The Claire & Dan: A 5-Day Tour for Newbies
Number of days: 5
Number of wineries: 22
Notes: This past summer my good friends Claire and Dan Gould were headed to wine country for the first time. They asked the question I get more than any other: as first-timers to Napa, where should we go? I put together a few suggested days for them and thought I'd share the info for others in the same situation.
| Location | Start Time | Stop Time | Reservation? | Notes |
Day 1 - NapaGet your feet wet. Perhaps one appointment, but drop in tastings at lower-key stops. Suggested route: Hope & Grace (downtown Yountville), lunch at Gott's Roadside, Prager (port), tastings up north at Lava Vine and/or Frank Family. If you like Petite Sirah, end the day at David Fulton sipping wine from an adirondack chair on their deck. Possibly an appointment needed for David Fulton (we just walked in when we went), but none needed for any of the other spots. If you go to H&G, definitely tell them the Barlins sent you!
 | Hope & Grace (4.69) | 11:00 | 11:45 |  Not Needed | A great starter tasting -- laid back friendly folks, with delicious wines and several good expressions of varietals you'll find in the area (Pinot, Cab, Petite Sirah, and even a Malbec). |
 | Taylor's/Gotts (4.38) | 12:15 | 12:45 | Not Needed | Not just the best burger in Napa, one of the best burgers anywhere. Pricey, but make sure you try the Ahi Tuna Burger. |
| | Prager (4.69) | 1:00 | 1:30 | Not Needed | If you like port, this is a must. |
| | Frank Family (4.56) | 2:00 | 2:45 | Not Needed | It's not as great as it used to be, but it's still good wine at a fair price. If you can get past them swiping your credit card as you walk in the door, do the reserve tasting so you can try their Reserve Cab and possibly their Winston Hill Red Blend. |
| | Lava Vine (4.63) | 3:00 | 3:45 | Not Needed | Great atmosphere and good wine, sometimes pared with little food bites. |
 | David Fulton (4.50) | 4:00 | 5:00 |  | Kick back in an adirondack chair on their deck and drink some delcious Petite Sirah. |
 | Market (4.69) | | | | One of our favorite spots in Napa and our favorite St. Helena restaurant. Good atmosphere, reasonable prices, delicious food |
| Location | Start Time | Stop Time | Reservation? | Notes |
Day 2 - SonomaHead West! After starting in Napa, do an Intro to Sonoma trip. Hit Benziger or Deerfield Ranch on your way up Hwy 12 toward Santa Rosa, have lunch at Rosso in Santa Rosa (woodfired pizza -- delicious), and then spend the afternoon in Alexander Valley (Hawkes, Robert Young). The Ramey tasting is only offered by appointment at 10am or 2pm each day, but I would try to hit that. Finish the day wandering around the shops of Healdsburg (Williamson tasting room here is also great) and have dinner in Healdsburg before heading back. Bear Republic Brewery is in town and worth a stop, and best dinner spots are Dry Creek Kitchen or Mateo's Cochina Latina. You could also come back and have dinner in downtown Sonoma at El Dorado Kitchen (my fav) or the girl & the fig (most famous). Ideal route: Benziger (10:30am), Deerfield Ranch (11:30am), Rosso (12:30pm), Ramey (2pm), Hawkes (4:00pm), Healdsburg shops + Williamson (5:30pm), dinner at El Dorado Kitchen (7:30pm).
