Napa Valley; Days of Wine & Autumn Leaves

Posted by

Autumn in Napa Valley, California is breathtaking. Yellow and orange leaves line the grape vines and maple trees, as the harvest has been completed and the vines are getting ready for winter. The wineries welcome visitors now that the rush is over, and the farm fresh gourmet restaurants feature their fall menus, abundant in persimmon, pear, and squash.

DSC05187
Napa Valley, California

We flew up to San Francisco and spent the night at The Fairmont, Heritage Place in Ghirardelli Square. Our room had a gorgeous view of San Francisco Bay. We dined for lunch at our favorite French bistro Le Central where the cassoulet has been cooking continuously for over 14,000 days. Dinner with friends was in Sausalito at Barrel House Tavern; a lively spot on the water.

DSC05073

IMG_3789
Fairmont Heritage Hotel in San Francisco
IMG_3762
Room with a view in San Francisco

IMG_3789

IMG_3769
Room with a view

 

IMG_3757
Le Central

IMG_3759

FullSizeRender
The Barrel House in Sausalito

IMG_3813

IMG_3813
Dinner with friends

DSC05106

IMG_3809

We hit the road the following day for the 60 mile trek to Napa Valley in our rented convertible VW, bound for the wine country. Golden vineyards lined our path, and The Decemberists sung us there on the car stereo. We checked into The Carneros Inn and felt the relaxation instantly.

image5image9DSC05087

DSC05144
The Carneros Inn

DSC05149DSC05148

Dinner on night one was at Press in St. Helena, known for their steaks cooked over almond and cherry wood. It was a cozy atmosphere and the food was delicious.

IMG_3821
Press

IMG_3822IMG_3823IMG_3824IMG_2883

Breakfast the following day was within walking distance for us, The Boon Fly Cafe. It was named for a local gentleman who planted orchards and vineyards in the area in the mid-1800s. The cuisine is all local and based on the agricultural heritage of the region. They specialize in their doughnuts, but we went for the “green eggs and ham” and the homemade granola.

DSC05126
Boon Fly Cafe

DSC05127DSC05129DSC05130DSC05131DSC05132

DSC05135
Boon Fly Cafe

Lunch was at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. We dined outside in the shade and enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich, tomato soup and a coleslaw.

DSC05161DSC05162DSC05163DSC05164DSC05165DSC05166DSC05167DSC05169DSC05174

IMG_3842

After lunch we stopped to check out some sculptures at a road side shop called Art Forms. My favorite was the Adam & Eve sculpture.

DSC05108DSC05109DSC05114DSC05116DSC05120

Dinner that evening was french bistro fare at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville. Chef Philippe Jeanty recreates his favorite dishes from his childhood growing up in the Champagne region of France.

DSC05202

DSC05208DSC05209DSC05207DSC05205

The following day was devoted to a picnic lunch assembled from the delicacies at Oakville Grocery which has been in operation since 1881. We gobbled down a Muffalatta, chicken salad sandwich, and a half bottle of Pinot Noir on the forested ground of the Schrammsberg Vineyard Estate. Then we defended into their caves for a tour and tasting of their famous sparkling wines. The caves were covered with lichen which hung from the ceilings, and Scott managed to collect quite a bit of it in his hair.

DSC05226
Oakville Grocery

DSC05221DSC05223DSC05217DSC05224DSC05222

DSC05234DSC05235DSC05228DSC05231

DSC05247DSC05250DSC05252DSC05258

DSC05259
Sparkling wine tasting in the caves at Schrammsberg in Calistoga

On the way back to our hotel, the steel rabbit sculpture called “Bunny Foo Foo” which stands 35 feet tall and leaps into the Hall Winery vineyards, gave me a good chuckle.

DSC05274

Dinner that evening was at Farm Restaurant at our hotel. The bar with it’s fire pit was the ideal spot for a pre-dinner cocktail. The dining room with vaulted ceiling served some mouth-watering farm-to-table cuisine.

DSC05276
Farm
DSC05286
Carpaccio
DSC05287
Filet

On our last day, we enjoyed a final lunch at our hotel at Hilltop Dining, which is open exclusively to guests staying at the Carneros Inn.

DSC05292DSC05297DSC05298DSC05304DSC05305DSC05285

DSC05301
Hilltop Dining at Carneros Inn

DSC05303

 

DSC05176

DSC05195

DSC05242

DSC05265.jpg

2 comments

Leave a Reply