48 Hours in Napa

Trip date: Nov 2017

It was snowing in Seattle, so Gail and I were doubly happy to be heading to the Napa Valley to meet up with our friend Rachel who was visiting from Australia.

The only problem was that the snow delayed our Alaska Air flight and we had dinner reservations to make! Ultimately our flight was cancelled, but we were quick and booked the last two seats on a flight to Sacramento. We reserved a rental car and as soon as we landed, hit the road for the 2-hour drive to Calistoga. We'd done this drive before!

We were suppose to get in at 6pm, but we finally rolled up at 11:30pm. Rachel had been waiting in the bar as they told her they'd stay open as long as there were people there. Trooper as she had flown in from Sydney earlier! We were staying at the very lovely Solage Resort and retired to our cute bungalow after a couple of drinks.

The next morning the three of us set out on the small roads behind the Silverado Trail for a gorgeous walk! The vineyards were just starting to turn color, and the clouds were slowly lifting out of the valley. So pretty!!!

We headed back to the resort for a very good breakfast in the restaurant before heading out for the day. Since Rachel had a rental car already, we quickly dropped ours at the office in St. Helena, and headed to our first wine tasting of the day at Paradigm.

The last time I had been to this winery was in 2005, on my first trip to Napa for Rachel's wedding! So fun to be back, this time with her, and shopping for some bottles for her husband. Also the day could not have been more beautiful as we sat outside and tasted rosé, Cab Franc, and Cabs.

Next was Turnbull which had been recommended to us. The setting and the gardens were gorgeous and we had a great time here. I don't think any of us bought any wine however. And there were a lot of people!

We had spa appointments back at the resort so we just tasted at those two. In our bungalow we popped some champagne, donned our fluffy robes, and headed to the women's only clothing optional outdoor jacuzzi.

I had a fantastic massage, and then a nice hot soak in the pool. All of the spaces at the resort are really well kept. I loved staying here!

We called an Uber and headed to The Charter Oak for dinner that night. The space is typical for the area I think, very large and open, lots of faux-country antiques done in a hip style. I thought the food was very good but the girls were put off by our service which was a bit snooty.

The next morning was another gorgeous fall day! We headed out for a morning walk, no clouds at all this time, just beautiful blue skies!

We had another great breakfast in the dining room before packing and checking out. It was at this point we found that we had left the lights on the rental car. The day before! oops! We couldn't even get the trunk or the door to open!

The staff was super helpful, looking at YouTube to figure out where the manual key entry was and then jump starting us. When we stopped at Brian Arden for a tasting we had to leave the car running in the parking lot so it would fully charge!!!

This was another lovely spot, with stunning views and adirondack chairs set up on the lawn. The wine was good, especially the whites, but not a must-taste IMHO.

Our final tasting was by far my favorite. Friends had recommended Failla, which is by-appointment only, and in an adorable old house up in the hills. 

We tasted through the Chardonnays and the Pinot Noirs and I was so impressed! There was another man who was tasting with us and as he and I started discussing our cellars (wine geeks) the woman helping us brought us an extra taste from their library collection. Great service and exceptional wines, I left with a few! Highly recommend Failla!

It was time for lunch and we were all excited for Gott's in St. Helena, such a great tradition while in the area. We had a little BYOB with our lunch, not encouraged by Gott's!

California had been riddled with forest fires just weeks before we arrived, and my friends who own Lawer Estates vineyards, orchards, and vacation rentals in Calistoga had been affected as the Tubb's fire consumed most of their properties.

On the way to the airport we drove the Franz Valley School Road, where I had stayed with my wine group in January the year before. The log cabin we had all been cozy in was now reduced to nothing but ashes. It was an incredibly sad sight. The entire drive from the valley, over the hill, and into Santa Rosa, past so much destruction, the land just char, the air still smelling like fire, was surreal.

It definitely made me thankful for the time I have been lucky enough to spend with friends in this area, including the two girls I was wrapping up the trip with.

