Napa Valley Travel Guide

I hope you had a great weekend!  If you’ve been a longtime reader (thank you!!), you know that I love to travel and I’ve wanted to incorporate more of my travels here on the blog.  If you are new, welcome!  Let me know your thoughts on my Napa Valley Travel Guide.

Last month I went to Napa for the first time and fell in love with it.  I went to Napa because 2 of my friends decided to run the Napa to Sonoma half marathon and I had to cheer them on.  I mean, I couldn’t let them go out to Napa on their own!  On a side note, if you like to run, the course is pretty flat and the weather in Napa in July was perfect!  The race fills up very quickly, as the organizers limit the number of runners so mark your calendars the next registration date if you want to run it.

The signs we made to support our runners.  Excuse the look.  It was 7AM and colder than expected.  Also, did I mention it was 7AM, lol?

We only spent 3 days in Napa so this isn’t an exhaustive list, but I wanted to share some of the places we went.  If you have any suggestions for Napa, please let me know as I’m dying to go back!

Rutherford Grill: If any of you have a Houston’s or Hillstone near you, Rutherford Grill is part of the same restaurant group.  I’m normally not a huge chain restaurant fan, but Houston’s is one that I make an exception for.  The food and service are always top notch!  Rutherford Grill is nice since it has a few local items on the menu and they have a beautiful patio.  The grilled chicken salad and grilled tuna salad are my favorites and I can never leave without ordering fries!

Lunch with a view at Auberge du Soleil

Another picture of the view

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.  One last picture.  One day I would love to stay here, but it is $$$$.

Auberge du Soleil: Oh, wow!  This is probably one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever been to.  If you can, request a table on the patio where have lunch (or dinner) overlooking Napa Valley.   The view is absolutely breathtaking.  We went for lunch since it was less expensive than dinner.  However, this is still a splurge.  We started with gnocchi and then I had shrimp risotto.  Everything was absolutely delicious, but very rich.

Ad Hoc:  This is Thomas Keller’s upscale casual restaurant.  Don’t go with a picky eater as they a set menu family style every night.  Our menu included salad, BBQ chicken, sides (corn & greens), and amazing ice cream sundaes.  While they use high quality ingredients, the restaurant is all about comfort food.  It was delicious, but some people in the group were a little miffed at spending $50+/pp before alcohol on BBQ chicken.

Carpe Diem: Located in downtown Napa, we had dinner here our first night.  The food California cuisine and they are known for their very extensive wine list.  While good, I’m not sure I would rush back given how many other restaurants are on my list to try.  The menu is very friendly and we shared most things family style.  My favorite item was either the gnocchi or the quack and cheese aka macaroni and cheese with duck confit.

Frida’s Mexican Grill: I normally wouldn’t include this one, but we enjoyed a delicious “snack” here before dinner.  The guacamole was amazing and my tacos were delicious.  We all ended up eating too much for our snack and were so full by the time we got to dinner!

Tasting on the patio at The Terraces

The Terraces:  This is definitely a low key, smaller vineyard, which was the best way to ease into Napa.  We were the last appointment of the day, so we got to sit out on the beautiful patio with one of the winemakers.  It was so relaxing learning about the vineyard and hearing about his experiences making wine around the world.  The whites here were delicious and if they had been able to ship them to Atlanta during summer, I definitely would have bought a few bottles!  The Chenin Blanc was so refreshing and perfect for a summer day.  Unfortunately, they don’t cold ship and I was not checking a bag, lol!

Tasting room at Chappellet

Chappellet:  We did the full tour and tasting here.  Our guide was very knowledgeable and approachable.   She made the experience very comfortable and relaxing.  They even had jackets for us to wear since the cellar was a little cold.  This was a tasting and all of the wines were really good.   Their Las Piedras Cab was hands down my favorite!  I actually shipped a few bottles home so I will have a nice dinner with friends when they finally get here.  I already want to go back and have a picnic on the beautiful grounds!

Getting ready for a tasting at Silver Oak

Quick tasting at Silver Oak

Silver Oak:  Holy crap, what an amazing Cab!  We stopped by the tasting room on the way to lunch and it is now on my list to go back for a full appointment.  I think this was my favorite vineyard.  Before this trip, I always said that I didn’t like Cabs, but this vineyard changed my mind.  The wines were all so rich and smooth!  Unfortunately they are also pretty expensive.  Maybe I just like really expensive cabs?

The group at Opus One

View from Opus One

2 of the wines we tasted at Opus One.  The 2012 Opus One (left) was amazing, but $40/glass(!).

Opus One:  This was probably the most corporate and most expensive vineyard we visited.  Instead of a tasting, they sell glasses of some of their vintages (all red wines).  The glasses range from $20-$60/each, so my friends and I split glasses so we could try several different wines.  They were all delicious and I’m glad we visited.  I don’t know if my wallet can justify more trips back.  One thing I will say though is that the grounds and building are absolutely stunning and this may be one of the prettiest vineyeards we visited.

Duckhorn:  So, this is the only vineyard that I didn’t make it to, but I included it since it was everyone else’s favorite.  By this point, I’d had too much wine and food so I took a nap in the car instead, complete with my eye mask.  Hey, sometimes you have to know when to tap out.  However, what I saw of the grounds were gorgeous and hopefully my friends will let me have a taste of the cases they shipped back from here!

Let me know if you enjoyed my Napa Valley Travel Guide and I will include more content of this type from my travels!  Also, please let me know of any of your favorite places in Napa/ Sonoma as I can’t wait to go back.

One last thing, today is the last day of the Ann Taylor Friends and Family Sale.  Use code Friends40 to get 40% off your order.  Some of my favorite pieces are below.

Linking up with Sincerely Jenna Marie, More Pieces of Me, Fizz and Frosting, Lip Gloss and Crayons, Pink Sole, Elegantly Fashionable, The Fashion Canvas, Walking in Memphis in High Heels, Bless Her Heart Y’all, Two Peas in a Blog, Cute and Little, Elegantly Dressed & Stylish

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