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.