Oh, Napa. I think about it every day and dream about it at night: a treat for all the senses. I remember the taste of the wines, cheeses, and oh my god the heirloom tomatoes; the smell of the pines up in Calistoga; the tangible feel of the searing 100 degree heat; the sound of the Wine Train whooshing by vineyards; and the sweeping views from the top of that hill in Carneros.

There for two and a half days, we visited:

• Trefethen. We lingered over reserve flights in cushy leather loungers with the tasting room practically to ourselves, then received a complimentary and impromptu behind the scenes tour of everything.
• Peju. A quick stop that was kind of forgettable in truth with a congenial enough Steve Martin look-alike pouring.
• Domaine Chandon. Also a short but sweet visit involving a cheese platter with sausage and stone ground mustard that, in the words of @bayjb, swiftly devolved into an episode of When Animals Attack.
• Mumm. Hi, Mumm, I love you- I do. Alongside Trefethen, you’re my favorite and I would like to here and now thank you for replying to my tweet and for the “pour-friendliness” and, oh, for just everything.
• Domaine Carneros. Home of Tattinger’s Le Rêve (The Dream), also known as the most expensive wine I’ve ever purchased and would not have without the 30% “industry” discount they gave me- to you, I also say thank you!
• Cakebread. By appointment only, we lucked out at the last minute and were there first thing in the morning. Lacking a formal tasting room, we sipped our 10 am flights in the working barn where they began harvesting their 2010 vintage that day.
• Chateau Montelena. Way up in Calistoga and home of the infamous Bottle Shock, it’s worth the trip despite Chris Pine being nowhere to be found. I typically dislike Chardonnay, but quickly forked over $50 for a bottle of the sort that put Napa on the map.
• And indulged in lunch aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train. A whimsical ride up to St. Helena and back, during which there were mimosas, wine, and some seriously amazing food followed by Fancy and I hanging off the back of the train taking it all in.

Rather than launch into a flight-by-flight account of Napa Valley and its subsequent appellations, I’ve opted for the less verbose preferable route of simply showing a highlights reel (thank you for obliging me). I am, however, more than happy to provide recommendations or suggestions for where to stay, eat, and sip (both for the places we went and for the ones we intended but never made it to). And, if you’d like to see the brief picture captions, just click on the “i” in the right top corner. Cheers!

I must add that I loved the experience of learning about the grapes, the land, the winemaking process, and of course tasting, so much that I want to make it a yearly four-day sojourn.  Who’s coming with me?

*As in, a glass (or two) of wine and a cheese platter have become a daily institution in my household.

Filed under: a thing of beauty, awesomeness, educating the masses, fanciness, friends, hooray for sunshine, just say 'when', wanderlust by Nic