TRAVEL
Our Trip to Sonoma & Napa Valley
Trevor and I finally had the opportunity to travel to wine country last week and we had the best time! We learned a lot prior to our trip from friends and it was extremely helpful. If you’re planning a trip, looking to go back, or just wondering what it’s like, I’ll be recapping what we did, what we’d go again vs skip, and MUST-DOs!
Wednesday: Sonoma, California
We took an early flight into Oakland on Wednesday morning and it was about a 1 hr drive to Sonoma, where we stayed our first night before heading to Napa. We stayed at The Lodge Sonoma which is a STUNNING property (we could’ve stayed there the whole trip!) The colors and designs throughout were giving so much inspiration for our own home. Our room was updated and VERY spacious, had 2 personal bikes, and an large outdoor stone soaking tub.
Happy Hour @ Wit & Wisdom: we decided to try Wit & Wisdom since we had some time to spare before our dinner reservations and this place is a MUST. We ordered the two happy hour drinks – the Cloverdale (Frankly Grapefruit, La Luna Mezcal, Lime, Soda) and Time Well Spent (Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey Peach Black Tea, Lime, Ginger) which were probably our favorite cocktails of the trip! We also tried the Liberty Farm Duck Wings (Grand Marnier & Black Pepper Gastrique), also amazing (I could have licked the bowl clean!) We ended up coming back here on our last night for happy hour and dinner!
Dinner @ the girl & the fig: we read great reviews about this restaurant so we had to try. We started at the bar, each getting one of their signature drinks – a fig fashioned (bourbon, caramelized fig syrup, bitters, dried figs, orange, brandied cherries). It was definitely on the sweeter side and while I enjoyed mine, Trevor didn’t care for his as much (the usual Old Fashioned drinker). We enjoyed dinner on their adorable patio. We ordered: Fig & Arugula Salad (toasted pecans, pancetta, laura chenel chèvre, fig & port vinaigrette), Wild Flounder Meunière (yukon potato purée, spinach, lemon-caper brown butter), Fig Burger (bacon-fig jam, tarragon aioli, smoked goat cheddar, butter lettuce, red onion, acme bun, frites), and Profiteroles for dessert. Everything was very very good and our server was amazing. We left stuffed!
Thursday: Sonoma & Napa Valley
Breakfast @ Benicia’s Kitchen at The Lodge: We started our morning with a delicious (and filling) brunch at Benicia’s Kitchen inside The Lodge Sonoma before leaving. I had the Guacamole Toast (fried egg, Salsa molcajete, chipotle crema, queso fresco, pepitas, pickled shallots, grilled multi grain toast) and Trevor had the Tacos de Birria (Birria, scrambled eggs, refried beans, queso fresco, salsa criolla, corn tortilla). We shared a bowl of the Mango Chia Seed Pudding (toasted coconut and strawberries). Everything was SO GOOD. They also offer bottomless mimosas for only $25 (we did not indulge as we had wine tastings later on, but we heard they were yummy!)
Bubbly & Bites: Taste from Southeast Asia @ Domaine Carneros: first of all, this winery is truly like a castle. While tours weren’t available during our visit, we did get to do a food/wine pairing tasting. Domaine Carneros is known for their sparkling wines (process from Tattinger from France) so we tried 5 different varieties of their bubbly. The bites were all Southeast Asia inspired and were a generous size and very savory! The large, raised outdoor patio has great views overlooking the vineyard.
Lunch @ Restoration Hardware Yountville: another beautiful property (on a smaller scale similar to Chicago’s restaurant) but all RH style. The cafe was peaceful with fountains and large trees throughout. Since we were still a little full from our tasting, we shared an Arugula Salad (Fennel, Grapes, Sunflower Seeds, Parmigiano Reggiano, Citrus Vinaigrette), a Lobster Roll (Drawn Butter, Mayonnaise, Old Bay), and each got Cappuccinos to finish which was all very delicious. Next door is the RH Wine Cave, where they source unique and hard-to-find wines from the surrounding areas.
Dinner @ ad hoc in Yountville: okay, this restaurant is a MUST-VISIT. The 4-course menu changes daily so you don’t know what you’re going to get until that afternoon. Everything was AMAZING. The portions were also huge so I suggest going hungry and NOT eating the bread they give when you sit down (even though it’s really good lol). And if you order a bottle of wine/bubbly, the chef throws in an extra dish which was a mini pimento grilled cheese with peppers and SO good 🙂
Friday: Napa Valley
Hot Air Balloon Ride with Napa Valley Balloons: We were up bright and early Friday morning for our Hot Air Balloon flight! Due to the fog over the valley, we were driven about 1 hr away to Winters, CA. Definitely a bummer about the weather at morning, but it was still a beautiful experience. We saw a couple vineyards and a lot of almond/walnut farms which was interesting! I’ve never been on a hot air ballon ride and was surprised how smooth it was… until the landing !!! OH MAN. That was scary. We came in fast, hit hard, went up a bit, and hit hard again. Missed the building and missed the poles, thank god. Did I mention that you can’t steer a hot air balloon like I originally thought!? LOL it made a great bonding experience for our group though but not sure I’d do it again.
Breakfast @ Bouchon Bakery in Yountville: you gotta hit this bakery up! I’m pretty picky when it comes to pastries, but I’m SOLD. The muffins, croissants, and macarons are the perfect treats. Even the Turkey Pesto sandwich on fresh focaccia was amazing!
