I have been working so much overtime at work and in need of a mini getaway. Luckily, one of my friends from the Brazil trip invited me along with her friends to Napa Valley for a few days. Talk about perfect timing!
Our first stop on Wednesday was at V. Sattui Winery for lunch. An entrance fee is not required, which made this the ideal lunch spot for us. The winery offers a great variety of food at their artisan deli, ranging from sandwiches and salads to cheeses and spreads. You can even ask to see what wines pair best with your meal too. My friends and I ended up buying several sandwiches and two bottles of wine (Cabernet Sauvignon & an Off-Dry Riesling) to enjoy at the outdoor picnic area. I really enjoy taking in the rustic beauty of this winery while savoring my panini wtih homemade bresaola and mozzarella.
After lunch, we went over to Castello di Amorosa for our first wine tasting. Driving up to the vineyard was breath taking, where your vision is welcomed by the vineyard’s grand 13th century inspired Tuscan castle. An entrance fee is required, which will cost you $25 and comes with a wine pairing. Once we were admitted, we did a quick self-tour of the castle. I was a fan of their wines overall and ended up purchasing their Cabernet Sauvignon and La Fantasia. If I had more room in my suitcase I would have picked up a bottle of their Merlot.
The next morning, we started off our day with a wine tour and tasting at Artesa. I’m glad we booked a tour at Artesa because I learned a lot of interesting facts aside from the mantra “the smaller the bubbles, the lesser the headache” in regards to sparkling wines. For example, the family that owns the vineyard uses their oak barrels only up to 4 uses. Typically, a barrel (with a lifespan of 10 years) can be used many times before throwing it out. However, Artesa relates a barrel to a tea bag, where the more you re-use it the less it will steep it’s flavors. The wine that I was impressed with was their Codorniu Napa Grand Reserve, which is a sparking wine that tasted as if you just bit into a Granny Smith apple. So refreshing!
Our last stop was at Domaine Carneros. We had a hard time leaving Artesa and its amazing view but Carneros did not disappoint us at all. The estate was gorgeous, where it made me wish I was wearing a nice day dress. We had a wine tasting reservation, where our options was either the pinot or sparking wine flight. Of course, I went with the pinot flight which I later regretted. The reds are not my favorite at Carneros but I surprisingly enjoyed sampling the sparking wines off from others in the group. So if you plan to do a tasting at Carneros, I do recommend going with the sparking wine flight.
Napa Valley was the perfect mini getaway from my busy work schedule. It’s a great way to unwind and relax so I will consider going back to Napa the next time I need to escape Seattle. If you’re interesting in reading up on other places my friends and I visited in the area, you can read them here.
Sammie on the Run 
Nice post! We live in Napa Valley and you hit all of our favorites, including some places we are members at (Artesa). Sounds like you made the most of this quick trip. You may enjoy our wine country blog: http://www.topochinesvino.com. Follow us if you like what you see.
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Thank you! I think despite our last min planning we were able to make the most of it. I will definitely check out your blog for inspiration for my next visit to Napa for sure!
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