Group of 6 of us with some taste differences so we are hitting everyone’s requested top choice.
Day 1 - Arkenstone and O’Shaughnessy
Day 2 - Paul Hobbs and Carter (aka driving day)
Day 3 - Alpha Omega with dinner at Redd
Day 4 - Hall Rutherford with dinner at The French Laundry
Have left time for chilling, strolling, sightseeing etc., and plan to drop in a few places as well.
Nice relaxing pace hopefully.
Any thoughts, advice, comments welcome.
French Laundry drop mic…nice!!!
sounds like a great time. my advice is just to have fun!
May I suggest lunch at Charter Oak if you can squeeze it in 
Sounds great. Re: Day 1, you will be on Howell Mtn, and I do not think there are a lot of drop in opportunities. But your appointments are probably over by mid afternoon latest, I would guess, so maybe when you get back down the mountain. One suggestion, while over in that direction, is make a late appt at Anderson’s Conn Valley- take Howell Mtn road all the way down, ake a left and you are kind of there. Place can be a blast of a tasting.
I concur with Jeff – just have fun and enjoy it. Wine country is a special place. And my biggest piece of advice for people at the Laundry is not to feel uptight or anxious about it. It’s incredibly fun. Just enjoy the ride and let the enthusiasm wash over you.
Great lineup!! Wine and food are looking good and fun. Whoever, however you came up with that list and schedule you did well. Enjoy!!
While the food was solid, service was so horrific while I was there that I cannot recommend lunch. And not just for us. Folks told off the manager and walked out while I was there, my waiter disappeared for the last 15 minutes of lunch and I had to beg the check from another passing waiter so we could leave, never offered a dessert menu or anything, and no water pitcher or drink refill offer at all. Built in tip is not good. Another table was late to their next tasting (where we recognized them) due to service. Really a bad experience less than a month ago.
Go heavy on the apps at Redd. Damage Control is a great cocktail if you want a break from wine.
Thank you for the comments, Damage Control sounds like something we will need!
I’m not very sophisticated on tasting notes but will post our collective thoughts when I get back.
Surprising; I’ve been there ~5 times since it opened and have never had anything less than good service, though perhaps it has gone bad since. These are the Meadowood people so it is doubly surprising. Was this during the week or on the weekend?
I know I sound like a broken record, but go for the top tasting upgrade at Alpha Omega, very much worth the experience!
Have a great trip!
Not to hijack the thread, but I’m heading to Napa next month and wanted to ask if there are any wine shops that are great for finding new or under-the-radar local producers.
David and Monica at 750wines in St. Helena are exceptional for service and hard-to-find selection.
It was a Saturday at 12:00 but the restaurant was not full. I was really excited to go there for lunch. While the food was good, the experience was a massive let down. I was shocked.
when I read your review I actually wasn’t surprised at all, as built in tip only encourages shitty service and lunch on saturday makes it even more likely to have poor service. still, this is unfortunate and I wish it wasn’t the case.
Go see Randy and Carrie Bowman at Napa Valley Wine and Cigar.
Watch out for the coppers. Saw a couple of DUI’s when we were there last. One right in downtown Yountsville at dinner time. Sad.
Suggestions for lunch on your AO day:
Farmstead in St. Helena, since your will be close, OR
Quick drive to Yountville to Addendum (a little shack behind Ad Hoc) — fried chicken from Thomas Keller
Was at Charter Oak last week. Worst service I have seen in a long time. Not to mention I had a party of 6 with a reservation at 8:00 called the day before to see if we could move up to 7. Was told rather rudely no chance as they were completely booked. Called Amex and they changed the reservation to 7:15. We show up the next night and the place was half empty the whole night. Wine service consisted of dropping wine glasses at the end of the table, walking away, showing up 30 minutes later with the bottle we ordered that was opened and dropped on the other end of the table. No wines poured for us all night. Ordered another bottle and same service. Food was average, some dishes good while others were not. Gratuity included was a real rip off and only promotes shitty service.