First time in Sonoma/Napa

[David_P]

I just found another B&B in Yountville. Since I have 5 nights, would it make more sense to split my stay between the two places ( let’s say 2 nights Napa, 3 nights Sonoma ) or just keep the B&B in Sonoma and drive into Napa for a day or two. Even though I have never been to either, I have a feeling that I will enjoy Sonoma more, since it’s less commercial and less busy.

[Michael_D]

Wow. Thank you very much for all the recommendations. You guys are great.
We will be staying at Cinnanom Bear Inn on 19455 Sonoma Hwy.
We drink both reds and white. Our taste ranges widely depending on the mood , from a light Oregon Pinot to a big Napa Cab. We have visited the redwoods before, but would love to see the downtown and the coast.
On the map Napa looks very close to Sonoma, but after reading some posts it seems there could be heavy traffic. Will it be better to stay in Sonoma for all 5 days and leave Napa for a separate trip?

I would do one or the other… Enjoy yourself in each area and avoid the drive from one side to the other. I hate wasting time driving when I’m on vacation.

Each side has unique ‘areas’ to explore. You can easily spend a whole day exploring each of these areas. For example, you can fill up an entire day tasting wine on Howell Mountain, another day on Spring Mountain, a day or two along the Silverado Trail, and a couple days screwing around on the valley floor. Plus, it’s harder to find a bad meal around Napa/Sonoma, than it is a great meal, so you’ll want to enjoy the time there with meal planning and eating great food. Even the take away deli’s are fantastic, so you can grab some food for a picnic and take with you while cruising around tasting wine (although most wineries will not allow food, due to permitting issues, so don’t assume it’s OK).

And over on the Sonoma side, you can spend a day near the town of Sonoma, a couple days in the Russian River Valley area, a day in Dry Creek, a day in Alexander… Throw in a day here or there chasing a little white ball…

And the last thing you want to worry about, is driving in the evening to/from your restaurant after tasting wine. And if the restaurant is in Napa, and you are staying in Sonoma - that drive sucks if you don’t have a willing DD.

[Brian_Tuite]

My last visit in late March, I don’t think a single place allowed walk in’s. Might have changed in last couple of months, but totally agree on the need to make reservations

I waas considering booking a trip for late March - how was it, weather-wise?

Late March is a crap shoot. Early Spring weather or rain. Most likely Spring-link weather. High 60s and mostly sunny. Lately there hasn’t been any rain and the front page of todays Santa Rosa Press Democrat reads “Another Dry Winter Possible, so take that for what it’s worth.

[Alan_Rath]

I just found another B&B in Yountville. Since I have 5 nights, would it make more sense to split my stay between the two places ( let’s say 2 nights Napa, 3 nights Sonoma ) or just keep the B&B in Sonoma and drive into Napa for a day or two. Even though I have never been to either, I have a feeling that I will enjoy Sonoma more, since it’s less commercial and less busy.

Yountville is where we stay when we go to Napa for any length of time (we can do day trips easily). It’s a cool, essentially tourist town, lots of restaurants, some high end tasting rooms, Bouchon bakery, fun to walk around day and night. Might depend on exactly where you’re staying in Sonoma, and how much you like the place you’re staying. Driving over to the Napa side is doable, but you’ll either be going south and around, or over the mountains, so figure an hour or two spent just “commuting”, depending on the end points. I’d probably split it up, just to get a better picture, and know what you want to explore more the next time you visit. If you tell us the town and/or lodging, we can give you more feedback. PM if you want to.

