The Perfect Trip to Napa (Day 2: Afternoon & Evening-)

AFTER LUNCH AGENDA...   MORE WINE!

I have mentioned that big groups are not welcome at most wineries, so that afternoon we split into three groups.    We made reservations at three wineries, each one highlighting a different area of the valley.    The first group headed off to Carneros where they would be greeted by some familiar accents at Truchard Vineyards.   This is a large sprawling winery, with a long Napa History and a quaint, friendly tasting room was a perfect option for those looking for a laid back tasting experience.     The winery owners are originally from Texas, they live on property and enjoy having visitors, especially Texans.      As happened to our guests, you will often get special treatment when you mention you are a native of the Lone Star State.

The second group was set up with a private tasting at Cakebread Cellars.    This well known winery does a great job with their tastings and is a good fit for a group that has had their wine in the past and wants to learn more about its' heritage and its' many different varietals.   This is another rather casual, yet scripted experience as you walk through their facilities and get to understand the winemaking process at Cakebread.    You will taste many wines from Chardonnay to Cabernet and will have the opportunity to see their barrel aging process in their barrel room.  

Modern Architecture at Qunitessa starts at the door

View into the vineyards at Quintessa

The last group visited Quintessa, which is a real special experience for those looking for a more boutique or specialty winery experience.  You are greeted by a massive modern winery with gravity flow design that aides in the winemaking process.    Yo get a real understanding of how the juice travels from the vine to the barrel as they walk you through the harvest process.  

Their tasting includes a walk though their expansive property, where the tour guide gives an education on "Green" winemaking and the processes used throughout the valley to conserve the environment and use nature where there is a need to combat nature.   Many of us don't think of all the natural predators there can be to winemaking.    Bugs, animals and fungi are always concern of the vineyard manager and the winemaker.    You sip on a special Sauvignon Blanc, Illumination, as you look across acres of grapevines and man made lakes.  (pictured above) Quintessa is a beautiful winery...   the pictures are worth 1000 words.

LATER THAT EVENING...

After another day of wine touring we headed to St. Helena for dinner at PRESS, a California steakhouse.     We arrived to a private reception on an outdoor patio in from of a natural wood-burning fireplace.   Most of us had had enough grape juice for one day...   a nice single barrel scotch seemed to hit the spot for the boys.

Tommy, Me, Mike, Hunter and Brandon - brings back some GOOD memories boys!

The girls took a seat by the fireplace and caught up about "who knows what" but they certainly had a good time doing it.    It was a nice relaxing break from the long day.    

Libby and Taylor

The girls catching up by the fire

After the reception, the staff seated us a two long table alongside the fireplace under a canopy of lighted trees.    The setting was awesome and the food was absolutely great.  PRESS features great wood fired steaks, adult mac 'n cheese, great green and salads and a lengthy wine list, delivered via IPAD of course.   The staff was excellent, but they always are at PRESS.   This is one of the reasons that PRESS was a must for this trip.   They always take very good care of their guests and we wanted ours to experience that for themselves. 

Patio Dinner at PRESS, St. Helena

2 tables set for 12

We never miss this restaurant and neither should you.   Next time your at PRESS, don't forget to ask for Charles, he is the best waiter in town!

Lee, Kevin and Donna

The Perfect Trip to Napa (Day 2)

Day 2 began with a tasting up in the Howell Mountains East of Napa at Cade Winery.   This is one of the newer wineries in Napa, but has quickly become one of our favorites.    The tasting began with a reception on their patio with glass of Sauvignon Blanc in front of their zero edge pond overlooking the Napa Valley.   There are very few views in Napa that are this amazing... the pictures cannot due it justice.  (Click on their link above and check out their website for more information)   Cade's architecture is a modern steel, concrete and wood, which serves as both pleasing to the eye and functional.  After plenty of time mingling about the grounds and sipping wine, we were led into their wine caves.   We saw the grapes in the bins as they were beginning the fermenting process and we were able to speak with the winemaker about this year's harvest, which was BIG.  This means that there will be a lot of grapes available for the 2012 vintage which lets the winemaker be selective on which grapes make it into the press.

