Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Napa Vacation. Part 2.

Here is part 2 of our fabulous Napa vaca! Enjoy!

Sunday: My dad really wanted to go on the Napa Valley Wine Train, so that's what we did on Sunday morning! It was such a lovely experience, and it was great to drive up and down the whole Napa Valley to see the beautiful scenery.


Picture of our dining car, that had window all up and down so you could see the views whizzing by.
We had a 4 course dinner and enjoy these views...




Monday: We went into Sonoma to shop for a bit, then went to a winery that a local shop owner recommended called Scribe Winery. What a CHARMING winery it was! We all loved the laid back environment, views of the Carneros Valley, and the fact that their wines, bottles and labels made with such purpose. After Scribe, we went right down the road to a place that multiple people recommended to us: Domaine Carneros. We really loved this place! We sat on the patio, enjoyed a couple of cheese plates, and of course - some fabulous sparking wines and pinot noirs. Our last stop of the day was at Miner Winery where we did a tasting and cave tour. Their wines were mostly red, and we ADORED them...esp the Oracle wine! (Put all of these wineries on your Napa list!) For dinner, we ate at the famous Bottega! YUM!


Views from Scribe....

The picnic table where we sat to have our wine tasting!


They even had a rope swing for the adventurous type...my brother :) 

DOMAINE CARNEROS!!

Patio where we sat and had our tasting.

View from Domaine Carneros.

Such great sparkling wines!

Our table :)


The fam (minus my little honey) in the caves at Miner.

Our fave! The 2006 and 2007 was the best!

One of the private rooms you can rent at Miner...so gorgeous!

Miner.

Chef Michael Chiarello's Bottega. 

Copper water glasses at Bottega, which my mom and I fell in love with and promptly ordered! 

The grounds right outside of Bottega.

Everyone told us to get their truffle fries as an appetizer. Let's just say this entire plate was demolished in under 10 mins! SO SO GOOD! Behind the fries was our other to-die-for app: the heirloom tomato plate. It had fresh mozzarella and balsamic caviar on top, which was something I had never had/seen before. Little "beads" of balsamic vinegar that popped in your mouth...so tasty!

We all got something different, but I think mine was the best....hehe. I got the special, which was blue cheese risotto, grilled peaches, and melt in your mouth short ribs. Drool. 

We went light with dessert since the meal was so filling and decadent. 3 sorbets: raspberry, nectarine, and mint. Perfect ending to an incredible meal! 

I know I said I'd do our trip in two parts, but I lied. Our last day in Napa was the highlight of our trip!!! We hired a driver, and he took us to some AMAZING places we would have never found on our own! Plus we ate at one of Napa's most talked about restaurants (besides Bottega), so I wanted that to be a post all on its own. This one was getting too long anyways :) PLEASE check back soon... you won't be sorry! It has some insider places that you will want to check out when you go yourself!
Plus, I am adding a helpful guide at the end of the next post with all my picks/suggestions by region. That will help you plan your trip so much better than randomly driving all over the valley, wasting time in traffic or on the road between places. If you missed part one of my Napa trip, click here!

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4 comments:

  1. aaaahhhh, thanks so much for taking us on a mini virtual trip! i love watching chef michael chiarello on food network and i dream of eating at bottega one day. the food looks absolutely amazing!!! :D

    <3, Mimi
    http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/
    Mile End Bakery Giveaway: Win a dozen cookies of your choice!
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  2. This looks like SO much fun, Lindsay! Especially the train -- too cute.
    xo Josie
    www.winksmilestyle.com

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  3. oh Domaine Caneros was so much fun when my mom and I went a few years back! Cant go wrong with champagne tasting!

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  4. Thanks for the post! I never knew there was a train that went through Napa!

    xoxo Shauna

    kissesandcontracts.blogspot.com

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