Napa/Sonoma/St Helena

[rebekahb]

We will be visiting the area next Wed-Sun. Any recommendations on vineyards/wineries to visit? As far as wine, I drink it all except sweet. I do like sparkling as well. I’m not a big production type of person that wants to go to the places everyone goes. I like more quaint and unique type of places. Any other ideas that are cool in the area I’m open to as well. We will have a rental car (have a driver for certain days). This is our first time in this area.

I am looking at Del Dotto in St. Helena, Tres Sabores, and maybe Joseph Phelps.

Also, any restaurant recommendations? I let doesnt have to be fancy if it’s a cool vibe and good food. Eat everything so open to any type of cuisine.

Thanks in advance to anyone who answers!

[alpineg20]

My wife and I will be in Napa this Wednesday through Monday. Some of our favorites are Brasswood, Fantesca, Barnett Vineyards, Italics, and Davis Estates.

[rebekahb]

Thanks, I’ll check these out.

I know there are so many to choose from it’s kind of overwhelming so always love to hear what appeals to people and why.

[Esteban]

hubbahubba goes a lot. He'll have some ideas for you too.

[flybigjet]

Off the top of my head (in no order)?

Relic.

Pfifer Pavitt (a personal favorite of my wife and I- we like their "Date Night" Sauv Blanc and their Reserve Sparkling-- made by hand in small lots)

Outpost (good luck on that one-- pre-visit correspondence is required),

Pine Ridge (although they've changed their visit/tasting policy and I don't know what it is at present).

Hall.

I'd avoid the "Big" names-- Mondavi, V. Sattui (although their deli is great), etc. Aim for the smaller, lower production wineries (which are getting a LOT harder to find as everyone's being bought out by Corporations, Inc.)

R.

[KevinC]

How about doing the Wine Train?

https://www.winetrain.com

[RickFLM4]

I believe Realm Cellars has re-opened to the public so I would make sure that was on my list if going. Otherwise, agree with Esteban on consulting with hubbahubba or checking out his posts and pictures in the Wine thread. Lots of great places to visit.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I believe Realm Cellars has re-opened to the public so I would make sure that was on my list if going. Otherwise, agree with Esteban on consulting with hubbahubba or checking out his posts and pictures in the Wine thread. Lots of great places to visit.

I forgot about Realm. Seconded.

R.

[DubaiRich]

For a smaller, more intimate setting, try Davies Winery (Schramsberg) in St. Helena. Great Cabs and Pinots...along with bubbles.

https://www.daviesvineyards.com/

[rebekahb]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

Off the top of my head (in no order)?

Relic.

Pfifer Pavitt (a personal favorite of my wife and I- we like their "Date Night" Sauv Blanc and their Reserve Sparkling— made by hand in small lots)

Outpost (good luck on that one— pre-visit correspondence is required),

Pine Ridge (although they've changed their visit/tasting policy and I don't know what it is at present).

Hall.

I'd avoid the "Big" names— Mondavi, V. Sattui (although their deli is great), etc. Aim for the smaller, lower production wineries (which are getting a LOT harder to find as everyone's being bought out by Corporations, Inc.)

R.

Im going to check out the other ones you mentioned. Im on the waiting list for Pine Ridge so if we get in I’ll update you on how it goes. Thanks!

Yeah, not interested in the big name places and hate that so much is being bought out by the big guys.

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I believe Realm Cellars has re-opened to the public so I would make sure that was on my list if going. Otherwise, agree with Esteban on consulting with hubbahubba or checking out his posts and pictures in the Wine thread. Lots of great places to visit.

I’m checking out Realm Cellars now, thanks!!

Originally Posted by DubaiRich

For a smaller, more intimate setting, try Davies Winery (Schramsberg) in St. Helena. Great Cabs and Pinots...along with bubbles.

https://www.daviesvineyards.com/

I’ve got that on my list and seeing if I can get in because I do like Schramaberg. Thanks!

[Josh-PA]

I'm sure others will have better recommendations, but if you like sparkling, my wife and i had an excellent time tasting at Chandon. It's not fancy or excellent quality, but it is very fun, friendly and welcoming. I would also recommend stopping at (I think this is the one, going from 5yr old memory) stopping at the Ranch Market or Oxbow Cheese in Yountville and getting a nice chartruterie and cheese setup of your liking. You can take it to the Mondavi property, get a vineyard only glass of wine and sit at their beautiful property and enjoy lunch overlooking the vineyard.

When we were there, we stayed at the Sonoma Mission Inn and really enjoyed the hot spring pools. Sunflower Caffe in Sonoma was a nice breakfast spot as was the Girl and the Fig for dinner.

Besides wines, we enjoyed a couple of the olive oil makers, tastings, etc. https://www.visitnapavalley.com/blog...-oil-tastings/

[DocL]

Napa Cellars is a great small winery. I don't like wine, but their's was good enough for me to buy a case of red and white.

[R BMW]

A small, very interesting vineyard we liked. https://www.hendrywines.com/

[hubbahubba]

Del Dotto is great fun, and there are several locations.

My favorite has to be Tor. Made at a custom crush facility called Wheeler Farms on Zinfandel Lane as they aren’t big enough to have their own facility. I think there are only 5-6 employees total. Every single wine I’ve had from them is excellent, and I don’t even know if they offer group tastings. Individual tastings/tours at any winery are definitely the way to go, it’s no different here.