We had an easy flight back to Seattle, with our complimentary cases of checked wine (thanks Alaska Air!), and returned to snow!

All Napa photos here.

All Work & No Play? Not in Napa!

Trip date: May 2016

I'd been working from my virtual office in St. Helena when my friend Lorraine mentioned she was in San Francisco at a conference.  It finished on Friday so I invited her to come for the weekend.

She arrived with fried chicken, ribs, and sides from Ad Hoc, 'cuz that is what friends do, and we had a wonderful lunch on the patio before taking to the pool with Aperol Spritz's.

That evening we walked to Goose & Gander for cocktails and light snacks before Ubering to our late dinner reservations at Press.

I'd been to Press before and it was just as good this time. They have a very unique wine list, so if you like smaller, more obscure Napa producers, this is the place for you! Also the hangar steak was amazing!

The next morning after we walked to Model Bakery for coffee and breakfast, we decided to walk the long way home to see more of charming St. Helena. Unfortunately the long way to a bit longer than planned and we ended up running quite late for our reservations at Schramsberg. We almost missed our tour and tasting which would have been sad and weird as I missed the only other reservation I had at the same winery, 12 years ago during the homeowner's wedding weekend.

But we made it! And we had a great time on the tour and tasting in the cave.

We made an obligatory stop at the famous Napa sign on our way to lunch at Solbar.

I've also been to Solbar multiple times; the food is always solid and it has a can't-be-beat atmosphere on their terrace. We had a very fun lunch.

That evening we walked from the house to Archetype for dinner, another great repeat spot. Chef Reed was in the kitchen and he and the manager Guy recognized me from my lunch and brunch with the girls just months before. Lorraine and I sat at the pass and had a fantastic meal, getting some special treatment from Chef and his bartender Paul.

At the end of the night they finished us off with mini Ramos gin fizzes and warm cookies on the house. Delicious!

Lorraine and I capped her weekend stay the next day with a decadent brunch at the famous Auberge du Soleil. We were seated at a table on the deck with absolutely gorgeous views of the valley.

We had an excellent 3 course meal for $65 and loved that the iPad wine menu had lots of options for wine pours by the ½ and full glass.

I couldn't pass up the seared foie gras with cherries on chocolate pain perdu. Sometimes having no willpower is a good thing!

My duck confit hash with slow-cooked eggs and red wine sauce was also fantastic. And the lemon tart we shared for dessert was sooooo good!

It was a great end to a lovely virtual work week and a fun girl's weekend.

All Napa photos here.

Other posts from this trip:
Virtual Office-Napa
Vineyard Business

Vineyard Business

Trip date: May 2016

While using my friend's St. Helena home as a virtual office, I also had a day of onsite meetings with one of my clients who happens to have offices in both Vallejo and Napa. The drive that morning was misty and I passed acres and acres of vineyards before reaching the more industrial town of Vallejo for my first meeting of the day.

My next meeting was in the hills northeast of Napa. I drove on twisty roads, past pretty properties studded with trees and creeks, and of course many many vineyards, before finally arriving at my client's' vineyard offices.

After a tour around the property, we sat and a chef who use to work at The French Laundry made me a wonderful lunch using the HestanCue Smart Cookware System. We had a great meeting and it was super fun not only to see the beautiful location of my tech client but to have a meal made using their product!

I left and drove into Napa proper to check out the Ox Bow Market, a great space with restaurants, specialty food and beverage stalls, and cute kitchen shops. I chose to sit at Hog Island for a lovely late afternoon snack of oysters on the half shell and rosé.

The city of Napa is very historical and the Victorian style houses are so pretty. Some of them are now offices to publications I like!

It was an easy drive back to St. Helena, made even better with a stop in Yountville at Bouchon Bakery. I now had cheeses from Ox Bow for aperos, a delicious sandwich for dinner, and some tasty macarons for breakfast.