[Tom_R_W]

Hi. Planning a trip in the end of September for our wedding anniversary. We usually stay local and go to Paso or Santa Barbara. This will be our first time in Napa and Sonoma. Will be staying in a B&B. Flying in Sunday morning and Flying out Friday evening. Do you think there is enough time to see both Sonoma and Napa? As it is our first time in the area , what would be “must visit” wineries? We woul probably be doing 2 to 3 wineries a day. We would like to visit some grand impressive properties and intermix that with some smaller wineries. Any other non wine related things to do or see in the area? Places to eat?
Thank you in advance

My wife and I have a rule about traveling: “Travel like you’re coming back.” Doesn’t always work overseas, but through trial and error have learned our least favorite trips are the ones we over-schedule trying to “see everything” because we worry we’ll never be back and spend most of the days moving from one site to the next never really relaxing and enjoying things. With that in mind, I’d recommend focussing on one valley or the other. If that’s not in the cards, segmenting by day like others have recommended should work best.

Also- Find a vineyard that will let you eat lunch on-site, either their food or a lunch you’ve packed in from the local delis/groceries. Set up a tasting/tour, buy a bottle of their wine and drink it taking in the views and eating lunch.

Because it’s your anniversary- We really enjoyed Schramsberg and the caves are very cool!

Some of my other favorite recent visits (mostly Napa)-
Grand/Impressive Properties:
Quintessa
Paloma
Outpost
Chappellet

Smaller properties:
Pott
Zahtila/Laura Michael
Storybook Mountain
Caldwell

Fave recent meals:
Have lunch at Gott’s Roadside

Cook
Torc
Bottega

[K_Kladder]

My last visit in late March, I don’t think a single place allowed walk in’s. Might have changed in last couple of months, but totally agree on the need to make reservations

I waas considering booking a trip for late March - how was it, weather-wise?

Perfect for us. We stayed in downtown Napa, was a little cool in the morning and evening, light jacket or pullover. By mid day in the valley shorts and light shirt. I think we wore a light jacket while up on Spring Mountain at Pride, but the weather was perfect for us.

[Tom_DeBiase]

I just found another B&B in Yountville. Since I have 5 nights, would it make more sense to split my stay between the two places ( let’s say 2 nights Napa, 3 nights Sonoma ) or just keep the B&B in Sonoma and drive into Napa for a day or two. Even though I have never been to either, I have a feeling that I will enjoy Sonoma more, since it’s less commercial and less busy.

This is a tough call because you make perfect sense saying that staying in one area works best but having said that you will also be missing an area.

Here is my purely personal view. Napa Valley is nice, some great wine and properties but a lot of it (not all) has a glitzy corporate feel. And it is undeniably expensive to taste relative to other areas. That is not a knock in any way, just reality.

As it’s your first trip out this way, I would use the time to visit Sonoma County and it’s wine areas. Split the time into sections to explore so you don’t spend all your time driving. Using the Town of Healdsburg as a starting point you could sample wine there (many wineries), lunch, shops, etc are all there. RRV-Sonoma Coast is another area packed with wineries and sights to see. Alexander Valley is beautiful, less traveled with several very good wineries. Sonoma Valley, from the town of Sonoma up to the city of Santa Rosa. Another beautiful section of Sonoma County with loads of wineries and sights to see.

Rather than giving a large list of wineries, restaurants, sights etc etc here, PM me if you want some recommendations.

Whatever you decide, have fun!!

Tom

[OwenB]

If it were me I’d do a couple nights in Healdsburg and a couple nights in Yountville or St Helena. I really like Healdsburg as a place to stay, but more of the wine tastings I prefer are in Napa.

Take a half day off from wine tasting when in Sonoma and drive down the coast to Hog Island Oyster Co for lunch.

[tpetty]

There are so many great places to go to, and both Valleys are certainly worth your time. However, I would focus on one valley, and do the other a different year. An hour’s drive back to your B&B, after a day of tasting, isn’t a fun way to end the evening.

[NickRut]

If you’ve never been to Napa at all, I’d start with some of the OGs: Montelena, Mondavi, BV, Chappellet, Schramsberg etc just to get a sense for the history of the region and then add in some smaller producers that are board favorites around here (there’s a bunch). You could do Montelena and Schramsberg one day then maybe add a smaller producer like Rivers Marie also in Calistoga. Should be able to do BV, Mondavi and Chappellet in another day in a valley floor + short drive to Pritchard Hill. If you do decide to only do 3 days in Napa, it’s hard to recommend a trek up to the mountains IMO, but if you decide on a 5 day trip it’s a no brainer and it’ll really give you a different perspective (literally and wine wise) on the region.

