napa post #1

Hello from Napa Valley!!!!! Whew, we have had very full days since we left Abilene, but they have been filled with goodness and fun!!!! My hubby is amazing and this trip that he planned for us could not be more perfect. And there is absolutely no one I would rather be experiencing this with than him. I know how very lucky I am to spend my days with my best friend and soul mate.

:: Wednesday, August 1 -- Mimi took us to the airport for our 6:55 am flight out of Abilene. The flight was good and we made it to Dallas without much ado. In Dallas, we had a small layover -- we grabbed some McDonalds for breakfast and did some reading. We boarded our plane to California...once everyone was aboard, they then told us that we all had to get off the plane because they had determined that the one we were on was not fit for flying to California. Uh, ok. So off we went. We went two gates down and luckily didn't have long to wait until we boarded that plane. Then we had to sit on the plane for quite awhile as they transferred all of our luggage to the new plane. It would not have taken so long but there apparently was a baseball team on board with us and they had a TON of stuff. But, finally we were in the air and the trip was uneventful from there. We arrived a bit later than expected but got our rental car (a silver Volkswagon Passat) and headed toward Napa. Along the way we had lunch at a little Mexican Cantina, which was pretty tasty. We arrived in Downtown Napa around 4:00 and checked in to our bed and breakfast called The Inn on First. We met Jim, the chef...he gave us the run down and showed us around, then took us to our room. It is an adorable house, and our room is so nice!!! Blues, with a heart shaped jacuzzi tub! We got our things settled and then took a brief walk to the downtown area where the shops and restaurants are. We stopped in to a few that were still open and had a nice time siteseeing. Chris bought a vintage tie and I bought a vintage apron at a very cute shop. We headed back to our room to get dressed for our first Napa dinner -- Cole's Chop  House in downtown Napa. It was sooooo yummy!!! Wow! We enjoyed some salads, and then we each got the petite filet which was aged beef and absolutely delicious!!! It came with baked potato and sauted mushrooms. Mm! Chris also got the bread pudding. We were like stuffed pigs when we left there!!! But so good.

:: Thursday, August 2 -- we woke up bright and early on Thursday morning and got ready for our day. Then we headed out to the common area of the bed and breakfast for our treat of a breakfast. Breakfast is included in our stay, and the chef Jim is amazing! We started with pastries and fruit salad; Chris also tried the homemade granola. Then we were treated to foccocia biscuits with an egg, mozzerella cheese, and a slice of home grown tomato. Oh it was so yummy!!! From there, we headed out for our very full day! We started with Berringer Vineyard in St. Helena; it was so beautiful there! Their property was superb and the tour we took with Tim our guide was impressive and informative. He showed us around, and then at the end we all sat at a long table together in the tasting room and had different wines paired with different flavors to see how it altered the taste of the wine. Very nice. From there, we headed to a little supermarket and bought foods for a picnic -- fresh bread, soft gourmet cheese, pasta salad, and a heritage tomato. I love heritage tomatoes!!! We then made our way to Sterling Winery in in Calistoga, and hoped to enjoy our picnic there. But, it wasn't allowed. So we did the self guided tour there first and then had our picnic later. We loved this winery a lot!!! It was up on a mountain top, and to get there we had to ride in a tram!!! Once at the top, they had stations set up along the way. We would get a wine, then wander on and look at everything. Then we came upon the next wine and then wandered on some more. It was self paced, but very well organized. The views from there were absolutely amazing!!! This had a very modern feel -- it was white with clean lines. Then, we rode the tram back down the mountain and headed to a roadside picnic area to enjoy our feast. The bread and the cheese were so delicious!! And that tomato :) Then we headed across the street to Schramsberg Winery  in Calistoga as well. This one is our CEO's favorite winery, so were excited to visit this one. The property itself wasn't all that impressive really; however, we greatly enjoyed the tour! Our tour guide Todd was funny and so informative. We learned a lot of new things there because they do sparkling wine. That is a whole different process. It was a fabulous tour. From there, we stopped at a smaller winery called Trinchero, where Chris did a tasting. He liked their wines so he signed up for their wine club. They'll be shipping us some wines, and he can opt out at any time if he so decides. Our dinner reservations weren't until 6:45, so we shopped at some of the cute little shops in St. Helena. We bought a cross made out of wine barrel wood, it's so pretty. I also found a gorgeous necklace with a Pacific pearl, and a "diamond" bangle. Our dinner at Tra Vigne was delicious!!!! This restaurant was also in St. Helena, and we enjoyed so many good foods! For our appetizer, we had the much anticipated bruchetta with homemade mozzeralla cheese. Oh it was divine!! We paired that appetizer with a tray of heirloom tomatoes drizzled with vinagrette and basil. Mmmmm!!! For our dinner, Chris had a homemade pasta with braised rabbit which was melt-in-your-mouth outstanding! I had a homemade pasta with goat cheese and ricotta, topped with peas and artichoke hearts. Very delicious! Finished off the meal with a strawberry shortcake (Chris) and chocolate and expresso gelato (me). Wonderful experience!!! We came back to the bed and breakfast, and came up to the main house to grab some of Jim's famous chocolate chip cookies. Mmmm! Yes -- food and wine. That's the life!!

:: Friday, August 3 -- another wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!!!! We started early again, but had to skip the breakfast so we could get to our first appointment. We had the 9:30 am tour at Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga and we were both excited to see this one. And it certainly did NOT disappoint! It was the most outstanding, unbelievable thing I have ever seen!!!! I can't wait to share the photos with you after we get home! We enjoyed the wonderful tour with our guide Wendy, who was outstanding. We saw all the aspects of the castle, from the church, to the courtyard, to the wine production, to the knight's room, to the weapon room, to the torture chamber (creepy!)...and then finished up in our very own tasting room. The tasting experience was very fun here, and Wendy did a great job. We really loved the wines that they produced and decided to buy six bottles and have them shipped home. Their dessert wines were outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (my favorite). We were just thrilled with that whole experience. From there, we traveled a short distance to Chateau Montelena in Calistoga. This place was absolutely beautiful but there wasn't a lot to do there. We didn't want to do a tasting, so we just looked around and moved on. We stopped for lunch downtown Calistoga at a mexican restaurant called Pacifico. OUTSTANDING! I had the best enchiladas I have ever eaten -- monterey cheese, black olives and cilantro with a green sauce. I am going to try to recreate them at home. Chris had the best fish tacos he's ever eaten. Great stop!!!! Then we headed back down to Napa and did the 2:30 tour and tasting at Silverado. The grounds here were breathtaking, and the views were amazing. The tour with our guide Tom was a little on the boring side -- he wasn't the greatest guide, though he WAS wearing a kilt :) The tasting was okay, but we weren't fond of their wines really. So we headed on. Decided to stop in at Mumm's Winery in Napa and tried some of their sparkling wines there. Their tasting experience was nice -- we grabbed our own table, picked what we wanted and enjoyed the gorgeous view. We headed back to our room but first made a pit stop at the Premier Outlet mall to shop at the Coach store -- I found a very cute bag there and love it!! We have been relaxing at the bed and breakfast since then, which has been nice We finished off a bottle of sweet wine, and enjoyed a snack of cheese and crackers in the backyard. We have 9:00 dinner reservations at Mustards Grill in Yountville which we are excited about. I will be back when I can to tell you about that, and the rest of our trip :)

AMAZING location!! AMAZING wines! AMAZING foods!!!! AMAZING anniversary trip with my hubby....tomorrow we will have been married for five years. The best five years of my life, without a doubt. God blessed me with this man he made just for me.