Then it was back home to answer emails, swim, hot tub, happy hour, and stream a movie. I love my job. And my generous friends!

All Napa photos here.

Previous: Virtual Office-Napa

Virtual Office- Napa

Trip date: May 2016

One of the perks of working from home is that home can really be anywhere. I've been trying to take advantage of this more over the last couple of years by working from various locations.

Last May friends of mine who own a lovely vacation home in St. Helena, CA offered to let me use it for a week. I've been lucky enough to have been invited to visit them here multiple times and I was very excited to get a chance to be a local for a week on my own in this charming town.

While waiting for my flight out of SeaTac I got a pedicure only to realize that my flip flops were in my checked bag. I boarded my flight with the cheapo ones that the salons provide, klassy!

I landed in Santa Rosa, picked up my rental car, and headed to the Bottle Barn to do some beverage shopping. Then I drove to St. Helena and stopped at the Sunshine Market for groceries. Once I got to their house I heated up the hot tub and relaxed!

Each weekday morning started with a walk or run through town, past cute homes, vineyards, and little shops. Most of the time I ended up at The Model Bakery for a pastry or English muffin and coffee, and then returned home to enjoy it while working. Some days I visited Napa Valley Roasting Co just to switch it up.

One night I took myself to the stunning 3 star Michelin, The Restaurant at Meadowood for dinner. I had chosen to do the 3-course menu in The Bar and when I arrived (via Uber) there was a pretty place setting and the bar manager Sam welcomed me by name. Sam and bartender Colby and I got along just fine as we started discussing Japanese Whisky, Brandy, and wine.

The Bar is beautiful with a gorgeous fireplace, 3 intimate tables where you can have snacks and drinks, and the 5 seat bar where 3-courses are served for $90. I started with a cocktail and was sent out an amuse of "chips & dip" which were sourdough chips and a delicious thick cream infused with nasturtium oil.

The Somm came out and spoke with me about what I might want to drink with my dinner,  I just told her that I generally love white Burgundies and red Rhones. When they served me a chilled avocado puree topped with a big spoonful of caviar and poured a premier cru Meursault-Charmes in my glass I was over the top happy!

At this point, one of the servers came out and asked me if I would be ok getting 5 courses instead of 3, on the house. Seems everyone loved that I was so enthusiastic over my meal! Obviously I said yes!

My next dish was an amazing abalone (which I have never had!) with Rancho Gordo bean puree and broth. I think I verbally swooned!

When the somm opened a 375ml bottle of Vieux Telegraphe, my favorite Chateauneuf du Pape, and told me that if I decided after my glass I wanted the rest of the bottle she had a good price for me, I was officially in love with this restaurant and this team.

The wine was paired with a lamb tartare under a coat of lamb's lettuce, making it look like a hedgehog. GUYS! It looked like a hedgehog!

My main of "grilled duck, fudge" was perfectly cooked and also went beautifully with the wine. Next cheese arrived; a huge wedge of Brillat that had been stuffed with slices of black truffle. When the waitress asked me to let her know how much of the wedge I wanted I'm sure she didn't miss the grin on my face.

I was then invited into the kitchen for a tour with the chef du cuisine Katianna Hong, which I thought was really a wonderful gesture. I have asked for kitchen tours in the past but for them to add additional courses to my meal and offer a tour was very generous. And the kitchen table is absolutely a place I would like to enjoy with some like-minded friends!

As I finished my wine the bartender presented me with a mignardise of "black walnuts" encapsulated with house-made nocino. Then there was a decadent chocolate babka served under a glass cloche. Lovely.

My bill was presented in a gorgeous card where Sam had written a very thoughtful personal note to me. The whole experience was OTT and one you shouldn't miss if you have a chance to reserve.

So that was a special night! But mainly I worked out of my friend's beautiful home until late afternoon, then got in a bit of sun and pool time, followed by happy hour in the hot tub, and dinner with a rental movie. Bliss.

