You ate three times in Glen Ellen and didn’t go to the Fig Cafe? ![[smileyvault-ban.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/4/426cc97ad8dd530c8304b0918ca75ff841d4d950.gif "[smileyvault-ban.gif]")
FIFY!
Thank you everyone for the feedback! Much appreciated!
For some reference, we are staying in Yountville and currently have dinner reservations at Bouchon and Bistro Jeanty.
As for wine, some of our California favorites include: Rivers-Marie, Chappellet, Bedrock, Carlisle
We are planning on heading up to Chappellet, but am curious as which tasting/tour is recommended and how long it takes to get up there? I want to allot enough time without being rushed.
Have scheduled:
Schramsberg
MacDonald
Bedrock
Some other wineries we are considering:
Shafer
Hall
Pride (based on this thread)
Please keep the info coming! We are very excited to celebrate soon!
I don’t know what tour we did with Chappellet. I’d do some sort of search to see how long it takes to get there from wherever you are up to Chappellet. I remember we just barely made it. We went on the tour (set up by their distributor in Indiana) where they took you up on the hill and got some great views. They poured a bunch of wines and opened up some other things by request of some of the other guests. Who, by the end of the tour were thankful they hired a driver. Anyway, its a great view and, to a person, we have found everyone associated with the winery to be very, very nice. They are a bit pushy about getting people to sign up for one of their mailing lists. We very much enjoy their Chenin Blanc.
Big fans of Bistro Jeanty, too, enjoy!
JD
Google maps says about 20 minutes to Chappellet from Yountville, which seems about right. About 30 minutes to Pride, which also seems about right (barring bad traffic up 29, which you shouldn’t have on a weekday). Always a good idea to pad the times a bit.
If you haven’t done a lot of this, be very careful tasting and driving. If you’re driving yourself, you can do it, but you must spit (don’t be embarrassed in the least to do this), and be very cautious about drinking, particularly at any place where they pour a bunch of wine.
Any particular car services I should look into for driving us around the valley?
i’ll second lagier Meredith and add corison
4 years ago we used Ona Marks’ service Designated Driver. She’ll often set up appointments for you as well.
Glad to hear Bistro Jeanty is on your list. You won’t be disappointed. My wife ordered the Epaule de Porc (slow roasted pork shoulder) followed by the prunes soaked in armagnac with vanilla ice cream–says it’s the best meal she’s ever had at a restaurant. The waitress recommended the dessert, said it was the chef’s favorite and rare to find it on a menu.
We did the hour and a half tour a Chappellet–not cheap, $45 apiece . . . but worth the splurge.
Congrats from a fellow Houstonian - or at least up here in Tomball.
I’ve been to many of the places you are considering.
Rivers-Marie - Will does great tastings. There isn’t anything “new” but you get to taste the stuff you bought. Outpost might be another TRB site to taste as well.
Chappellet - Went here on our last trip. One of the better formal tastings we have been to. Great views. Very personalized
Schramsberg - Not really into bubbles but still one of the very best tastings. The history and the process are amazing.
Bedrock - I have yet to do a tasting but certainly buy enough wine from Morgan.
Conn Creek - The Blending Experience is absolutely worth it. Not cheap but you get a bottle that you have blended. It might be cool to open when you eat that year old cake on your anniversary. Do heed their warning about eating before you go.
Other tastings we have enjoyed ate Lamborn, O’Shaughnessy, Robert Biale. Venge is our epiphany winery but I’m not sure they are doing visits much beyond their mailing list. Turnbull is beautiful if you are into photography.
You won’t go wrong anyplace in Yountville to eat. You might want to try to get into Tra Vigne before it shutters. If you do the tasting menu at Redd, each person will get a different dish for each course.
Enjoy.
For food
If you are heading to Bedrock, you have to go to the Fremont Diner. (breakfast, lunch, early dinner)
Yountville-
Redd Wood
St. Helena
Model Bakery
Farmstead ($5 corkage)
Gott’s
For additional wineries-
Di Costanzo http://www.mdcwines.com
Failla
I’ve been blessed to have been able to tour/taste at the following (all have magnificent architecture, well-regarded portfolios and friendly hosts):
Harlan
Dana Estates
Continuum
If you’re lucky enough to get a chance to visit any of these, I’d highly recommend you do so.
Is it possible to get into Harlan without arriving by Helicopter???
Another winery to consider, Joseph Phelps just completely renovated their visitor center, and it’s pretty spectacular now.
Second votes for Pride, Domain Carneros, and Shafer.
Guess I was lucky to be able to drive there… 
Is Shafer worth the cost to be able to taste Hillside? I guess the same may go with Phelps and Insignia?
Corison and Failla do look like great options to explore further!
What are the overall thoughts around larger operations like Hall, Frog’s Leap, Cakebread, etc.? Worth the time and cost, or should we focus on smaller operations?
Also, what is the ideal number of tastings to shoot for in a day? 3? 4?
Thanks!
Nick, Given that it’s your honeymoon, I would strongly advise taking it easy, not planning more than 2-3 tastings in any day (particularly if they require some driving in between). Take it easy, relax, enjoy the surroundings and your time together. Those memories will be much more important in the future than squeezing in another wine tasting. Personally, I much prefer the smaller places, where you’re likely to get more personalized attention. Failla is an excellent choice, you would enjoy tasting there. As far as evaluating cost, you have to decide for yourself what wines you like, and what might be worth spending some $$ to do. I would stay away from the main Hwy 29 places that charge, and focus more on more private and personalized service. I’ll add Montelena to the list, not sure that I’ve seen it in this thread.
Solid advice!!
Go for a couples mud bath at Golden Haven.
Alan, thank you very much for the advice. That is the information I was looking for on how many tasting to schedule per day without feeling rushed. Also the part about about personal service is spot on. I will focus my attention towards identifying and scheduling smaller places.
Nick- we just got back from a few days last week for our anniv trip. We did 2 visits a day with lunch in between. You could squeeze an occasional 3rd visit in but Alan is spot on.
Robert Craig and or Lamborn at the top of Howell Mountain are great visits. Lamborn doesn’t charge and RC might waive if you purchase wine and or join their club. Smaller producers won’t charge but the goal is to have you become a customer if you like the wine.
Several folks were raving about this place as one of the best new restaurants. We didn’t get a chance to try it. No reservations so you show up and wait a bit but it sounded like it’s well worth it.
Congrats !