To give you an idea, we’re doing 3 days in Napa in a couple weeks and doing Kinsman, Di Costanzo, Abreu day 1 (St Helena area), Perliss, Rivers Marie and Eisele day 2 (Calistoga) and Vine Hill Ranch, Momento Mori and Round Pond day 3 (Oakville/Rutherford). I like to do 1 AM tasting, grab lunch en route to an early afternoon tasting, then a mid afternoon tasting. I mostly spit so I’m standing for dinner. IMO you HAVE to do an AM tasting if you wanna do 3 [good] tastings in a day.

Editing to add… With the smaller producers: if you like their wine, buy it! A lot of smaller producers rely on local restaurants to move product, and obviously the last 18 months or so restaurants have not been buying as much as they did in years past.

Where are you eating? Planning an October trip and stealing some of your ideas here.

[HoosJustinG]

If you’ve never been to Napa at all, I’d start with some of the OGs: Montelena, Mondavi, BV, Chappellet, Schramsberg etc just to get a sense for the history of the region and then add in some smaller producers that are board favorites around here (there’s a bunch). You could do Montelena and Schramsberg one day then maybe add a smaller producer like Rivers Marie also in Calistoga. Should be able to do BV, Mondavi and Chappellet in another day in a valley floor + short drive to Pritchard Hill. If you do decide to only do 3 days in Napa, it’s hard to recommend a trek up to the mountains IMO, but if you decide on a 5 day trip it’s a no brainer and it’ll really give you a different perspective (literally and wine wise) on the region.

To give you an idea, we’re doing 3 days in Napa in a couple weeks and doing Kinsman, Di Costanzo, Abreu day 1 (St Helena area), Perliss, Rivers Marie and Eisele day 2 (Calistoga) and Vine Hill Ranch, Momento Mori and Round Pond day 3 (Oakville/Rutherford). I like to do 1 AM tasting, grab lunch en route to an early afternoon tasting, then a mid afternoon tasting. I mostly spit so I’m standing for dinner. IMO you HAVE to do an AM tasting if you wanna do 3 [good] tastings in a day.

Editing to add… With the smaller producers: if you like their wine, buy it! A lot of smaller producers rely on local restaurants to move product, and obviously the last 18 months or so restaurants have not been buying as much as they did in years past.

Where are you eating? Planning an October trip and stealing some of your ideas here.

TFL, Press and Torc … touristy as possible lol

[OwenB]

If you’ve never been to Napa at all, I’d start with some of the OGs: Montelena, Mondavi, BV, Chappellet, Schramsberg etc just to get a sense for the history of the region and then add in some smaller producers that are board favorites around here (there’s a bunch). You could do Montelena and Schramsberg one day then maybe add a smaller producer like Rivers Marie also in Calistoga. Should be able to do BV, Mondavi and Chappellet in another day in a valley floor + short drive to Pritchard Hill. If you do decide to only do 3 days in Napa, it’s hard to recommend a trek up to the mountains IMO, but if you decide on a 5 day trip it’s a no brainer and it’ll really give you a different perspective (literally and wine wise) on the region.

To give you an idea, we’re doing 3 days in Napa in a couple weeks and doing Kinsman, Di Costanzo, Abreu day 1 (St Helena area), Perliss, Rivers Marie and Eisele day 2 (Calistoga) and Vine Hill Ranch, Momento Mori and Round Pond day 3 (Oakville/Rutherford). I like to do 1 AM tasting, grab lunch en route to an early afternoon tasting, then a mid afternoon tasting. I mostly spit so I’m standing for dinner. IMO you HAVE to do an AM tasting if you wanna do 3 [good] tastings in a day.