When I did finally leave town 7 days later, it wasn't before an obligatory bacon burger and rosé lunch at Gott's (psst, go right before noon or just after 12:30 on a weekday for minimal lines).

Next up: Vineyard Business
All Napa photos here.

Girls! Girls! Girls! In St. Helena

Trip date: April 2016

Few things can be more relaxing than a girl's weekend. They are high on my list of favorite things to do. In April my girlfriend Rachel invited Gail and me for a quick weekend at her beautiful house in St. Helena. Having been multiple times before, I knew the weekend would be just the kind of relaxing time I needed.

The three of us met at the airport, boarded our Alaska prop plane headed to Santa Rosa airport, and waited for take off. And waited, and waited. Finally the pilot announced that we had a broken plane and we'd have to deplane and wait for a new one. Ugh. Luckily they found us a working model fairly quickly and we were in the air, free wine in our cups, and making the short flight to the Napa area.

We landed to cool gray skies and a bit later than planned. Rachel called an order in at Pizzeria Tra Vigne as we drove, and we picked up some delicious pizzas and salad to take home for dinner. Seems the rest of the town had the same idea as the place was hopping!

We capped off dinner with some wine and hot tubbing and turned in early. Ahhh, off to a good start!

The next morning we awoke to more cool and drizzly weather. After a nice walk down to The Model Bakery for breakfast (house-made English muffins!!!) and coffee,  we took advantage of a break in the rain and went on a scenic walk through the nearby hills, past vineyards, and checked out some incredible new homes being built (and going for a paltry $9Mil).

With no pool time in sight we called a few wineries and made reservations for some afternoon tastings. First up was Duckhorn. The property here is really fantastic and if the weather would have been warmer their huge wrap around porch would have been the perfect place to taste wine. The service here was really nice too, when we explained that one of the ladies can't drink red wine, they generously waived the $35 tasting fee and even poured us all two additional whites not included in that day's line up.

Next we drove to the famed Chateau Montelena. In 1973 this winery scored the top scores at the Judgement of Paris and seemingly helped put Napa on the international wine map. The property has lush gardens and a beautiful pond that would have been perfect for strolling around, except for that rain situation. This time when we explained our friend's red wine situation, they continued to refill her glass with one of the two whites they were pouring each time they served us a new red wine. And on top of that they waived all our $25 tasting fees due to Rachel being a part-time local!

We decided to try the new Archetype restaurant back in town for lunch but when we arrived the manager told us they had just finished lunch service. The chef was checking the reservations for the night and when he heard Rachel explain that we were just hoping for a simple salad he graciously offered to make us something! We grabbed seats at the pass, ordered a carafe of rosé that they have on tap, and watched Chef Reed prepare us delicious chicken paillard salads. Talk about service!!! We were so impressed we had Guy the manager make us reservations for brunch the next day.

We warmed up back at the house sipping champagne in the hot tub (as you do) before getting cleaned up and walking the short distance to Cook restaurant on Main Street for dinner. Cook has a great, lively ambiance and has seriously delicious pasta dishes. They also have a casual spot next door, Cook Tavern.

Back at the house we hit the hot tub again. Skinny dip style this time. I won't even tease you by telling you about the pillow fights after...

In the morning Gail and I strolled down to The Model Bakery for coffee again, past the sweet houses and their yards, all bursting with rose blooms. Then the three of us did a little shopping on Main Street before returning to Archetype for brunch.

The place was packed, Chef Reed was in the kitchen again, and the food was amazing! I was extremely happy with my leg of duck confit, waffle, and duck egg! Almost every table had a plate containing an adorable short stack of pancakes on it and when we found out these were dessert lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry sauce, we followed suit. Fantastic and super fun brunch!

We made the easy 40 minute drive to the airport and caught our flight back to Seattle without incident. It was a super chill weekend with great friends, great wine, lots of laughs, delicious food, and of course hot tubbing. Love you ladies! Xoxo

Photos here.

