Good advice from everyone I think, I’d like to pile on against Bouchon, we went last time we were there and thought it was a total garbage experience. Completely ignored by the staff, food came out undercooked and under seasoned, BtG selection was meh and somm felt really confrontational, super underwhelmed.
We went to REDD the next night and had a much better experience on all fronts.
Dining in Yountville, in my opinion, seems less than it should be. It’s good, generally, but I always feel like based on where it is, it should be better, way better. I have nicer meals in Denver for the most part.
This is my advice too. Plan your trips for ease of transition. Forget all this nonsense about fewer tastings. You have few days and much to try. With that said, leaving a long lunch at Auberge to go to Palmaz seems like, for lack of a better analogy (it’s been a long day) stopping sex to stomp your testes. Order wine, enjoy the food, linger with your party, and go drink better wine at a more enjoyable tasting. I am kind of down on limited, expensive tastings of wines that are surpassed in quality throughout the valley. Everyone has their own favorite, but if I was revising your trip, that’d be my first big change.
Going to places on the same mountain/area on the same day will be a much better use of your time. Trying to go from Barnett to O’shaughnessy in that time frame will be tight, very tight if you are planning on eating lunch. Those mountain roads take longer to get up than you think. There are a lot of great wineries on both mountains and you will end up driving past them all to get across the valley…
Beating a dead horse here, but Bistro Jeanty over Bouchon for sure.
Also, if you do focus your visits and decide to hit multiple wineries on Spring Mountain, I’d encourage you to look at visiting Fisher on the Sonoma side of the mountain. It’s easy to get to from Pride (which is another nice visit) and has the great combination of a family-run winery making terrific wines (both their reds and their Chardonnay) in a beautiful setting.
Still no mention of Ciccio?
First trip?
Go see the geyser–campy fun!
I also think a stop at Taylor’s/Gotts is a must. Maybe not a must but a pretty unique place (guess depending on where you live ).
I never hear anyone talk about that restaurant, Nolan. And I haven’t ever been, despite some casual, off-hand invitations ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
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Okay, we bite- we will take you there next time. We have been there (twice) and it is an excellent experience. Well above its price range. First time we went there we stood in line 30 minutes before and someone said- good, in few minutes the line would be across the parking lot. And we laughed… five minutes later, we weren’t laughing and the guy gave us the look “you are new here, aren’t you…”. Everything on the menu was great. You can taste some older vintage altamura wines there as well. Good corkage fee. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Downtown Napa has some excellent dining spots and just a short drive south from Yountville.
- Torc
- Celadon
- Morimoto
- Oenotri
- LaToque
And some very good after dinner spots including Blue Note Jazz Club.
I think the only thing I’d add would be breakfast at Alexis Baking Company (ABC) on 3rd St. in Napa. Get their Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit (best I’ve ever had…anywhere). Enjoy your time…leave room for a new place to go every day.
Palmaz - incredibly gracious and then some. Facility - mind boggling hi-tech. If only the wine was as good. And from what I hear it’s getting there. When they match tech with passion, watch out. I would go.
I wouldn’t have appointments at more than one place in the morning and one place in the afternoon unless they’re really really close by. Driving between appointments takes longer than you think and if you schedule too much you run yourself ragged and leave little time to check out something that catches your eye in route.
I would avoid all of the big places where your experience will be very generic except for a “fit them in on the fly” stop. I visited Inglenook in early 70s with my parents who were retailers and todays experience is very disappointing and commercialized last time I stopped.
I’d go see cool small places lie these…
Pride Mt - Great location at top of Spring Mt. We usually do a picnic lunch there too. The grandeur of the views are amazing! They used to put on really informative tastings. Haven’t been in Napa since 2012 so don’t know what its like today. Pride offers fairly priced Cabs by Napa Valley standards.
On the way to Pride I’d have to piggy back Smith Madrone which is much smaller still and offers one the best values in Napa Valley Cab. Smith Madrone is an under the radar gem.
I’m also curious about Togni a legend. And Dunnwho is on the other side of the valley up on the mountain.
I’d dedicate a lot of time to relaxing and enjoying vs. turning this into a slog. My wife is still reluctant to go back to Napa Valley because we made too many wine stops early on. Even when I cut it way back it was too much wine geeking for her.
Before you leave Napa, be sure to stop by Backroom Wines and ask Sean for a few recommendations. They specialize in local, small production wines. You’re sure to find a few interesting wines to take home.
Your statement rings so true for me. We’ve been there twice now and I would be hard pressed to get my wife to do it for a third time. You can only drink so many young cabs, listen to the " get to know you " banter from the tasting room personnel and hear pitches for “the club”.
Round Pond was probably the best tasting experience we had. Auberge the best food experience and Sam’s Social Club best lunch.
Viader is a unique visit just cause of the topography (is that the right term?)
How can you not go see THE TODD? Conn Valley is also a great tour I think
Acme Wines is also a good stop.
I tend not to like the ones open to the public but thats me
I’m curious to see whether (s)he shifted the trip around based on the feedback. You don’t think we are all invited to go, do you?
One more Bistro Jeanty over Bouchon. Get the escargot and the Coq Au Vin and you will be happy the rest of the trip.
Haha…I haven’t heard or thought of The Todd in quite a while. That promo photo he had a few years back of him, standing on the hood of a cobra, with a golf back in the back seat, a shotgun on his him, pounding a glass of wine, was priceless!