Editing to add… With the smaller producers: if you like their wine, buy it! A lot of smaller producers rely on local restaurants to move product, and obviously the last 18 months or so restaurants have not been buying as much as they did in years past.

Where are you eating? Planning an October trip and stealing some of your ideas here.

TFL, Press and Torc … touristy as possible lol

That’s a hell of an itinerary. My only ideal changes would be to add Myriad, Realm (not open at this time for visits, I believe), Dunn and William & Mary when at Rivers Marie. Other than RM, I haven’t bought from any of your day 2 or 3 stops.

[Karen_Troisi]

Wow. Thank you very much for all the recommendations. You guys are great.
We will be staying at Cinnanom Bear Inn on 19455 Sonoma Hwy.
We drink both reds and white. Our taste ranges widely depending on the mood , from a light Oregon Pinot to a big Napa Cab. We have visited the redwoods before, but would love to see the downtown and the coast.
On the map Napa looks very close to Sonoma, but after reading some posts it seems there could be heavy traffic. Will it be better to stay in Sonoma for all 5 days and leave Napa for a separate trip?

David - a lot of good suggestions this far. Here are my thoughts. I would split the trip staying 2 nights in Sonoma and 3 in Napa. My winery recommendations are various price points, and restaurants are a mix of casual eating and more upscale vibe.

Sonoma Wineries:

• Hamel
• Martinelli
• Reprise
• Patz & Hall
• Three Sticks
• Ferarri Carano (grounds are gorgeous)
• Williams Selyem (usually pour only for club members but call them you never know)

Sonoma Restaurants (some close to where you are staying):

• Girl and the Fig
• La Salette
• Della Santina
• El Dorado Kitchen
• Sunshine Cafe (breakfast or lunch)
• Valette (Healdsburg)
• Single Thread (Healdsburg)

Napa Wineries: additional to many good ones already mentioned:

• Shafer
• Vincent Arroyo
• Dakota Shy
• Mending Wall
• Jarvis (stunning cave tour)
• Lagier Meredith
• Jean Edwards (of course we would love to host you)

Napa Restaurants:

• have drinks at Auberge at sunset (best view in the valley)
• Torc, Celadon, Oneotri, Bounty Hunter (all downtown Napa)
• Bistro Don Giovanni
• Bistro Jeanty
• Gotz (Napa or St. Helena) for lunch
• Model Bakery (Napa or St. Helena) for breakfast
• Oxbow Market has several casual restaurants (Hog Island, LiveFire, C Casa and more)

[Tom_R_W]

If you’ve never been to Napa at all, I’d start with some of the OGs: Montelena, Mondavi, BV, Chappellet, Schramsberg etc just to get a sense for the history of the region and then add in some smaller producers that are board favorites around here (there’s a bunch). You could do Montelena and Schramsberg one day then maybe add a smaller producer like Rivers Marie also in Calistoga. Should be able to do BV, Mondavi and Chappellet in another day in a valley floor + short drive to Pritchard Hill. If you do decide to only do 3 days in Napa, it’s hard to recommend a trek up to the mountains IMO, but if you decide on a 5 day trip it’s a no brainer and it’ll really give you a different perspective (literally and wine wise) on the region.

To give you an idea, we’re doing 3 days in Napa in a couple weeks and doing Kinsman, Di Costanzo, Abreu day 1 (St Helena area), Perliss, Rivers Marie and Eisele day 2 (Calistoga) and Vine Hill Ranch, Momento Mori and Round Pond day 3 (Oakville/Rutherford). I like to do 1 AM tasting, grab lunch en route to an early afternoon tasting, then a mid afternoon tasting. I mostly spit so I’m standing for dinner. IMO you HAVE to do an AM tasting if you wanna do 3 [good] tastings in a day.

Editing to add… With the smaller producers: if you like their wine, buy it! A lot of smaller producers rely on local restaurants to move product, and obviously the last 18 months or so restaurants have not been buying as much as they did in years past.