AXR is also excellent. Small winery with great wine. We did our tasting with the winemakers father in law who has been in the valley for a long, long time, and had great stories.

Also very fun to visit for the history is Stags’ Leap. Beautiful location, and when you do the estate grown tasting you understand what made the wine so well known. The wines from the estate are awesome. (Black Label)

Others I would definitely hit again:
Frank Family
Quixote
Nickel and Nickel- do the terroir tasting!
Jordan
Peju
Caymus- just finished a remodel
Opus- has some amazing art

Castello di Amorosa is a very cool place, and worth a visit once, but we really did not enjoy the wine.

Places to eat:
Goose and Gander
Mustards
Rutherford Grill
Brix

We’ve never done French Laundry, but would if we could get a reservation. I think they put them up at the first of the month, and are gone almost immediately.

Where are you staying?

[hubbahubba]

One other that I should mention is Rutherford Ranch. Especially since you will be in the area on the 23rd, I think? Every year they do a big Lobster boil event, and if I remember correctly it is the 23rd this year.

[jsf721]

No more than 2 wineries a day. Eat lunch at gots not fancy but great. Mustards good for lunch. The oberge great for dinner and killer sunset. Its very expensive and you can just do drinks and sunset. B cellars my favorite. Did the tasting menu paired with lunch. Garjulo amazing.

You can skip opus. Over rated wines. Beautify physical plant. Hall was a beautiful glass structure that beautiful and wines were great.

I’m not a big wine guy but I know what I like when I taste it.

French laundry is supposed to be great for dinner. Could not get reservation. They book early so call.

Enjoy.

[dradernh]

For a smaller, more intimate setting that still somehow continues to represent what the Napa Valley used to be (think fifty years ago; read, without the mob scene), try the Anderson Valley.

Navarro Vineyards has an impressive selection of quality wines and Roederer Estate is always worth a stop. There are many others, as well.

Anyone venturing up to the valley for the first time might consider continuing a few miles further to the town of Mendocino. It still has enough of the flavor of Old California to make it very worthwhile. The Ford House Visitor Center is a wonderful way to learn why, to this day, the town has so many water towers: https://www.mendoparks.org/parks/men...nds-state-park. It doesn't hurt that the coastal view at Mendocino is classic and uniquely Northern California.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by jsf721

No more than 2 wineries a day. Eat lunch at gots not fancy but great. Mustards good for lunch. The oberge great for dinner and killer sunset. Its very expensive and you can just do drinks and sunset. B cellars my favorite. Did the tasting menu paired with lunch. Garjulo amazing.

You can skip opus. Over rated wines. Beautify physical plant. Hall was a beautiful glass structure that beautiful and wines were great.

I’m not a big wine guy but I know what I like when I taste it.

French laundry is supposed to be great for dinner. Could not get reservation. They book early so call.

Enjoy.

French Laundry = Imho overpriced and overhyped. Gorgeous space, impossible to get reservations without planning a decade in advance (or being the governor, a "star" or CEO). Yes it has three stars (which is admittedly tough in America), but I've been to 1 and 2 star venues that I thought the food (if not the presentation and building) were just about as good.

Opus? Absolutely agree unless you're working on their very top end-- and that is a pricy afternoon.

Hall? I'm glad I mentioned them and that you agree.

Oberge? They just did a remodel a while back that really opens up the bar area for the view. Skip dinner and go to the bar area, sit on the deck and order the Bubbles of your choice and/or pommes frites/calamari. You can't get much closer to heaven than this.

R.

[rebekahb]

Thank y’all for all the recommendations!! I’ve got a tentative list and have some good ones to add. Also, looked at several of the restaurants and there are some good ones.

hubbahubba we are staying in Napa near the river. I can’t remember the name of the place. Its quaint but nothing over the top. We are never in the room on trips like this.

As far as French Laundry, those type of places aren’t my vibe. I enjoy a damn good meal and living in Nola we get to do that a lot and don’t have to spend crazy amounts. I’ve never been one to go to a place as a status thing.

I definitely like the Anderson Valley idea and we might take a day and drive up that way for a different vibe.

I appreciate everyone taking time to respond and will definitely give some feedback on our trip.

Two people mentioned Oberge. Is that Auberge? I tried looking it up because I liked the idea of bubbles and apps on the with a view.

[RickFLM4]

Please post pics and what you liked / didn’t like in the wine thread after your trip. Above all else, have a great time!

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...677391&page=47

[DubaiRich]

Whatever you do, don't purchase gas in the Town of Mendicino. Just go a little way towards Ft. Bragg and it drops significantly.


Yesterday's Avg. $7.28/Reg $9.80/Mid

[DocL]

Originally Posted by DubaiRich

Whatever you do, don't purchase gas in the Town of Mendicino. Just go a little way towards Ft. Bragg and it drops significantly.


Yesterday's Avg. $7.28/Reg $9.80/Mid

We stayed at a B&B in Mendicino and were almost killed by a gas leak in the room for the fireplace. My wife and I could barely wake up the next day and we realized sometime during the night it must have started leaking. They changed our room, but didn't offer any kind of refund or credit. I also remember the town smelling like one big joint.