We had the best time during our recent visit to Napa. It’s only a 3 hour drive from our home in Reno so it’s the perfect place for a spontaneous getaway. We ate at some delicious restaurants, stayed at a beautiful boutique hotel, and sipped on some incredible wines. Here is a list of our favorite wineries and places to dine in the Napa area.
Wineries
There are so many incredible wineries in this area that it can be difficult to decide on which wineries to visit for a wine tasting. You really can’t go wrong with any of the wineries but here are some of our favorites we visited on my last trip to Napa!
V. Sattui
1111 White Ln, St Helena, CA
This beautiful Italian winery in St. Helena is a must-visit. The large 2 acre property is filled with giant oak trees, flowers and vineyards. There are a lot of different seating areas to choose from. The wines here are award winning and I loved the historical stone winery in the middle of the property. Our wine tasting here reminded me of being in Italy.
TIP: Make sure to go into the grocery store on site at V. Sattui. The inside is filled with wine, local cheeses, meat, bread and more! A great place to take home a souviner or to buy a picnic lunch, accompanied by one of their bottles of wine of course.
Stag’s Leap Winery
6150 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA
The most beautiful winery we visited was undoubtedly Stag’s Leap Winery. This prestigious intimate winery produces elegant wines and the property is breathtakingly beautiful.
Established in 1893 this winery has a lively history. During your tasting you will take a full tour of the estate, manor and grounds. The manor was built in 1890 originally as a summer home for a wealthy family but was soon turned into a winery. The castle-like stone building is stunning and the plunge pool is known to be the first fresh water pool in northern California. The whole property is full of history and the stories our sommelier told us during our tasting were so interesting, we especially loved how this property used to be a secret speakeasy for the rich and famous during the 20s.
HALL Wines
401 Saint Helena Highway. South, St Helena, CA
Hall Winery is a sleek and modern winery that has incredible Cabernet Sauvignon wines. I loved sipping on the different vintages of bold Cabernet wines produced from these vines.
Frog’s Leap Winery
8815 Conn Creek Rd, Rutherford, CA
I loved this charming farm style winery in Rutherford. In the very center of the Napa Valley. Frog’s Leap Winery is known for their sustainable farming processes and completely organic grapes. The winery is 100% solar-powered and the vineyard house heated and cooled using geothermal energy.
The most impressive thing we learned during our tasting was that all 200 acres of grapes grown here are are grown using a dry-farmed traditional method, meaning that the vines rely solely on rainfall for moisture. My favorite was their crisp Sauvignon Blanc which is one of their signature wines.
Dining
If you don’t drink wine come to Napa for the food! With tons of farm-to-table restaurants and plenty of Michelin stars, dining in the Napa area is some of the best in the world. There are so many incredible restaurants it’s impossible to eat at them all in one visit which is what draws foodies to the area time and time again. Here is a list of some of the best places I ate in the Napa area.
Bouchon
6534 Washington St, Yountville, CA
One of the highlights of this trip to Napa was our exquisite dinner at Bouchon. Chef Thomas Keller, the owner of the world renowned restaurant, The French Laundry, is also the chef/owner of Bouchon. This beautiful restaurant offers authentic French bistro fare with dishes like roasted chicken, steak tartare, homemade charcuterie & mouthwatering french onion soup. I loved every bite of food I had at Bouchon and the atmosphere made me feel like I was back in Paris.
Tip: Order the steak and frites. My husband and I have tried steak frites at some of the best restaurants in New York and Paris and we both agreed that Thomas Keller’s version at Bouchon was the best either of us have ever had!
Auberge du Soleil
180 Rutherford Hill Rd, Rutherford, CA
We biked to Auberge du Soleil after our tasting at Frog’s Leap Winery and enjoyed lunch at their The Bistro and Bar. This luxury resort is home to one of the most famous fine-dining restaurants in Napa which serves a multi-course wine paired dinner. We didn’t eat there for dinner but instead came for a much more casual lunch. The view from the restaurant is stunning! We were able to see the entire Rutherford valley from our table. It was a great experience sipping on cold rose, eating bone marrow, and simply enjoying the view.
Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St, Yountville, CA
Another informal restaurant created by Thomas Keller, Ad Hoc showcases American comfort food. The buttermilk fried chicken is the star of this restaurant and is some of the best fried chicken you will ever eat.
The four course menu changes daily and all the food is served family style. Expect to see homey dishes like barbecue, pot roast, short rib and more on the menu.
Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch
738 Main St, St Helena, CA
Farm to table at it’s finest. This restaurant is consistently ranked as one of the top places to dine in Napa. It celebrates American farmhouse cuisine with ingredients directly from the farm, ranch, and vineyard nearby. The dining area is housed in a renovated barn and the food is fresh and seasonal as it gets. A must-eat stop on any trip to Napa.
Napa Olive Oil Company
835 Charter Oak Ave, St Helena, CA
The cutest little store tucked away off a back street in St. Helena. My sister-in-law told us about this hidden gem so we rode our bikes there for lunch. This family owned hole-in-the- wall business has been selling a variety of local olive oils and balsamics for 80 years.
Inside the store you will find prosciutto, salami, sausages, breads, cheeses, peppers, wine, and pastas imported from Italy! We bought cheese, bread, and salami and had a picnic outside the store under the trees. We also bought jugs of their famous olive oil to use at home.
Where we stayed
I can’t say enough amazing things about Harvest Inn. This beautiful boutique hotel is located in St. Helena and has a fabulous location that is surrounded by vineyards. It has charming style and welcoming feel.
The property is 8 acres with 2 pools, a restaurant, and a bar on site. The buildings look like they are out of a story book and directly behind the hotel is the Whitehall Vineyard vines. We spent every evening at one of the many secluded seating areas sipping on wine and watching the sun set over the vineyards.
One thing I loved most about the Harvest Inn were the pools! There are two pools and a hot tub on the property. I loved cooling off in the pool after a long day of biking and wine tasting.
I could not recommend Harvest Inn as your home base during your time in Napa. I can’t wait to come back and stay here again soon.
Everytime I visit the Napa area I fall more and more in love. It’s a little slice of paradise especially for a foodie and wine lover. It’s unlike any place in the world and no matter how many times you visit there is always something new to discover. I hope this guide inspires you to visit one day.