Far Niente Winery Tour & Tasting: I love touring wineries and learning the history behind them. They all have great family-based stories on how they started, how they’ve grown, and where they are now. We did a tour of the Gil’s car museum, the property overlooking the vineyards, and the cave/cellars which were the most impressive. All underground, it took 15 years to build with multiple branching hallways longer than football fields! We also toured the family’s private cellar that hold bottles dating back to the early 90’s. We loved our tasting experience and learned a lot of wine/wine-making in general!
Tasting @ Jessup Cellars: this tasting was part of our trip and pre-planned. After trying 2 of our wines, we were a bit tired and wined out. The wine was good (we liked the cabs) and the pricing was right, but there was just a little tasting room downtown Yountville – not a place like Domaine or Far Niente that’s old/historical.
Dinner @ Scala: I will say that we were planning on driving to Calistoga for dinner but opted out since it was a bit of a drive from our hotel. Instead, we went to Scala (Italian) in downtown Napa. I had a Cellodrop martini and while that was good, the food was subpar and very overpriced for the portions you received and the service was pretty slow. It was recommended while we were there and it was busy, so I’m not sure if it’s what we ordered (Pesto and Spicy Sausages), but it fell short and I wouldn’t recommend.
Saturday: Napa Valley
Breakfast @ Model Bakery: this was highly recommended and it didn’t disappoint! We each had delicious breakfast sandwiches and I love their Lavender Lattes. They are famous for their English muffins, which land on Oprah’s list of favorite things (and for good reason!) We left with a 6-pack 🙂
Express Lunch @ Napa Valley Wine Train: we did an afternoon express train ride that started in DT Napa, headed up to St. Helena, and back. It was the original train car (obviously renovated) but very pretty! We passed beautiful wineries and enjoyed a delicious 3-course meal, bottle of bubbly, and coffees to end. The train ride is 3 hours long, but expect to be there for a total of 4 hours.
Drive to St. Helena / V. Satuui Winery: this Italian winery was pretty packed on Saturday afternoon, but also large and possibly one of the VERY FEW family-friendly places. There’s a big area to have picnics, a large Italian market with tasting options (reservations required for tastings), but we were able to sneak a few sips since we were going to buy some wine. I would have loved to walk around and look in the store a bit more, but it was jam packed!
Dinner @ Wit & Wisdom: we loved it here so much that we went back for Happy Hour & dinner 🙂 we got our same cocktails, the duck wings (too good), and had Crispy Berkshire Porchetta (Braised Greens, Apricot Mostarda, Jus), Roasted Salmon (Wild Mushrooms, Petite Squash Fregola), and Duck Fat Fried Potatoes (House-Made Ranch, Pickle Ketchup). Everyone here is SO nice, can’t recommend enough!
Sunday: Napa Valley
Breakfast @ Model Bakery: we loved it so much so we came back for another great breakfast sandwich before playing pickleball at the Las Flores Community Courts.
Other Recommendations: Must See & Do
My BIGGEST suggestions:
– Google ahead and make reservations! Not many places offer walk-ins, and they fill up FAST in summer & especially during the harvest in September.
– Nothing is walking distance and there is not a solid public transportation system (no trains, busses) so you’ll have to rent a car OR hire a driver. We rented a car and everything was about a 20 minute drive from wherever we were.
– Schedule things, but not tooooo many things. We only had 4 days there, so I wanted to squeeze in as much as possible. But adding in all the driving around, we didn’t have any time to lay by the pool, nap, relax… so I HIGHLY suggest leaving room for that. To be honest, I was pretty exhausted by the end of this trip! 🙂
Sonoma: downtown area is fairly small with smaller, more quaint shops (a few clothing stores, mostly home/cooking). We walked around the block for about an hour and felt good. Sunflower Caffe is a super cute place with an adorable back patio filled with trees!
Downtown Napa: okay, this was definitely NOT what I was expecting from downtown Napa. I was thinking quaint, cottage-y but it was like a whole mini city, lots of trendy shops, restaurants, nightlife, people watching LOL (this was also on a Saturday night). But it’s a day in itself for exploring around – it’s pretty large and lots of little nooks & side streets!
– The ArBaretum – amazing drinks with a cigar/smoking lounge next door. Carries Napa Valley Distillery whiskey, brandy, etc.
– Model Bakery – take home a 6 pack of English muffins
– Sky & Vine @ The Archer Hotel – rooftop bar with separate private Whiskey bar (reservations required) huge rooftop with firepits!
– Oxbow Market – suuuuper cute market with fresh produce and lots of little specialty shops within
– Cole’s Steakhouse
– Gott’s Roadside – great for a quick lunch!
Yountville: it was suggested to me to eat all meals in Yountville and I agree with that 100%. Every meal was absolutely delicious! Top recs:
– Ad Hoc (go to addendum [behind Ad Hoc] for lunch for their fried chicken)
– Bottega
– RH (lunch)
– Mustards (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives)
– French Laundry – multiple course prix fixe. They were unfortunately completely booked so we weren’t able to make it in!
– Bouchon Bakery
Wineries/Vineyards: obviously we weren’t able to make ALL of this list, but they were either recommended or looked absolutely beautiful or were booked full:
– Domaine Carneros – bubbly/sparkling wines
– Far Niente
– Nickel & Nickel
– V. Satuui
– Darioush – Persian winery
– HALL Winery – cabs
– Del Dotta Vineyards – historic caves
– Chimney Rock
– Cakebread
– Trefethen
– Round Pond
– Stags’ Leap
– Robert Mondavi (closed this season for renovation)
– Inglenook
