Napa Valley, California

The Napa valley is widely recognized as one of the premier wine regions in the United States, and for good reason. This is a lovely area, small villages surrounded by vines and viniculture. Almost every shop is either a wine store, or an antique shop. The restaurants are fantastic, good food abounds. However the snob factor is very high. Winery's, for example, almost always charge for tasting's ($10), regardless if you buy, and some of them are only open by appointment. Napa could be described as a wannabe Bordeaux.

Napa is worth the visit, but be forewarned that unlike other wine regions (such as Burg andy), the area is quite large, so don't expect to visit everyone. We did buy some wine, but as most things are available everywhere in the USA, we only chose selections that were not distributed. As we only wanted to spend a day or two in Napa and Sonora, we limited out visits to some favorites.

Surprisingly, there is a lot of French wine in Napa. Go figure. Also, and perhaps more disappointingly, there wasn't much on the menus's in the way of local wines by the glass.

 

	We stayed at the Villagio Inn and Spa in Yountville. (April 2003)
	The Villagio tries hard to push the Italian image, and succeeds from a visual aspect. We also appreciated the in room fireplace and champagne brunch. (April 2003)
	Domaine Chandon was located literally just behind the Villagio, so it was a logical place to start. (April 2003)
	Chandon's sparkling wines were very good, after the tasting we bought a bottle of their Brut Reserve. (April 2003)
	These are the vines of Chandon, the buildings visible on the right side belong to the Villagio! (April 2003)
	Dinner was here at the Bouchon, an excellent French style cafe. We tried to get reservations at the French Laundry, but they only accept reservations two months in advance, we couldn't even get a hold of them to check for openings. This kind of snobbiness is rampant in Napa, and unwarranted. It doesn't even happen in France! The Bouchon was founded by the same guy that founded the French Laundry. (April 2003)
	Stags Leap was defiantly on the to visit list, and as always the wines were good. They don't let you in the winery, though - and I was a little suspect on their employees information concerning the serving of red wine. Regardless, we walked away with a limited run Petit Syrah.. (April 2003)
	Robert Mondavi is a beautiful property, and we stopped by just to visit the building - no tour or tasting here. Across the street was Opus One. (April 2003)
	Beringer offers a nice tour, well worth the visit regardless of your opinion of their wines. Here an antique press from France was brought in. (April 2003)
	Believe it or not, Beringer actually primary ferments one of their chardonneys in oak casks. These barrels lie in their extensive cave system. (April 2003)
	You can't see the bars, but this collection of wine at Beringer was securely locked up. (April 2003)
	The old Beringer winery. (April 2003)
	This is the Rhine House built by the Beringers, one of the oldest estates in Napa. (April 2003)
	Again, Beringer was worth the visit. (April 2003)

We continued on through Sonoma.....