Travel Outfit: dress / jacket / sneakers / belt bag / sunnies / weekender / suitcase
I am so excited to share this post with you guys! Napa is a place Brad and I had wanted to go for years. We waited so long because we kept thinking it might be fun to do with another couple or small group. But as any parents of young kids know, planning anything with a group and all arranging for childcare at the same time can be quite the undertaking. We finally gave up and went just the two of us, which is something we try to do once a year anyway.
After doing some research, I found Napa and its surrounding areas to be a little overwhelming. There are SO many wineries, and of course other little areas within Napa that are anywhere from like 15 to 45 minutes away. And then there’s also Sonoma, which is a whole separate thing. Luckily for us for us, my parents are frequent Napa area visitors and were able to help us get a better idea of what we are looking at.
The first place we started was the wineries, choosing which ones we’d like to do tastings and/or tours. We toyed with the idea of getting a hotel in downtown Napa, but we soon realized that nearly all the wineries we decided to visit were closer to the Yountville area about 15 minutes north. So about a week before we left, Brad changed our hotel to be closer to what we were planning to do.
As far as where to fly into, your choices are San Francisco or Sacramento. We opted for San Francisco, but I think next time we will try Sacramento, since several people told us that was much easier. With traffic in San Francisco, the drive from the airport to our hotel took about two and a half hours.
blazer / bodysuit / jeans / shoes / bag
HOTEL
I’m going to start with the hotel, since that’s the first thing I saw once we arrived. You guys, this hotel was INCREDIBLE. Brad often gets frustrated with me because I’m a bit of a hotel snob. I feel like the ambience of the hotel can add a lot to the trip for me, so I love to find unique hotels that aren’t owned by one of the large chains. Generally speaking, they are prettier with a little better customer service.
We stayed at North Block Hotel in Yountville and I truly don’t think I could have been happier with our hotel choice. (Props to Brad for finding it, because I didn’t even know it existed.) It’s a rather small hotel, with only about 20 guest rooms. What makes it so unique is it’s basically set up all around a little courtyard with a fountain and seating. Some rooms upstairs, some down, but no long winding hallways for you to meander down to find your room number. It’s almost like having your own private little casita in the middle of the most charming town you’ve ever seen.
I wish I had taken actual pictures of the room, but you can view them online too. I took mostly videos of everything and didn’t realize it until we got home. Anyway, we had a Deluxe King Room, and it was furnished exactly how I love, with major Restoration Hardware vibes. In fact, I am pretty sure that’s where most of the furnishings came from as the RH store is literally right next door. We had a separate shower and soaking tub, a double sink vanity, our own private little patio, as well as a little seating area right out front of our door. It also had a huge walk-in closet, something you don’t usually find in hotels!
The service at North Block was impeccable. Upon our arrival, we were poured glasses of wine/champagne and someone took our bags to our room for us. After our first day of tastings, we came back to find a bottle of champagne waiting for us in the room, and throughout the trip they kept leaving little surprises for us. At one point, we had an issue with the shower water pressure. So Brad walked the 100 feet over to the lobby to let them know, and they fixed it almost immediately.
I should also mention, the hotel has it’s own restaurant (right there in the courtyard) with outdoor tables and space heaters. And if you’re a guest of the hotel, they offer free breakfast every morning with Bouchon Bakery pastries, breakfast potatoes, quiche, bacon, and the trimmings for a parfait, plus of course coffee and juices. I think the only struggle on our next visit will be do we stay there again or try another one of the charming hotels in Yountville. Because honestly, it’s going to be hard NOT to return to this one!
dress / hat / sandals / bag / sunnies
WINERIES
This is where it gets a little crazy. I forget how many exactly (we were told during one of our tours) but there are TONS of wineries in Napa, and choosing which to visit can be hard. I will tell you, you’re natural instinct is to cram in as many as you can during your visit. DON’T DO THIS. Lol. Pick two, no more than three, per day. We are big wine drinkers so there are a lot of wines we have had from a lot of the vineyards out there, naturally making us want to visit all of them. Obviously it had to be narrowed down, so here is where we ended up.
We had had their Chardonnay before, and really liked it, so it seemed like a good one to do a full tasting at. This was our first stop on Friday. We tasted about 6 wines with a sommelier and one other couple at our table. It was very low-key, very enjoyable. The grounds were definitely pretty (there is an incredible garden right next to the outdoor tasting area) and the over-all atmosphere was definitely relaxing.
Our next stop was Mondavi, mostly because it just feels like a place that would be full of history. My parents had said they have one of the best tours around. When you drive up, it has a slightly more modern feel than many of the other wineries, but equally as beautiful. Unfortunately, we never got our tour because they had lost power shortly before our arrival. So instead, they set us up with (way too many) tastings and some snacks to make up for it, out on their tasting patio where the views are absolutely stunning. We left there a tad buzzed for sure, but had a great time. They also do Friday night concerts in the summer time, which I’m sure is a lot of fun.
After we had lunch we headed over to Far Niente for a tour and tasting. I am so glad we opted to do the tour here, because Far Niente has the oldest cave in all of Napa, and it’s a mile’s worth of caves. The story on how it was built was amazing to hear as well. As cool as the cave was, the grounds of this property are absolutely stunning. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a beautiful property. Good wine making is all about farming, and you can tell everyone who runs this property knows their way around a garden (or vineyard).
