Looking for recomendations for some wine tastings for mid september.
Really looking for those places where i will need a reservation instead of showing up at the door. I have been to Napa twice and done the standard that can be done in a six our visit. This time i am staying two nights so i think it should open up a bit for me.
Most memorable for me was Round Pond.
Bad time to visit, IMO. Too much going on with harvest and crush. 29, The Trail and the crossroads will be nightmares.
+1
I somewhat knew this but my girlfriend and i have not been able to get away with just us for a long time so… Always my kids and travel to water parks, disneyworld, camping etc.
This was the time slot i had and it was vegas or napa. I chose napa. Two days with my sister in lafayette and two nights in Napa.
It’s probably a good time to visit wineries where the tasting experience is separate from the winemaking facility. If you would like to see some harvest going on, I would recommend somewhere like Pride Mountain (make an appt), where you can see harvest activity from a beautifully refined tasting area. Pride is off the beaten path yet, totally prepared for tastings. It would also be a good place to visit if you want to see the hustle and bustle of harvest while having a lovely tasting. Great wine obviously as well
Otherwise stick with the ‘old guard’ and maybe larger wineries like Beringer, Mondavi, BV, etc. Get some history under your belt and have some classic Napa Cabs at the same time. I love going to those wineries even though it’s fun to taste the micro / cult wineries too.
Sort of depends on you…What kind of wines from Napa do you prefer normally?
+1 to Pride, fun visit and super tasty wines. And Joe, if stunning scenery will win you points with the gf you gotta go, the drive is up to Pride is awesome.
He guzzles 2012 Caymus by the liter.
I know the conventional wisdom is that mid-September is a bad time to visit, but my wife took me on a surprise 3-night trip to Napa for my 40th birthday three years ago, and it was a fine time to be there. We were able to visit some of our favorite small producers (including our first visits with Mike Smith and Merrill Lindquist) as well as some larger spots (Larkmead, Alpha Omega). We also attended the annual Mt. Veeder Appellation event, which was a good time. I think you’ll find plenty of places that will be happy to host you. Just make tasting and dinner reservations several weeks in advance.
Have a great time,
Andy
I dont know if i guzzle caymus by the liter, but i do drink it. Seems almost like a sin on this board. I have no intention of visiting caymus on this trip. Scenery is very much appreciated. We are both nature people.so i can look up Pride and see what it is about. Thanks. My gf started looking up hot springs, so i am not certain we are on the same page now. Calistoga was not exactly on my to do list.
Nooooooooooooo 
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Joe see if you can get an appointment at Venge. They’re making some excellent wines and they’re not too far from the hot springs in Calistoga.
They’re about to start some serious construction on the Silverado Trail and Oakville Cross is likely closed till the end of the year.
Try to come on weekdays if you can.
Tex, are you kidding? Nightmares? Nightmares are coming from JFK into Columbus Circle in NYC. Getting into DC from whatever that airport is. IAD. Boston Beacon Hill from Logan Airport unless it is after 10:00 p.m. Nightmares are trying to navigate 17 into Santa Cruz over that twisty roadway. Highway 101 from San Jose North or South during any peak hours at all. Napa to Calistoga and back is not nightmare activity. Virtually ever.
If you do make a appt. at Pride ask to do the tour with Tim Bouchet He has been there almost since the beginning. He is one of my all time favorite people in the Valley hands down!
More than two cars in the queue at a stop sign, and I am ready to come out guns ablazin’.
Mending Wall- Don’t miss this, you will LOVE it. By appt only, and the wines will knock you out.
I’ll have more shortly, I was just here (literally, yesterday), and want to throw this out so you are on it.
+1 pm Venge, but you need to get a reservation ASAP. They only do tastings by appointment Wednesday - Sunday and have a limit on the number of tastings/people per month.
Anderson Conn Valley is another one that can turn into fun.
If you go to Pride, be sure to also make a reservation at Fisher, on the back (Sonoma) side of Spring Mountain. Beautiful property, terrific wines, and Jen Filipelli is a great host. You won’t regret it.
Fyi Joe, if you do hit up Pride try and schedule a Chateau Montelena tasting afterwords, which kind of makes sense from a distance standpoint (at least compared to Montelena after a winery in Rutherford/Oakville). Montelena is also beautiful and historic to boot. Plus, the tasting doesn’t suck.
Ha! If you travel on Silverado Trail, there are how many stop signs between Calistoga and Napa? Not that I am looking for more traffic up and down the Trail. Keep your gun in your holster, my friend.