Damn, man!! Missed this itinerary the first read through. Sounds like a drool-worthy trip! Would love to hear about these visits when you return.

[Tom_R_W]

In the “other things to do” category-

We’ve enjoyed hikes in the Robert Louis Stevenson Park five miles north of Calistoga on Hwy29.
There’s a short hike east of Hwy29 that’s very pretty and easy to fit into a day of tasting. The hike on the west side of 29 up to Mount St. Helena (no, the other one…) takes most of an afternoon but the view is crazy, beautiful.

[K_Kladder]

Napa Restaurants:

• have drinks at Auberge at sunset (best view in the valley)
• Torc, Celadon, Oneotri, Bounty Hunter (all downtown Napa)
• Bistro Don Giovanni
• Bistro Jeanty
• Gotz (Napa or St. Helena) for lunch
  - Model Bakery (Napa or St. Helena) for breakfast
• Oxbow Market has several casual restaurants (Hog Island, LiveFire, C Casa and more)
  [/quote]
  
  
  Model Bakery is a must, couldn’t remember the name of it in my earlier post. My wife talks more about that place than the wineries we went to.

[NickRut]

If you’ve never been to Napa at all, I’d start with some of the OGs: Montelena, Mondavi, BV, Chappellet, Schramsberg etc just to get a sense for the history of the region and then add in some smaller producers that are board favorites around here (there’s a bunch). You could do Montelena and Schramsberg one day then maybe add a smaller producer like Rivers Marie also in Calistoga. Should be able to do BV, Mondavi and Chappellet in another day in a valley floor + short drive to Pritchard Hill. If you do decide to only do 3 days in Napa, it’s hard to recommend a trek up to the mountains IMO, but if you decide on a 5 day trip it’s a no brainer and it’ll really give you a different perspective (literally and wine wise) on the region.

To give you an idea, we’re doing 3 days in Napa in a couple weeks and doing Kinsman, Di Costanzo, Abreu day 1 (St Helena area), Perliss, Rivers Marie and Eisele day 2 (Calistoga) and Vine Hill Ranch, Momento Mori and Round Pond day 3 (Oakville/Rutherford). I like to do 1 AM tasting, grab lunch en route to an early afternoon tasting, then a mid afternoon tasting. I mostly spit so I’m standing for dinner. IMO you HAVE to do an AM tasting if you wanna do 3 [good] tastings in a day.

Editing to add… With the smaller producers: if you like their wine, buy it! A lot of smaller producers rely on local restaurants to move product, and obviously the last 18 months or so restaurants have not been buying as much as they did in years past.

Where are you eating? Planning an October trip and stealing some of your ideas here.

TFL, Press and Torc … touristy as possible lol

Nice lineup. Considering tfl as well. Haven’t seen much about press. Will have to research a bit.

[Michael_D]

I know it’s Napa blasphemy to mention, but I’m gunna anyway… On the “other things” to do list, I actually enjoyed wandering through the Castle . Yep, I said it. Waiting to burnt at the stake. I don’t care. The architecture and detail that went into that monstrosity is worth a look. The wines are - meh… Castello di Amorosa History & Owner: Dario Sattui's Napa Castle

[Alan_Rath]

I know it’s Napa blasphemy to mention, but I’m gunna anyway… On the “other things” to do list, I actually enjoyed wandering through the Castle . Yep, I said it. Waiting to burnt at the stake. I don’t care. The architecture and detail that went into that monstrosity is worth a look. The wines are - meh… Castello di Amorosa History & Owner: Dario Sattui's Napa Castle

Gotta go there once, at least, but maybe on a future trip

[David_Baum]

PSA if in Russian River area Merry Edwards has always been a free no appointment necessary tasting. That’s a must do and takes maybe 30 minutes if in the area. Maybe a local like Brian can pipe in whether that’s still the case under current conditions