My Napa Valley faves

I just returned home from an incredible 5 day girls trip to Napa with my mom and two sisters! If you are a lover of nature, wine, and food I highly recommended a trip to Napa! Napa Valley is thirty miles long and five miles wide, it is home to over 500 wineries. The main towns are: Napa, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga. I was lucky enough to explore Napa, Yountville, Calistoga, and St. Helena. They each had their own personality and unique style. Read on for some of my favorite parts of my trip.

Favorite parts of Napa

Wineries-
Wheeler farms- of course you have to visit wineries when going to Napa. My favorite one was Wheeler farms, I love the farm to table aspect their culinary program had, and of course I loved their wine. We were greeted with the most delicious glass of rose. I do not typically love rose because I find it too sweet, but this glass was impeccable! The tapas that was paired with our wine tasting was unbelievable. Chef Sarah Heller, has done a fantastic job creating a memorable experience with each bite. It was the perfect bite with each sip of wine. The unique part about this winery is they actually have groups from all over bring grapes in make their wine on this farm.
Relic + Hour Glass Wineries- We were lucky enough to experience both of these wineries in one. We got to spend a few hours speaking with some of the creators and distributors of both these wineries. The sweet part was the couple providing us with the tasting were engaged, but worked together to support their own individual wineries that they work for. We got to try most of their Cabernet Sauvignons, which is the most popular type of wine made in Napa Valley. I highly recommend going to meet this couple and tasting the wine from both of these wineries, it was delicious and a very memorable experience.
Where I Stayed
My sisters and I wanted to book a special place for us to stay with my mom. It was our mothers day present to her. We chose The Solage. It was in Calistoga, such a beautiful area. The location was great, walkable to hikes, stores, and not to mention they had a wonderful pool and spa. The rooms were very roomy, but cozy at the same time. The rooms were an individual unit, almost like you had your own apartment. The Solage also had vehicles for use for free if you were a guest, so of course were took advantage of this and took the convertible for a spin! Our last day we wanted to just relax, so we worked out at the hotel gym and then were treated with the hotels signature spa treatment, a mudslide. This consisted of mud being placed directly onto the skin for exfoliation and detoxification. Next you enter a room with a private soaking tub, this helps rid the body of toxins and calm the nerves. The last step was an anti-gravity chair, with specific sounds to promote relaxation. It was as incredible as it sounds. I highly recommend staying or at least spending a day at The Solage hotel.
Eats
This was by far my favorite part! I did not know Napa had such a strong food scene.
Auberge du Soleil- This was my first dinner in Napa. It was supposed to be the four of us, but one of my sisters and my moms flight situation got messed up. So it was just me and my sister flannery that got to enjoy this delicious romantic dinner. The view from the restaurant over looks the valley. It was a set menu of 4 courses. This was my first time ever having caviar and I cant even begin how to explain how decadent and delicious it is. Each course was very thoughtfully created, and the service was fantastic. It was the perfect dinner to begin my Napa culinary experience.
Restoration Hardware Restaurant- This was in Yountville. So a charming little town, with a lot of history. We had lunch here, if you do not know what RH is, it actually a furniture store, one of my families favorites. Definitely go early before your meal or save time after to check out their show room. The lunch was very good, we decided to share a few of the items on the menu. We started with the crispy artichokes with homemade aioli. We had already had a few wine tastings behind us so we were not able to eat as much as we would have liked!
The French Laundry- When my sister told me we had dinner reservations at TFL my jaw dropped. Obviously I am a major foodie, so to be able to eat at one of Chef Thomas Kellers restaurants was a dream come true. It is not easy to get a table at TFL, so make sure you try a month in advance. Go early before dinner and walk through their garden across the street from the restaurant. It made me really appreciate the works that goes into a farm to table restaurant. It was 7 course set menu, that also included 3 extra added courses because, well it is The French Laundry. It is hard to say what my favorite dish was. I really enjoyed the truffle gnocchi with shaved black truffle on top. I will add a few pictures at the bottom for you to see some of the courses. After dinner don’t forget to ask for a tour of the kitchen. It was an experience I will never forget.
The Charter Oak- I think this is a must go to restaurant when visiting Napa. I love when restaurants serve their food family style, it allows you to be able to taste multiple different items. First off their bread is incredible and something about the butter served with it blew my mind. The restaurant has a wood fire oven right in the middle of the dining room. A few other items I loved was their oyster mushrooms, grilled avocado, hand cut fries, and the soy bean fermented dip with fresh crudité. Try as much as you can here, definitely go in hungry!

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