Napa Weekends, Part 2

Earlier this month, Dave and Rachel invited Dayne and I to join them and their two girls for the weekend at their house in St. Helena. I'd been last summer but this was Dayne's first time at their new place. The six of us grabbed a late afternoon flight down on a chilly Seattle February Friday and landed to a balmy evening at the Santa Rosa airport.

Being that the weather called for mid 70's all weekend Dayne had reserved a convertible for us but when he went to the Avis counter they said they were all out of them! We slid over to the Enterprise counter and not only did they have one but they matched the price. I'm going to remember that in the future.

Once we got to their house, Dave opened some champagne and built a fire in the outdoor fire pit, we grilled some pork loin for dinner, I opened a nice bottle of Leonetti that I had brought down with me (like coal to Newcastle as a friend of mine says), and we spent a little time in the relaxing hot tub.

The next morning Rachel and I took the convertible and drove to Round Pond where I'd made us a tasting appointment. The winery also makes their own olive oil and you can book a tour to see that, as well as actual cellar tours. We didn't have a lot of time so we just did the wine tasting in their Zinc Bar. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and it would have been fabulous to spend time on their patio but that was reserved for another type of tasting event.

The wines were quite nice, so we finished up our tasting with some purchasing, and then headed off to meet Dave, Dayne and the girls for a tasting at Wicker. Ron Wicker produces wine from his Howell Mountain vineyard, where his house is also conveniently located. We arrived at his home where his wife Laurie and he poured their Burgundy style Chardonnay (fantastic!) and also a selection of his Cab Sauvs. They are incredibly nice people who are very generous with their time, Ron walked us out to the vineyards for a bit; so small and on such a hill. Ron also demonstrated the Coravin for us while opening an older vintage bottle for us, that cool gadget is going on my wish list! Anyone else have one? Thoughts?

Our appointment at Wicker ran quite a bit longer than we expected and we were all starving as it was about 3:30 in the afternoon by this time. Dayne and I took the girls in the convertible and we all headed to downtown St Helena for a late lunch/early dinner at Cook Tavern.

I had a nice cocktail, and Dayne and I shared some tasty fried pickles. Dinners were all good and the staff was great at helping us find things for the girls to eat. Headed home after dinner for some pool and hot tub time, wine, fire pit, and a movie. Perfect Valentine's day!

The next day all of us drove up to Spring Mountain to Newton Winery for a reserved tour and tasting. The vineyards, views, and winery are all gorgeous. The tour was very interesting and the wine tasting was held afterwards in a private room with views of the valley. Very nice! Dave and I had gone in on a case of their unfiltered Cab years back so it was great to see where it had come from and also to pick up some more.

At lunchtime Rachel and I left the guys and the girls at Gott's Roadside as we had spa appointments across the street and the line to order was taking too long. But after our massages the two of us headed back over and had a late lunch of tacos, burgers, and wine outside on the picnic tables. There is something just so RIGHT about being able to order wine with your roadside burger! The line was still crazy long when we left at about 3:30pm. *I've got a special secret hint for my friends when going here to bypass the crazy line. You know how to reach me ;)

We had a nice walk back to the house and joined our gang in the pool. Later that night, after some hot tub time, the boys went out and brought back pizzas for dinner. We had a great time relaxing, making s'mores on the fire pit, and then chilling with wine and movies.

The next morning we woke up to another 75F degree day so Dayne and I spent an hour sunning ourselves by the pool before packing and leaving our friends to a day on their own. We stopped in Calistoga for a casual lunch of fish tacos at Palisade's Deli enjoyed al fresco on the way to the airport.

The drive to Santa Rosa was lovely and warm, we were so happy to have the convertible (in February!!). We boarded the little prop plane and headed home  to some sun of our own (but no where near 75F!) Big thanks to our friends for a wonderful weekend!

Recent Napa photos here