Domaine Carneros

We arrived in Napa around 11 AM and immediately started our winery visits! Our first stop was Domaine Carneros which ended up on our must-do list solely based on looks. They primarily specialize in sparkling wines which are not typically our wine of choice; however, the estate looks stunning in photos and definitely gave me “Blank Space” music video vibes. Obviously, that was a good enough reason for me to go. While it is a beautiful estate, the size of the building was actually a little underwhelming. It definitely photographs well, though!

After we snapped a few photos outside, we headed inside to check in for our tasting. We were led to the back patio which had a great view of all of the surrounding vineyards. Domaine Carneros offers a choice of five different tasting flights and several cheese and charcuterie pairings. I chose the Sparkling Wine Sampler (Ultra Brut, Estate Brut Cuvée, Brut Rosé, and Verméil Demi-Sec). Kayleigh, who is definitely not a sparkling fan, went with the Chateau Sampler (Blanc de Noir, Brut Rosé, Avant-Garde Pinot Noir, and Estate Pinot Noir). We liked that all of the wines were poured at once and we were left to enjoy them at our leisure. Our server was an expert in their wines, poured them, described each in detail, and checked in with us a few times to answer any questions. We enjoyed all of the wines and even considered leaving with a bottle, but decided to hold off since we had limited space to bring things back and this was only our first stop. Overall, Domaine Carneros was the perfect start to our Napa Valley tour!

Buena Vista Winery

Next up, we headed over to Buena Vista Winery. This ended up on our list because we were able to get free tastings as part of our Cooper’s Hawk Wine Club perks. Our server let us try some of his recommendations that were outside of the typical tasting including: The Sheriff of Buena Vista, Private Reserve Pinot Noir, and The Count’s Selection Pinot Gris. It was a charming little area with decent wines. We enjoyed our time overall; not sure I would put this on my list again if it weren’t for the free tasting, but only because it was not particularly memorable compared to other stops.

V. Sattui Winery

Our last stop of the day was V. Sattui–a fun little place with a deli and marketplace in addition to their winery. We decided to try their tasting experience at the bar inside. We were able to choose 5 wines off of their tasting menu. Our favorites were the Sauvignon Blanc (we actually took a bottle of this back to the Airbnb with us), Merlot, Muscat, and the Madeira (which we determined would taste great on pancakes). After the tasting, we grabbed some food from the deli and headed to the Airbnb. This was a good stop especially since it had a variety of food options.

Airbnb

Our Airbnb was wild! A guest cottage right in the middle of vineyards. We could not believe someone actually lived there! It felt very homey, welcoming, and even had a little area set up outside to sit and enjoy the view. The owner was so sweet; she left several coupons for nearby wineries and had a guest book for everyone to sign during their stay. She greeted us outside the next morning on our way out and was very friendly! We did experience a bit of an ant situation, but other than that it was the perfect place for our stay.