Napa Valley

Last weekend, our friend Matt came to visit all the way from Florida!  You have to understand, being in a land where we started out not knowing anyone, well let's just say it makes for really treasured time when an old friend comes over.  Thanks for coming, Matt!  You are welcome back anytime!

Over the weekend, we took Matt up to Napa Valley.  We started out our day not really knowing too much about where we were going, but we knew there would be information for us soon as we reached the Valley.  I, for one, was expecting a little tri-fold bulletin with ten or so wineries to hit up.  Hahaha!  Try two magazines full of wineries and places to see and eat!  This was more than a one day trip, folks! 

We ate at a little French restaurant, called Angele, on the river soon as we entered Napa.  Carl and Matt are braver souls than I... they each ordered rabbit... I stuck with French Onion Soup.  And, might I say, the French sure do know how to make French Onion soup!  It was delish!  

Our waiter recommended a few wineries for us to visit,so we made sure to take him up on his suggestions.  The first winery we went to was called Del Dotto.

After Del Dotto, we started heading down the road and found ourselves in Stag's Leap.  In Stag's Leap, we went to a winery called Darioush.  Darioush was by appointment only, but somehow they let us in when we walked through the door with a huge crowd... hmm...  ;)  It was a very fancy pants type winery.  Beautiful pillars greet you as you walk across a bridge that is built over a pond with lily pads galore.  Upon entrance to the building, the earth tones of the marble floor and the waterfall that stretches from the third floor to the basement really makes you feel as though you are in an important building!

 

After Darioush, we headed to yet another winery.  This one, I must say, was by far my favorite.  It was beautiful.  It was a wonderful atmosphere.  Everything about it was just great.  It was Regusci (pronounced ree-goosh-ee).  We walked in and were asked if we were there for T-Vine or Regusci.  We were there for Regusci but asked what T-Vine was exactly.  "It's an exclusive party held on the roof by T-Vine, a brand we are partnerig with.  But you have to have an invitation....."  Just then, a guy, who I swear is my Uncle Brian's twin (see pic below), told us that if we wanted to take a look, we could pop up there for a minute. 

We settled in on the lanai for some tastings and decided that we would purchase a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy at a later date.  The lanai overlooked the vineyard, and it was just lovely.  We spend the majority of our afternoon here, with an excellent barista.  He was extremely friendly and laid back, just our style.

After relaxing there for quite a while, we headed upstairs to the "Private Party."  We walked in and a lady stopped us... "Did you RSVP?"

"No."  The three of us answered.

"Okay, well I'll show you around..."  There we enjoyed more wine tasting, live music, baby back ribs, fried mac and cheese bites (yum), and some amaaaazing cheese.  We even got to meet one of the winery dogs (that's really what they are called...), Trixie.  Trixie lives on the winery.  She's a (very full) corgi. 

The three of us had a very terrific day up in Napa.  We learned that one day in Napa is not nearly enough and we have agreed that on Matt's next trip out here, we will go visit Sonoma.  Although, I must say, I couldn't have chosen a better time of year to visit the vineyards.  They were absolutely gorgeous with the leaves changing colors!  And the weather was ideal!  All around, it was just a wonderful day.