their own vineyard and neighboring vineyards making it a really peaceful and quaint location tucked in way off that quiet road. They have a large patio for tastings and our host Marisol was wonderful. She kindly allowed me to have a whites-only tasting and was knowledgeable of the wines and the area. Their bee icon is a symbol of their name which means honey in German.
Silver Oak – our last winery visit of the trip was to Silver Oak, known for their cabernet sauvignons. Inside, it’s a really large, open stone building with high ceilings. It also has a private, glass-walled tasting room and an entire wall with nearly floor to ceiling racks of wines. They didn’t have tables and chairs outside for tastings, but they have some stone walls you can sit on if you want to slowly sip on each glass during the tasting.
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W H E R EÂ Â W EÂ Â A T E
DAY 1
Lunch: Bounty Hunter – this is a great little BBQ spot in downtown Napa. In addition to delicious BBQ, they have an extensive wine, beer and spirits menu. Their pulled pork sandwich was a definite winner! It’s a casual atmosphere with a small bar, high top tables constructed with what else but wine barrels, lots of wood details from the floors to the walls, taxidermy and a beautiful, well-worn American flag donned on one of the walls. This was our first stop before heading up to Stags Leap and Regusci.
Dinner: Cole’s Chop House – located in downtown Napa, this is definitely an indulgent fine-dining experience without being stuffy. We were here for my birthday about 3 years ago and made to sure come back here again this time around. Great wine selection, great cuts of meat, sides and service. My husbands all-time favorite is the bone-in ribeye and Cole’s doesn’t disappoint. Their shoestring onion rings are beyond-comprehension-delicious. There’s a lot of history to the stone building; over the course of many decades it was a meeting house turned bowling alley turned restaurant. This is a great spot for groups or couples.
DAY 2
Breakfast: Meritage Resort and Spa – brioche french toast for the win! We opted out of the buffet both days.
Dinner: Mustard’s Grill – breakfast tied us over, so we ended up skipping lunch and opted to have an early dinner rather than keep our later reservation at Brix. Mustard’s Grill is a small restaurant with a decent sized bar located in northern Napa closer to a lot of the action in Napa Valley. Their menu has a good variety of options and their servers were friendly and efficient. I kept it classy with a cheeseburger and fries and my husband opted for the ribeye which he said was delicious. For dessert we had one of their specials – a strawberry shortcake made with oatmeal cookies. A genius and delicious combination!
Day 3
Breakfast: Meritage Resort and Spa
Our trip to Napa Valley was a super relaxing and fun weekend getaway. I still can’t get over how simply beautiful and peaceful it is up in Napa Valley. Just being around such beauty is like therapy for the soul. We loved it so much we booked another trip up there in a couple weeks. We’ll be staying at and visiting completely different places, so stay tuned for a second post on our next Napa Valley adventure in the coming weeks!
What’s your favorite Napa Valley winery? Any winery or dining recommendations?
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