Napa!

I've been meaning to post about our trip to California we took a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to it. We planned this trip earlier this spring with my parents and the plan was to celebrate Ryan being done with school and spend a few days all together in the wine country.  I wasn't planning on being pregnant when we picked this destination but someone had a different plan for us :)

We left on a Thursday morning and spent the day/night in San Francisco.  The weather was a little chilly in San Fran but overall was really nice.  We grabbed lunch and spent the afternoon walking around the city and getting some good exercise going up and down the hills.  We dined that night at McCormick & Kuleto's and had an awesome view of the bay.

The next morning we headed out to Napa and I made my dad stop by the bridge for a few quick pics :)

We dropped our bags off at our hotel in Napa and our driver, Kent, picked us up for a day of wine tasting.  Our first stop was Aonair which was a great way to kick off the trip.

The setting was beautiful and the weather was perfect.

We sat outside under this gorgeous tree and tasted wine.  I promise I just had a few sips!

Our second stop was Caspar Estate which gave us a beautiful view of the valley.  We were able to walk around a take a few pictures before we sat down at our table.

We ate sandwiches and cheese and crackers while tasting their wines.  The view was spectacular and the wines didn't disappoint :)

Our last stop of the day was Yates Family Winery.  We were able to meet with one of the owners and tasted her wines in her grandmother's house on the property.  It was a very intimate setting and again, great scenery!

That evening for dinner we ate at Allegria in downtown Napa and unfortunately I didn't get any pictures.  The food was very good though!

Our second day in Napa we started at White Rock Winery.  We had another personal tour from the owner and I loved hearing the history of the winery and their wines.  We were also able to taste inside the cave which was really cool.

After our first stop we grabbed lunch at Dean & Deluca and headed up to our next winery.  I could walk around in this store for hours!

Next we went to Frias Winery and hung out with one of the owners on the top of his vineyard.  We sat at a picnic table and enjoyed our lunch while sipping his wines.  I loved that this was a casual setting and a perfect way to spend an afternoon.  I remembered thinking that life doesn't get much better than this :)

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from our next stop but is was another great one.  We went to Hill Family Estate and sat at one of the owners dining room table and sipped his wine.  His wife and young children were also there and it was fun to meet them all and hear about their life in Napa.  Didn't sound to bad to me :)

Our third day in Napa we actually took the day off from wine tasting and my mom and I went and got a massage while the guys played golf.  I'm so glad we did this and it was nice to take a break and have more time to relax.  After massages and golf we had a late lunch at Oakville Grocery which is one of my favorite stops in Napa.  It's the perfect place to grab a sandwich or wine and cheese and hang outside on the patio.

We had dinner at Tra Vigne that night which was probably my favorite meal of the trip.  We had a beautiful table on the patio and it really was the perfect setting.  The food and company were great as well :)

On our last full day in Napa we started at Black Cordon which was probably my favorite winery we visited. I loved listening to the owner tell his story and his wines truly were some of my favorite.  Again the weather was perfect and we really lucked out on this trip.

Our second stop of the day was at Phiffer Pavitt where we tasted in a beautiful barn.  I would love to attend a party in this setting!

Lastly, we stopped at Red Cap Vineyards and enjoyed wines at a picnic table right next to the owner's home.  The best part about all of these stops is that we got to learn a little bit about the owners, their history and the wines.  It makes wineries that much more memorable.

We ended our trip with dinner at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville which is a close tie for my favorite.  We ate such good food on this trip and it was hard to come back to reality.  We also sipped great wine and ordered quite a few bottles.  I've made Ryan promise he has to wait until after December to open any of them so I can enjoy them as well!

We are so grateful we were able to take this trip with my parents and have so many great memories.  I just can't wait to go back when I'm not pregnant :)