The cave tour included some of the wineries red wine selections and some education about the construction of the cases.   After this our guide led us back to the tasting room and shared some of Cade's reserve wines as well as a few selections from their flagship brand, Plumpjack.      The staff at Cade took excellent care of us and I feel certain that we made at least ten new Sauvignon Blanc drinkers after sipping Cade with that view.  

After Cade we raced down the mountain to St. Helena for a tasting in the Barrell Room at Merryvale. Merryvale made for a very casual quick tasting for our large group.    The winery made it real easy, no rental or special charges.    They were accommodating and supplied a dedicated wine specialist in thier large private tasting room.    Merryvale is a great reasonable option for wine while in Napa.    I like this tasting room because it reminds me of my Mother's Tasting room at LBV Vineyards.    Lot's of wine stuff lying around for purchase and a long bar where you can walk right up and just drink some wine.   Lot's of fun here.

Conveniently, lunch was located directly across the street.    No trip to Napa is complete without a visit to Gott's Roadside Burgers, formerly Taylor's Refresher.     There is so much good food in Napa...  gourmet restaurants, fine hotels and world class chefs...    but sometimes after drinking wine since 10AM...   a good burger and fries just really works.   Gott's is set along side the two lane Napa highway.   You stand and order at a little window and choose from a giant menu of gourmet burger options.     Your order arrives and you take a seat at one of the picnic tables in the park behind the restaurant.    I promise, this one is worth the stop and my friends agreed.

Kevin Jackson says, "Good Burger!"

The perfect Trip to Napa (Day 1: Evening)

Mike Peschel says, "Go for it... I dare you!"  

By this time in the afternoon, everyone was ready for a sip of something not made from a grape, so we planned for a cocktail reception before dinner.   We arranged for a private reception and then dinner at Michael Chiarello's Bottega.   They had us enter through a private entrance on the side of the building where we entered a small bar with a private bartender.  I couldn't have put it better than the words of Paul Jackson, "I love this, it's like having cocktails in an old speak easy".

My good friend Paul Jackson

After the pre-dinner festivities we headed into a private dining room where we were greeted by two long tables each set for 16 and three dedicated servers.     The dinner was amazing and featured a caprese salad, short ribs, a wonderful pasta dish and an amazing dessert; and the family style setting made for plenty of food.   There was a rather pricey and relatively limited wine list from which to choose on the catering menu at Bottega.   A good planning tip for a big dinner is to choose a less popular varietal to save some money.    We were able to choose a Chardonnay and a Far Niente Merlot which is about half the price of the Cabernet, but still a wonderful wine.   These small adjustments can help keep the bill a bit more reasonable.   Bottega was a pleasure to work with and an hot Italian pasta dinner was a great way to end to our first day in Napa.

The Perfect Trip to Napa (Day 1: Afternoon)

Taylor and Cody Lummus

After Domain Carneros we headed out to The Silverado Trail for the afternoon and arrived at Stag's Leap Cellars where we would have our second tasting of the day.    We were greeted with a glass of Chardonnay and invited on a guided tour of the facilities.   We walked around the winery where we learned about the history of the Stag's Leap District and we were entertained with the story of the winery and few local legends as we sipped our Chardonnay and looked into the vineyards.    Next we were led into the caves where tables adorned with wine glasses, wine bottles and amazing cheese trays lined the barrel walls.    Our guides led us through a private cave tasting of Merlots and Cabernets.      They did an amazing job, I highly recommend the team at Stag's Leap Cellars, especially when planning for a big group tasting.  

In the caves at Stag's Leap Cellars

Then it was time to move on, so we headed off to Yountville for some shopping, tasting and later - dinner.  There was still time for a more tasting, so a few of us headed into The Ma(i)sonry,  a small art gallery in Yountville that represents a few local wineries.    I always have some great wines there and just had to introduce my friends to it.     We had plenty of laughs looking at all the expensive art.   We didn't break anything, so that was a good start.   However, none of us took advantage of the $10,000 Bart Simpson statue, but no one was disappointed with the wine they offered.   We had a Sauvignon Blanc, a Syrah and a Cabernet Sauvignon.    Paul Jackson and I both loved the Blackbird Cabernet.    Melissa Pogue showed quite a bit of interest I the art, especially the antique bicycle out front.  Man, that was funny!

