Get your tasting glasses ready, I have some great finds for fine wines! Let me show you how to sip, swirl, and stay in luxury in Napa.
The Carneros Inn, A PlumpJack Resort
I visited this exquisite inn when it first opened in 2003 and boy, has it changed! The face lift it has been given with all the amenities is beyond beautiful. It is not an inn but many guest cottages with private patios with outdoor soaking tubs, fire pits and outdoor rainfall showers. During my stay, it didn’t matter to me that it was raining all weekend! I still lounged in the outdoor tub, showered under the raindrops and bundled up by the fire. It was ridiculously luxurious! And that’s an understatement. Another fabulous reason to visit The Carneros Inn (if you live in San Francisco, that is) is that it’s only a 45-minute drive from San Francisco. It’s right off of Highway 12/121 and you can easily blow past the property, but don’t! Stay away from the ever-crowded Hwy. 29.
I ate at all three restaurants on the property. The FARM and all its’ cool ambiance was yummy. The Hilltop Dining Room Restaurant was for inn guests only, so for a quick breakfast and cappuccino, it was perfect. There wasn’t much indoor ambiance, but the outdoor breathtaking views of the valley were stunning. My favorite place to eat was the Boon fly Café, a roadside diner where I had the most appetizing B.E.L.T. (a bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato sandwich). Yum, yum, yum and yum! That along with a bacon Bloody Mary, I was set for the wine tasting day. Ha!
The Spa was meh in décor but oooh la la in treatments! My massage with its’ aromatherapy elements was by far one of the greatest treatments I’ve had in a while. I’m picky, what can I say? Too bad it was torrential down pouring because the outdoor deck looked enticing. I recommend they renovate The Spa. Just sayin’.
The fitness center, the boot camp and the yoga room looked lovely from the outside and I would’ve loved to have participated in all that sweat but my energy went more towards raising my glass with my hand! Now, let’s talk wine…
Vineyard 29
I had my heart set on visiting Tusk Estates Winery. Unbeknownst to me, it was under renovation and undergoing a large construction project and unfortunately, unavailable for wine visits the weekend I was in Napa. As I was lunching at Redd Restaurant eating my favorite tuna tartare and sipping a magnificent white burgundy, I couldn’t hold back from asking the sommelier where else there was to go that’s as exclusive as a cult winery as Tusk. I also wanted to visit a winery where extraordinary winemaker Philippe Melka was a part of the winemaking process. The som said, check out Vineyard 29. And so I did.
I arrived at the gated winery with no reservation, but with my great Redd recommendation they swooped open the gate and I was let in. Austin Gallion, the Director of Hospitality of Vineyard 29 kindly asked if I was interested in coming back the following day for an exclusive wine and food pairing extravaganza. Of course I said, “Yes, please!”
The next day, I was presented with the most wonderful tour of Vineyard 29 complete with wine tastings and appetizer pairings. The exclusive experience couldn’t have been better and Austin was the chef, as well as the wine connoisseur. Needless to say, I walked away with a case of wine!
Spotlight: Philippe Melka began making Vineyard 29 wines in 1999.
Side Wine Bar: Reach out to Estate Sommelier, Augie Kersting. He represents other wineries including Philippe Melka’s newest project, The Zakin Family Estate.
If you’d like to plan an event at a winery in Napa, consider me your official adventure stylist to help plan and make it happen. Just Ask by contacting me!
Chin Chin,
