Napa

9.14.2021 and 9.15.2021 || Napa | California

This page will cover what I did in the greater Napa area, inclusive of the city of Napa and other cities within the vicinity of Napa County and the Napa Valley, in September 2021 unless otherwise noted. See my Sonoma page for other recommendations in California wine country, including where we stayed.

Where to taste wine:

Silver Oak – our favorite experience of the trip. This is a winery that has been on my bucket list and it lived up to my expectations. We visited the Napa location and nearly had the tasting room to ourselves for a majority of our reservation. It was a perfect place to savor really nice wine. Be sure to get the cheese and charcuterie plate. Reservations are required.

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Stag’s Leap – one of the area’s earliest wine estates. We booked the 90-minute tour and taste which involved tasting a few different wines while visiting different parts of the property from the main building to the vineyard before rounding out the tour with a seated tasting on the outdoor patio. It was a lot of information and stories but the guide was super enthusiastic and took some great pictures of us. Reservations are required.

Domaine Carneros – a French inspired chateau and picturesque winery specializing in sparkling wine and Pinot Noir. We started the trip with sparkling wine at Gloria Ferrer so why not end the trip with sparkling wine as well. This tasting felt a lot more commercialized and like a restaurant compared to the other Napa wineries that we visited but we enjoyed the tasting and the views. Reservations are required.

Recommendations from prior trips for wine tasting in Napa Valley:

• Cakebread – beautiful grounds

Where to eat:

With the exception of cheese and charcuterie plates at wineries, we mostly ate in Sonoma. However, we had one meal worth mentioning while we were in Napa.

Oxbow Public Market – an outdoor market in downtown Napa. We grabbed lunch at Gott’s Roadside where we had some classic American fast food with a California twist.

Question: What should I do next time I am in Napa?