Laura Craddick and Melissa Pogue at Ma(i)sonry

The Perfect Trip Cont. (Day One)

Day 1: We were up early and headed out to get things ready for everyone to arrive.   We booked the group at The Carneros Inn.   We have stayed there numerous times and just love the setting and the amenities.     Guests stay in small one bedroom farm houses  throughout the property, each are arranged in neighborhoods connected by gravel walking paths, water fountains and lush landscaping.   The architecture is modern farm and the property boast 2 pools, workout center, spa, meeting facilities, and amazing restaurants.   They also have 2 and 3 bedroom houses available.

The views from the property into the valley are stunning.    Breakfast overlooking the pool and vineyards on a Saturday morning while you enjoy home made mini-doughnuts is truly priceless!

Kara and Hunter Hannon

Let the tasting begin!   We thought a Champagne toast to start the trip with our friends was appropriate.    We had the group meet at 1 PM for a champagne toast at Domaine Carneros.    This winery is just out side of our resort and seemed a fitting start to our week.    The tasting was set in a casual setting, no presentation or tour, just a time to welcome everyone and catch up.   

Planning a trip for a large group to Napa is real tough as most wineries are just not set up to handle big groups.    We worked hard to get tastings set up to accommodate our group.  

Domain Carneros sits in the Southern end of the valley and guests enjoy an elevated view of the vineyards into Napa County.     The staff was very accommodating to our large group and gave us a private tasting area on the patio.   

They served a variety of champagnes ranging from dry to sweet.  I had many people in the group comment that they rarely think about ordering champagne; but that they really enjoyed this tasting.  

Don't forget about all the great champagne houses in Napa next time you're there.

How to Plan the Perfect Trip to Napa - Series

Turning 40 is a big deal to most people.    Many will throw a party, but what I really wanted was to spend a few days in Napa with a few old friends.   I can't tell you how many times people had mentioned wanting to go, but not really know how to plan the trip.    So to I set out to plan the perfect trip to Napa.   

A group of old friends, 33 in all, made the adventure.    Over the next few posts I will share our experiences and hope that you can take some of theses ideas and maybe plan a trip for yourself.   I will be including comments on the hotel, the restaurants and all the wineries that we visited.   The pictures are great, so check back in over the coming days and enjoy.    

We planned a four day trip and set a detailed schedule so that our guests simply had to follow their itinerary.   We built in plenty of flex-time for people to relax or take in additional sites, but we planned every last detail.    It was really a pretty fun experience; one that readers of this blog should benefit from.   This post is the first of a series to chronicle the adventure...

DAY ONE:  Meredith and I went out a day in advance to get things organized for the group.    We were joined early by my brother and sister-in-law, Betsy and Clay McBee.   We spent the first day running around and getting organized; picking up snacks and bottled water for the bus trips and stuff like that.   

In the gardens at Duckhorn

That afternoon we made time to squeeze in a tasting at Duckhorn, North on the Silverado Trail.   This is a great winery just to stop in and have a tasting.  Reservations are not required, although I always suggest calling ahead to check on current availability.   They do a great tasting on their patio with crackers and cheese.    They have a friendly staff and some great wines.  (Tip: I like stopping at a winery early in the trip; you can pick up a few reasonably priced bottles to take back to the resort; beats the room service prices)    It was great just hanging out with my brother that day!

Complimentary Dessert at Brix

Great selection with dinner!

The first night, my brother treated to dinner for my birthday and we tried a place for dinner we had not been before, Brix.    Brix had been on the agenda many times before but for some reason other places just always made the cut.    Brix serves California classic cuisine and has a  great local wine list.   Clay was at the helm and chose a Hope and Grace winery Cabernet Sauvignon.   It was great; so great in fact that we made it to their tasting room in Yountville later in the trip to buy a few bottles to bring home.  Dinner was great and we had fabulous service in a very comfortable, casual atmosphere.  I highly recommend Brix.

After dinner, it was on to the resort to get a good night's sleep.     Had to rest up...    Our guests would arrive the next day and we had plenty to do to get ready.