Beringer Vineyards – After a brief morning stop at CIA/Greystone (I was in awe) we stopped by Beringer to start out our day.  We chose to do the reserve tasting, and it was worth it.  One of our favorite Chardonnay’s has always been Beringer Private Reserve.  It just so happened to be on sale – so we made a purchase.  We also got to taste 2 years worth of the Private Reserve cab and some other very fine wines.  Very much worth the stop.

• Merryvale Vineyards – This was somewhat of a disappointment.  The building looked like a warehouse – we entered through the side in an alley, walking by the back bay of a restaurant (not very appetizing).  The guy working the counter was creepy and annoying.  We did our tasting and got out of there very quickly.
• Whitehall Lane – One of my all time favorite Cab/Merlot.  The facilities weren’t all that impressive, but the guy doing the tasting was interesting, and he hooked us up with more than just the tasting we had asked for.  We bought some wine, and I thought about my friend Chris Harrington (I turned him on to this wine back in my Fuzion Cafe days).

• Frog’s Leap – We went off the beaten path in Rutherford and drove past Caymus/Cakebread – we were tempted, but felt somewhat intimidated.  So we went to Frog’s Leap to find one of the most beautiful places in the Napa Valley.  The house that hosts the tastings (reservation only – though they gave us a glass of Sauvigon Blanc just for showing up) is beautiful – Whit said that this would be her dream house.  When you walk outiside you see grape vines forever, a bountiful garden, and in all directions the hills that grow the finer wines of the area.  Just breathtaking.  When we return (yes, we will be back) we will make it a priority to make a reservation for a tasting there.

• ZD Vineyards – I actually did a wine dinner one time that featured ZD wines @ Fuzion – great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (my two favorites), so we stopped in for a bit.  Nice facilities, good wine – we made a purchase and moved on.

• Franciscan – No biggie - we stopped in and did a tasting.  Great tasting room (high ceilings, I think it looked kind of like a library) – we did the tasting and moved on.  We did get a free glass though!
• Silverado – In the Silverado valley we hit Silverado, which is situated up on a hill overlooking the valley.  Good wine, interesting people working there, and a beautiful view.  We would recommend this one.  Made a purchase and moved on – because at this point we were on a roll!!

• Stags Leap – Stags Leap is notable for many reasons.  Number one – they make great wine.  Number two – Nanette @ Fuzion used to gush over the Fay and Cask 23 releases.  Number 3 – Whitney bought me a bottle of 1975 Stags Leap Cab for my 30th birthday (and it was delicious).  We had a great tasting – lingered a bit on the beautiful grounds – made a purchase – and moved on.
• Clos du Val – Sensing that we were running out of time we started hitting wineries that we didn’t really want to hit.  The manly woman working there was very unpleasant, but that didn’t stop us.  We made a purchase just to show that we were good people.
• Chimney Rock – Last winery of the trip, so we had some fun taking pictures in the vineyard.  We chose Chimney Rock because we hadn’t really heard of it/tasted their wine (and because they were still open – while others had shut down for the day).  Inside it was a bar type atmosphere.  People were begging/pleading for more pours, more flights – we just stood there and enjoyed the wine and reflected on a great day.  We made our largest purchase – and got two free glasses to take with us because it was our anniversary.

As crazy as it sounds – we actually had time to eat lunch on Friday (Hurley’s in Yountville – Whitney loved it), and still made it out for a great dinner that evening (Bistro Jeanty in downtown Napa).

Tips

Ask questions

Split tastings

Drink Water and Eat

Don’t Set a Strict Schedule – the wineries you don’t get to will still be there when you go back!