Napa — Whitesell Wellness

While we just returned from my 35th milestone birthday, I thought I would share what was in store for the ‘milestone’ birthday five years ago as this is often a destination I am asked about—Napa Valley.

Before I even turned 30 I knew I wanted to visit Napa Valley for the ‘big 3-0.’ It is a trip that I still remember dearly, as friends and family joined in on the fun. I planned this trip from start to finish for this group…at the time I was traveling often and had extra time in the evenings with not much to do. I vividly remember poring over a large flipchart sheet, re-arranging our winery stops so that we could fit in as much as possible with an efficient route. And, our driver agreed that I did a great job. I’m going to review each day below as I normally do with a full recap of stay-eat-drink-do at the end, but this time, I’m including my real-life itinerary printables with you all here if you’d like to re-create or print yourself.

Prior to exploring all that Napa Valley had to offer, Justin & I spent a few days in San Francisco. Our entire trip was Wednesday to Monday, so if you’re anything like my house, four days of PTO with the option of taking three if you work on that Monday flight home 😉. From memory, we did not. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Wednesday

CLT-SFO

We checked into the Palace Hotel and had a sweet suite. The architecture and charm of this old building is magnificent. Breakfast was wonderful and the bar scene was a vibe.

I have been following Dominque Crenn for quite some time and was tickled when she opened Bar Crenn the week that we were in town and promptly made reservations for happy hour.

Now for dinner, we did something really unusual because we knew we were getting up early, and got Sweetgreen. It’s not in Charlotte so when I visit a city where there is one, it is a MUST. The only reason that I likely got away with this is because 1) it was my birthday trip 2) we were jet lagged.

Thursday

I had been to San Francisco before but had never seen the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just staring at it and taking a picture, I thought (go figure) what better way than to run across it for some little exercise. What we didn’t plan for, was the rain. And this was like pouring buckets. BUCKETS. I remember looking at Justin, in my rain jacket like, ‘are we really going to do this,’ and his stare back was very clearly, ‘this is your idea, so, yes, let’s go.’ And y’all, so glad we did. It was epic. It’s not a long run—about 1.7 miles each way—but about halfway through the run the rain completely stopped and we watched the fog rise with the sun peeking out. And the bonus? Because of the rain, we were legit the only ones on the bridge. Highly recommend at least making the walk across.

We went to brunch after that in Fisherman’s Wharf, a detail I don’t quite remember, but it involved mimosas.

There was another restaurant that had been on my list for a long, long time: Chez Panisse. Alice Waters is a legend and is credited with bringing the farm to table movement to fruition. My dear friend, Kelly (check out her designs, y’all!), decided to come out for the weekend to work and spend time with some friends, so she and a friend got to join in this epic dinner, too. It’s important to note, Chez Panisse is located in Berkeley, so it’s a drive, but worth it.

Friday

Our friends had arrived and rented a car so we rendezvoused with them to drive to the hotel which was about an hour and a half away.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Napa—thanks to a very generous sales manager I was working with at the time, she hooked up an amazing group rate and booked Justin & I for the presidential suite. I’m not sure I’ll ever stay in a presidential suite again, but here’s to hoping.

Our driver was a man by the name of Tony, owner of Wine Country Confidential, and I truly think we hit the jackpot with him. He was the best; highly recommend.

Stop #1: McKenzie-Mueller | It was nice start to our afternoon since we wanted to get to Hendry and this was close.

15-minute drive

Stop #2: Hendry | We learned a lot in this interactive tasting. They produce some really delicious wine.

12-minute drive

Stop #3: Robert Biale | The Black Chicken, y’all! A classic. The first bottle we purchased to take back. Loved the atmosphere here. The wine was really great here, and the porch is a beautiful place for the tasting. The vineyards are expansive and great for photos.

18-minute drive

Stop #4: Auberge Du Soleil | You’ve gotta go, the cocktails were epic and the views breathtaking.

Now that I’m reflecting back on this, I was definitely 30 and not 35, IDK if I could hang like this again, because we still weren’t done…

Dinner: Harvest Table | Loved dinner, but it is important to note that Napa Valley is an early town and the restaurant nearly kicked us out around 9:30 p.m. because they wanted to close…note: our reservation for 8 of us was for 8:00 p.m….

