My family made our annual Napa Valley trip in October 2014, and it was simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I never grow tired of the beautiful scenery, unique wine selections and delicious “farm to table” foods! After our 2013 California trip, we realized we needed more time in the valley. This past trip, we had 4 full days and took our time (quality over quantity). We visited a couple wineries each day (spent a lot of time at our wine clubs) and basically enjoyed the gorgeous weather, views and wines. It was pure heaven to say the least.
For a reminder of my 2013 Napa Valley Family Friendly Wineries & Dining post, click here.
Keeping with tradition, we stayed at The Westin Verasa Napa in downtown Napa. It’s a beautiful resort located steps away from delicious eateries: Oxbow Market, The Model Bakery, Gott’s Roadside and Filippi’s Pizza Grotto. The Westin is also conveniently located near the Silverado Trail and across the street from the Napa Valley Wine Train station. I cannot say enough positives about The Westin Verasa Napa. I highly recommend this resort, especially if traveling with family. Our room had a full kitchen, pull out sofa bed, oversized bathroom, spacious balcony and was packed with luxurious amenities.
We joined 3 new wine clubs!
Already having a stash of Girard Sauvignon Blanc at home, we were excited to visit the Girard tasting room and try some additional pours. We quickly realized Girard has an incredible lineup of wines (I was personally drawn to their whites, perfect for Florida) so we joined the club. Our server Dee was absolutely amazing, we visited Girard three times during our trip and received consistent excellent service and sipped beautiful wines. Girard‘s rustic tasting room is located in Yountville and is open daily from 11 am – 7 pm (they are open much later than most wineries, so make sure to stop by)!
Already familiar with Etude Pinot Noir, it was exciting to visit their gorgeous tasting room and sample additional wines. Everything was top quality, from their tasting room, grounds and customer service.
Clos Du Val will hold a very special place in our hearts because they not only had a multitude of 2008 wines (birth year of our son), but they also pulled out 1978’s (my husband’s birth year). After we had a lovely wine tasting, we sat outside in a private cabana enjoying the views, a cheese platter and 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon! We visited Clos Du Val our final day in Napa Valley and knew it would be hard to top that winery experience. It was a great way to say goodbye to Napa Valley (until September 2015)!
Let’s NOT forget about our existing wine clubs (from our visit last year)!
We also visited our existing wine clubs. We are obviously members for a reason, so a big shout out to Stag’s Leap, Sequoia Grove, and Grgich Hills for welcoming our little family back with open arms. We love your outstanding wine selections and hospitality!
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has a newly opened FAY Outlook & Visitor Center. We sampled their beautiful estate Cabernets with a gorgeous backdrop of historic estate vineyards and the Stags Leap Palisades.
A trip to Napa Valley would never be complete without visiting Grgich Hills. As club members, we enjoyed our tasting on their courtyard with a beautiful cheese platter. It’s such a peaceful and serene area.
Sequoia Grove is a tranquil place, there is nothing I enjoy more than sipping wine outside while hummingbirds flutter around. The gentle breeze stirs up aromas from their iconic sequoia trees which is pretty amazing.
Previously, I mentioned restaurants we have dined at in the past, but this trip we tried Mustard’s Grill. I made a reservation online, so we had no wait whatsoever. Even if we did have to wait, it totally would have been worth it! We started with calamari and ended with lemon meringue pie! Everything was scrumptious, there wasn’t a crumb left!
All in all, we had a wonderful trip! We’re already counting down until our 2015 visit.
