Once we got to Sonoma, California to Ryan’s family over Christmas last year, I asked if we could go on a Napa Valley Winery Tour. Traveling up and down this area has been on my bucket list for quite sometime. We figured since we drove out here, we might as well! It is a good thing we did, because all the wine we had was so delicious! We ended up with 18 bottles of wine, a case of beer, and 6 bottles of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar to travel back home with. Here are a bunch of selfies and some of the vineyards that we visited!
Our first stop was V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena. We ate a little lunch here and purchased some cheese. We also bought a bold Cabernet Sauvignon for our neighbor as a thank you gift for watching Bailey. They had a beautiful area that we ventured around in. Our next stop was Sutter Home Winery. There wines were also very good and we came home with a few bottles of Duck Dynasty wines. One of my favorites was their Moscato, which I ended up giving to my good friend! Of course we shared 🙂 The next stop was a sight seeing winery. It was called Castello di Amorosa. We didn’t have time that day to complete the entire tour, so we walked around outside and went on our merry way.
We had two more stops on the Napa Valley Winery Tour. What was so fun about this tour was that Ryan and I just picked out the ones that we had wanted to go to and just took our time, eating and tasting all day. The next stop was Beaulieu Vineyard in Rutherford, CA. This tour had forced me to get out of my comfort zone of Moscato and start tying new wines. California is known for their red wine blends, most made from some sort of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. I am so glad that I started trying different ones, because a really good red wine is perfect for me now! Beaulieu Vineyard aka BV has one of the BEST Cabernet Sauvignon wines I have ever had. Perfection in a bottle!!
After that we made our way to Robert Mondavi Winery. This was a top recommended place to visit. It was beautiful and lived up to all of my expectations. We did not get a glass of wine here, however since it was the end of the day and we had one more stop to make. I took a ton of photos though at Robert Mondavi. If you are looking for a good wine from California, Hyvee does carry Robert Mondavi and I recommended trying it 🙂
The last stop to conclude our Napa Valley Winery Tour was Gustavo in Napa. Ryan still thinks that I only bought the bottles of Malbec and Barbera wine because the girl that served us also worked under Duff Goldman, the pastry chef for a bit. She had some great stories and the wine was so bold and flavorful. The Malbec was the first bottle that I had opened when we got home!
The next day, we took Ryan’s dad, Brian with us. We stopped at one of his favorite places, Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, California. It did not disappoint. All of the wine that we tried was fantastic, but we ultimately had one favorite, The 2014 Sheriff of Buena Vista. We shared a bottle with his cousins and they loved it also! I just may have to order some more because it was that good! They also had a very unique area that we walked around and a beautiful tasting room. Did I mention that the bottles were some of my favorites?!
The final place near Sonoma was Jacuzzi Family Vineyards and The Olive Press. My favorite wine was the 2014 Nero D’Avola. It has notes of black pepper, coffee, and chalky raspberry. We also did shots of a dessert wine in a chocolate shot glass. Needless to say, I purchased that also 🙂 Next door, they have a store called The Olive Press. This is a place where you can taste all sorts of Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars. This was my happy place! We had so much fun here trying all the different kinds.
This Napa Valley Winery Tour was so much fun for both Ryan and I. One of my favorite hobbies to go to wine tasting here in Nebraska. I have also expanded my tastings to craft beer, so that will have to be another tour! California makes some of the best wines and I am so lucky to have been able to experience all of this. And if you are ever in Napa Valley or Sonoma, you really can’t go wrong with any of these vineyards!! A big thank you to my husband for making this possible 🙂
