Napa Valley, CA – It’s “Wine Time!”

As tourists in California, Helen and I observe the variety of activities around us. We see rock climbers, surfboarders, mountain bikers, kayakers, and many other pursuits in which we have not participated, but…we do drink wine. Napa Valley, CA, is for wine lovers, and we arrived ready and willing to join in.

Our home in Napa is the Napa Valley Exposition RV Park, a unique setting for a campground.  We are adjacent to the county fairground and within walking distance of downtown Napa. Our first impression was good.  We had a wide concrete pad to park Dora with plenty of room for Ruby.  The shower facility was just across from our site. A friendly camp host greeted us and directed us to campsite number two.

A show of hot air balloons served as entertainment for the first morning after our arrival. For the first time in a long time, we had little winds blowing through our campsite, and the balloonists took advantage–a great way to start our day.

After breakfast, Helen and I made the short walk downtown.  Helen wanted to walk to the Visitor Center and obtain information about tours and tastings from various wineries, all 400 of them. The Visitor Center was not easy to find, and we walked many blocks before a local citizen pointed us in the right direction.  Before that, we passed the statue of a toast to Napa, Joe’s Brewery, and the Napa Cigar shop, where I picked up a couple of fresh Maduros.

The helpful staff at the Visitor Center gave us some maps and brochures and some enlightening information–reservations are a must for tours and tastings, especially for some of the more popular wineries. COVID-19 restrictions on the size of tour groups reduced the number of seats significantly.  In addition, one vintner told us that some unpleasant incidents in San Francisco over recent years caused large numbers of tourists to divert to Napa Valley. The Visitor Center volunteer recommended several wineries, and Helen immediately got on the phone. The next three days were going to be fun!

Helen mapped out an itinerary for tastings.  We secured reservations for some of the tastings and hoped to find a spot at other wineries as walk-ons. We started at Robert Mondavi Winery, one of the oldest and largest in Napa Valley. A canceled reservation resulted in two seats on the tasting patio.

We learned that we could share a tasting, which usually includes samples of three or more wines. Planning to visit two or more wineries a day, we thought this would save us some money (and the potential for a breathalyzer test). Carlos, a happy young fellow, was our server. Carlos served us three wines and explained the characteristics of each.   Carlos also gave us some history of the winery and Mr. Mondavi’s contribution to the industry in Napa Valley.  I encourage readers to read more about it here. All of the wines were good, and we could not decide on a favorite–we were just happy to be there.

V. Satturi Winery was next on our list and another attempt at walking on. Our timing was good, and we secured another seat by way of a cancellation. The tasting room was a bar inside a gift shop filled with tourists.  We shared a tasting once again.  Jack, our server, filled our glasses one at a time, then disappeared after each one to eat his lunch. The wine was ok, but not what I would consider memorable.

On day two, we started at Pestoni Family Winery.  Helen made reservations for this tasting after a recommendation from the Visitor Center. Our tasting would begin at the early-for-wine hour of 10 am. A hostess led us to a lovely outdoor bar on the edge of the vineyard, where Sarah greeted us.  A group of ladies from the Chicago and San Fransisco area having a reunion of sorts soon joined us.

Sarah served generous samples of the three wines in the offering and then added about three more as a bonus. All of the wines were exceptional. I loved the Red Blend. Pestoni does not sell wines to the public except in their store and through their wine-by-mail club. We left empty-handed but had a delightful time with Sarah and the new friends we just made. Helen and I hated to go, but we had another reservation at 11:30 to drink our lunch.

Mumm Napa is a sparkling wine maker, again recommended by the Visitor Center staff. I love champagne and eagerly looked forward to this visit. After sampling all of the offerings, I decided that the Brut was my favorite and purchased a bottle later that day.

After the Mumm tasting, we attempted to get seated at Cakebread Cellars, with no luck.  The person greeting us said the next available booking was in June. Never one to be denied, Helen got on the phone and obtained tasting tickets for the next day.

At Cakebread Cellars, a winery recommended by our friends John and Debbie, we had our most fun experience. Another Jack met us at the entry and led us to a courtyard to begin the tasting.  Unlike our previous tastings, with wine served to us at a table, we would walk to different stations at Cakebread and receive samples while standing. Jack, an employee with many years in the wine industry and Cakebread Cellars gave a thorough presentation of each wine served and sprinkled a generous serving of humor with each pour. He was very entertaining.  The group that walked with us came from all over the country and seemed interested in meeting two Tennessee hillbillies. We enjoyed meeting each of them as well. Our time at Cakebread went by all too quickly, but another tasting awaited us before lunch. I suppose it’s never too early for good wine.

Knowing how much I enjoy champagne, our son, Collin, recommended we visit Chandon and try their varieties. For this tasting, we would not share samples. Once signed in, a hostess led us to a shade-covered patio and a table with three champagne glasses for each of us (top of this page). After trying three champagnes, all of which are available everywhere in the country, our server brought out one that is only available through their club. By far, it was the best champagne I’ve ever tasted.  “By The Bay” is the name, and I purchased a bottle to bring back to Dora for Happy Hour.  It didn’t last long.

Chandon was our last tasting, although we drove to two other wineries, Stag’s Leap and Round Pond, only to hear once again that reservations were not available. Oh well, we will have to live with six winery visits in three days and leave it at that. The two wineries we missed had lovely grounds and vineyards, and I’m glad we made an effort.

We loved Napa Valley, where there’s always time for wine. After much thought, deliberation, discussion and price-checking, we each chose our favorites and recommend them highly. They are pictured below.

It’s time now to be Easin’ Along, but maybe I’ll take a bath before my nap…