This might be a long post so pour yourself some coffee (or wine) and let’s go! To say that I have a trip to Napa Valley under my belt is crazy! It’s a trip Andrew and I have wanted to take for years! We even started planning our honeymoon there and then changed our minds and went to Turk & Caicos. About 3 weeks before the actual trip, Andrew’s job told him to book a trip there for the first PGA Tour event, the Safeway Open that was starting that week. He was going to work for a day so I booked my ticket and was so happy to tag along. Thankfully, his friend/colleague and his wife came along and she had been to Napa over the summer. She took the initiative to make most of the reservations and had amazing recommendations. There are so many wineries all around the Napa and surrounding little towns so we are kind of clueless which ones to go to. It was all around a great trip and hopefully one we can do again some day. I’m also sharing all of my outfits I wore while we were there. So here’s what we did…
Monday
We arrived in Napa around 3pm after a 4.5 hour bumpy flight from Atlanta to San Francisco. We were pretty tired and hungry from traveling all day so we decided not to do a winery this day and go to an early dinner. We made reservations at Basalt and it did not disappoint. We split mussels, lobster risotto and a yummy bottle of wine. I welcomed the early bedtime (which wasn’t so early EST) to be ready to go the next morning.
Leopard top | similar scarf | black denim | block heels
Tuesday
While the guys worked at the PGA Tour event, us ladies headed out to find a coffee shop to get a little work done and walk around downtown Napa. We ended up at Napa Valley Coffee Roasting and Napkins for lunch. It had rained a good bit that morning but cleared up by lunch time so we were able to sit outside, enjoy salads and a bottle of wine overlooking the mountains. We headed back to the hotel to meet the guys and change for an afternoon of wine tasting!
Our first stop was Long Meadow Ranch. We made a reservation beforehand to take a car up the mountain to their ranch for wine tasting. It did not disappoint! The views once we were up on the mountain were breathtaking. I have never been to California but Andrew and I both agreed we felt like we were in North Carolina overlooking the mountains. We were greeted with a fabulous glass of white wine outside and then headed into their ranch to sample the rest of the wine.
The evening ended with dinner at their restaurant – fried chicken, mashed potatoes and lots of yummy treats from the sous chef who was friends of our friends we traveled there with.
Tee dress | sneakers | similar denim jacket | handbag
White button down | skirt | booties | crossbody/clutch
Wednesday
This was definitely a day I had been looking forward to the most! I had a pretty dress to wear and the weather was beautiful! I’m talking lower 70’s and sunny. We made our way to the first winery which actually had not been on our list. Our plans changed at the last minute and we headed to Alejandro Bulgheroni. The fields of grapes along the roads was so amazing to see while driving there. We made a quick stop to take a picture and we actually picked a few grapes to try. Probably not supposed to do that, but how could you not!?
We were greeted by the wine maker at Alejandro which doesn’t really happen that often. The tour guide had another group scheduled so we really had a first class experience with him. Alejandro is known for their red wine and being pretty exclusive, so we sipped quit a bit of it from the barrels. Up next, was lunch at Bouchon Bistro in the cutest little town called Yountville. I enjoyed a full bowl of mussels which were so good! (Random fact: Probably about 4 years ago I ate my first mussel and if they are on the menu somewhere, I always order them. I love them!)! We all agreed next time we will stay in the quaint little town. After lunch, we made our way to Grgich Hills winery for a quick tasting (didn’t do a tour here) and then headed to our final appointment of the day at Frog’s Leap. The scenery there was amazing! We found 4 adirondack chairs and made ourselves comfortable overlooking the mountains. We sipped a nice glass of chardonnay (probably my favorite from the whole trip) and just enjoyed the crisp breeze. We actually did our wine tasting here outside at a table with just the four of us. The server would come around and tell us about which wines they were serving and we happily drank the wines on the menu which were delicious!
I think everyone would agree that Alejandro was their favorite winery. The experience we had there was not like one we had anywhere else. I would have to say the atmosphere, sitting outside with the amazing weather and being able to sit down overlooking the mountains while sipping wine made Frog’s Leap my favorite!
Ruffle floral dress | necklace, charm, charm, charm | sandals
The weather ended up being pretty warm for the trip so I kept my sweaters in the suitcase and wore really lightweight clothing with my denim jacket. It was amazing to feel the cool breeze and not even feel cold by it. Maybe it was from all of the wine but it felt so good. Our last evening ended with a rooftop view of the city at the Archer Hotel. Highly recommend if you are there just for the views!
Thursday we made the day long trek back home. Thankfully we didn’t have any flight delays and made it back to wake up to see the little guy in the morning. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to take this trip with some of our best friends! Hopefully we will make it back there one day!
xo
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