There were flowers everywhere, a few random ponds, charming little pathways, and outdoor tasting area next to a pool, I could go on and on. I highly recommend visiting this one. Their wines are definitely some of the more expensive ones (if you’re looking to walk away with a few bottles), but you also don’t have to buy any. And at least you get to taste them!
dress / bag / sandals / sunnies / earrings
Saturday morning our first stop was Del Dotto’s Historic Caves. This was one Brad was dying to go to, since he is a huge fan of their wines. We had heard from many people that this place is one of their favorites to visit, especially for the cave tour. I will tell you, I love their wines and I definitely still enjoyed this winery, but after seeing Far Niente, the cave tour was underwhelming. Del Dotto’s cave was beautiful, but quite small. I guess I just expected more after everyone talked it up. But, Del Dotto does give generous pours and lets you try a lot of wines, so it’s always a good time.
Our last winery was probably my favorite. O’Brien is a slightly lesser known spot, but that’s probably just because their wines aren’t available for retail purchase. We wanted to go to at least one that was a little smaller, not such a huge name, and I’m so glad we did. This was another one with a really laid-back feel, almost like you’re drinking wine in your friends’ backyard that just happens to be on a beautiful vineyard. It’s right at the base of the mountain, so the views are beautiful.
But most of all, their wines are incredible. We purchased a few bottles from every winery we went to, but this is the only one where we actually joined their wine club. Every single wine we had was outstanding (we are talking like 97-98 point ratings incase you’re wondering). I am not a huge merlot drinker usually, but O’Brien’s merlot was my favorite wine of, dare I say, the whole trip. Their rose is also amazing, Brad was especially obsessed with it.
We had also intended to check out Domain Chandon (sparkling wine) and Artesa, but quite frankly we had too much to drink haha. My recommendation is to keep it two wineries per day, especially if you still want to try to enjoy a glass before or with dinner. On Saturday, we overdid it a little. We had a late dinner reservation, so we did one more tasting over by our hotel and I really wish I hadn’t. I wasn’t even into the wine by that point and I was so tired I barely made it to dinner. Then of course, despite never actually feeling drunk (except for my slight buzz earlier in the day at Mondavi), I didn’t really feel well for much of the day Saturday.
top / denim / shoes / bag / sunnies
FOOD
I feel like Napa is where chefs love to be. There are a bunch of really amazing restaurants to check out, and I had so many recommendations from everyone.
Our first night we were supposed to have dinner at Bistro Don Giovanni’s in Napa, but our flight had two hour delay and by that time we just wanted to get to our hotel and be able to walk somewhere for dinner. So on Thursday night, we ended up at <a href=”https://www.botteganapavalley.com/”>Bottega</a> in Yountville. I don’t know if I was just that hungry, but it was SO GOOD. The service, the wine we got, the food, the ambience, all of out. Our waiter knew more than I knew one person could possibly know about food making it that much better.
For lunch the next day, in between tastings, we just stopped off at <a href=”https://oakvillegrocery.com/?SID=60377844b1c6a4ecdaa99ef95455594b”>Oakville Grocery</a> as it was close by. This is the CUTEST little “grocery” store ever, but really it doesn’t even feel like a grocery store at all. It’s packed with fancy tapenades, meats, cheeses, a coffee bar, and of course wine. We went for sandwiches, because they have an order-at-the-counter sandwich service where you can also grab some salads, hummus, and other sides to go with it.
For dinner Friday night we had a reservation at <a href=”https://www.restorationhardware.com/content/category.jsp?context=YountvilleCafe”>RH Yountville</a>, with wine tasting reservation right beforehand at the <a href=”https://www.restorationhardware.com/content/category.jsp?context=Yountville-Winevault&link=ExplorelRHYountville”>RH Wine Vault</a> right next door. Yes, Restoration Hardware in Yountville has a restaurant at the front of it that is one of the most stunning things I’ve ever seen. Beautiful olive trees and oversized crystal chandeliers grace the interior between RH’s classic grey walls and modern industrial feel. And believe it or not, the food is actually really good. We split a kale caesar salad, Brad had their French dip sandwich, and I had a salmon dish that was delicious.
The wine vault we visited right before is stunning. They basically took the RH outdoor patio vibe and made it into an outdoor wine tasting experience. To be honest, the wines I had in the tasting didn’t knock me off my feet (and their tastings are pricey) but the ambience was unmatched.
Our hotel’s restaurant, <a href=”http://www.redd-wood.com/”>Redd Wood</a>, was the perfect spot to stop off for a small light lunch on Saturday and grab a pizza to share. We also ate there for breakfast every morning.
Saturday night we didn’t have any real dinner plans (well, we did, but it was a 9:15 dinner reservation and I told Brad I couldn’t eat that late for the third night in a row). There is a casual restaurant right at the entrance of Yountville called <a href=”https://rd-kitchen.com/locations/dallas/”>R+D Kitchen</a> that has everything from sushi appetizers to burgers. They also have a huge outdoor patio with bar seating and bar tables. We parked ourselves at the bar and had a quick dinner there before going to be early. Apparently day drinking makes me really tired haha!
jacket / skirt / tee / sneakers / sunnies
As far as transportation, you can use a car service so that you aren’t driving around after tasting a bunch of wine. I strongly recommend against driving yourself so that you can enjoy your tastings. A lot of the car services have a driver drive your rental car around for an hourly rate and minimum number of hours. We opted to Uber everywhere, which was perfect because everything was so close by. I feel like our most expensive Uber was maybe $15, but most were under $10, so it probably ended up being a lot less than using a driver.
Overall, I truly think it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It was a trip that was good for my soul. Everything about the environment is laid back and low-key. We will definitely be going back at some point.
xo, Loren