Saturday

Say what you want about Embassy Suites but being able to stumble walk downstairs to grab a quick breakfast of eggs and potatoes before more drinking was absolutely clutch.

We had a limo today as my cousin and his friend joined the festivities late Friday and Tony’s SUV only holds 6 comfortably. I don’t recall the company…

Stop #1: Alpha Omega Winery | A couple that was with us belong to their wine club, so this was a complimentary tasting. Loved the wine here and went home with a great bottle. The atmosphere outside is lovely.

12-minute drive

Stop #2: Orin Swift | Have been a huge OS fan for years. This is actually located _____ and not in a winery. Check on reservations; they didn’t take them when we went but they might now…

Lunch: GOTTS Roadside | You’ve gotta go! It’s a Napa Valley institution; there will probably be a line, but it is worth it. We left an hour to get lunch and it was plenty.

17-minutes from St. Helena

Stop #3: Chateau Montelana | Chateau Montelena is what put Napa Valley on the map and gave the French a run for their wine money with their 1973 Chardonnay during the Judgment of Paris. We had a private tasting set up here which was REALLY fun. The estate is expansive and breathtaking; great photo opportunities.

Dinner: Nothing planned! This was such a respite, we just chilled at the hotel and watched college basketball*

*which reminds me- knowing we had college sports fanatics on this trip, I thought we could have a little fun and do our own wine brackets. I’ll attach that PDF below.

Sunday

A couple departed early, so we were back with 6 which means—Tony was back!

Stop #1: RH Yountville Wine Vault; formerly Ma(i)sonry | Which was like the Restoration Hardware OG drinking spot. It’s been rebranded since, but a lovely first stop as this isn’t a winery, merely a beautiful garden with an extensive wine list situated in a garden, with, of course RH furnishings.

10-minute drive

Stop #2: St. Supery | I knew St. Supery from the famed red blend, Elu, from my restaurant days. This was a highlight of our trip—so much so, that we became wine members and receive quarterly shipments from them. Their wine is amazing; and our friends who we have sent agree! At the time of this piece’s second draft, our shipment today included a bottle of our beloved Elu. We have a tendency to [somehow] wait until Thanksgiving and pop that bottle with friends and family; and everyone is always impressed.

15-minute drive

Early Lunch: Oakville Grocery | because, who doesn’t love an upscale local grocery?

Stop #3: Reynolds | While I wish I had more intel, and I was indeed there, things got a little fuzzy here as they also were experimenting with tequila after acquiring some agave plants, so I’ll just leave that here.

8-minute drive

Stop #4: Ashes x Diamonds | Oh, you thought we were done after Reynolds? No way could I miss out on the then new-kid-on-the-block-changing-the-old-school-winery-game that is Ashes x Diamonds. And you can definitely tell by the mid-century-modern clean lines and aesthetic of their architecture. They are focused on pushing boundaries and were *gasp* available at 3:30 p.m. Many tastings in the late afternoon were impossible to find and they pride themselves on being open later, with their last tasting reservation at 4:30 p.m. and they close at 7:00 p.m. A must visit, in my book.

We went back to the hotel had a FAST change of clothes…

Dinner: The Girl and The Fig | loved the ambiance here and their ‘country food with a French passion’ focus. I wish we had explored more of Sonoma, but alas, this was the only chance we got to get there.

Monday

Like all amazing vacations, they come to an end. While everyone was severely sad to leave, the only ones who were not were our livers.

Hope you find this little itinerary helpful in planning your next wine country adventure!

RECAP & NOTES:

· See who you know that are members places and if they can call in a favor for a free wine tasting for you!

· We went with a group of 6 and then we grew to 8 and went back to 6; idk how much larger of a group would have been enjoyable but I have certainly seen it done! I also know many people that make it a couples trip!

· Hire a car service, I’m going to say it here, I said it above, and I said it below—just do it! Be safe.

Stay

San Francisco: Palace Hotel

Napa*: Embassy Suites Hotel

*I know there are a lot of lovely resorts and such, and they are on our list for the future 😉

Eat

Drink