| | Benziger (4.25) | 10:30 | 11:15 | Not Needed | I recommend the reserve tasting over the regular tasting, and they have a tractor-pulled tour that people say is great but I have not been on. Start at 10:00 if you're going to take the tour. |
| | Deerfield Ranch (4.69) | 11:30 | 12:15 | Not Needed | A cave tasting that can either be great or so-so depending on who is pouring. Going earlier on a non-weekend increases your chances of it being great. |
| Rosso (4.38) | 12:30 | 1:30 | Not Needed | Our persistent favorite for great wood-fired pizza in Santa Rosa |
| | Ramey (4.75) | 2:00 | 3:30 | | A great chance to try several great wines. Tyupically 4 Chardonnays, a Syrah, Claret, and 3 Cabs! Phew! It's a seated tasting for a reason. |
| | Hawkes (4.75) | 4:00 | 5:00 | Not Needed | A Barlin family favorite -- delicious Alexander Valley Cabernet |
| | Williamson (4.44) | 5:30 | 6:00 | Not Needed | Good wine with a small food bite paired to each wine and a friendly staff |
| El Dorado Kitchen (4.44) | 7:30 | 8:30 | | Classic California farm-to-table cuisine in downtown Sonoma on the square |
| Location | Start Time | Stop Time | Reservation? | Notes |
Day 3 - Napa/Howell MountainBack to Napa. Time to get a bit more serious. I think that a visit to Del Dotto is a must, but I highly recommend you make this your last stop of the day. It's a $60 tasting fee which is awfully high, but you'll also try somewhere between 10 and 15 high-end wines. Reservation required. Other stops I'd recommend are Sullivan (res), CADE and Bremer (both appt; great view from CADE and a great free tasting from Bremer). For drop-in spots, Wm. Harrison, Baldacci, and Casa Nuestra were all decent but not amazing. If I were to plan your route for this day, I'd have you go: Pick up a sandwich from the Soda Canyon Store (10:30), Baldacci or Wm. Harrison (11:00), Bremer (12pm - can have a picnic lunch while you taste), CADE (1:30), Del Dotto New Estate (3pm)
| | Baldacci (4.31) | 10:30 | 11:00 | Not Needed | Solid tasting of good Napa reds |
| | Wm Harrison (4.44) | 11:15 | 11:45 | Not Needed | A good Cabernet and a delicious Rutherford Red blend |
| | Bremer (4.94) | 12:00 | 1:15 | | Sit out at their picnic tables, enjoy your lunch, and drink some delicious wine |
| | CADE (4.44) | 1:30 | 2:30 | | Not my favorite people in the area, but the wine is good and the view is great. |
| | Del Doto New Estate (4.88) | 3:00 | 5:00 | | A must at some point during a first-time visit for the sheer ridiculousness of it. |
| Redd (4.75) | | | | This is the one restaurant in Napa you should be sure not to miss. The chef's tasting menu for two is highly recommended! |
| Location | Start Time | Stop Time | Reservation? | Notes |
Day 4 - Spring MountainSpend the day on Spring Mountain. Pride (also a great picnic spot), Sherwin Family, Spring Mountain Vineyards, and Relic are all outstanding. All require appointments, but you'll love it up there. Recommended order: Pick up lunch at Dean & Deluca (10:00), Spring Mountain Vineyards (10:30), Pride (11:45 + lunch), Sherwin (2pm), Relic (3pm).
| Dean & Deluca (NR) | 9:30 | 9:45 | Not Needed | Pickup a delicious sandwich from the Dean & Deluca deli before heading up Spring Mountain |
| | Spring Mountain Vineyards (4.56) | 10:00 | 11:00 | | A beautiful setting and the right way to kick off a day on the mountain |
| | Pride Family (4.88) | 11:15 | 12:45 | | Start with a progressive tasting tour though their caves; finish with a picnic lunch on a bluff overlooking all of Napa Valley |
| | Sherwin Family (4.75) | 1:00 | 1:55 | | Some of the best Cabernet in all of Napa Valley and a beautiful tasting location |
| | Relic (4.56) | 2:00 | 2:45 | | Tastings out of one of the Behrens Family old school trailers make for a less-than-ideal setup, but the wine and Annette are both awesome |
| | Terra Valentine (4.38) | 3:00 | 3:45 | | A good collection of wines and a nice facility on your way back down the mountain |
| Mustard's (4.63) | | | | A Napa institution -- get the pork chop! |
| Location | Start Time | Stop Time | Reservation? | Notes |
Day 5 - NapaTwo really interesting options. Conn Creek does a "blending seminar" where you make your own Bordeaux blend. It's a ton of fun and I highly recommend it. Another really interesting stop is Jarvis. I think their wines are overpriced, but they have the most amazing cave in all of Napa Valley and it's a great tour and tasting experience. Save the rest of this day for any recommendations people might give you along the way! Make it a point to ask people you meet (both those pouring wine and those tasting with you) where they would recommend you go. I've found most of my favorite places this way.
| | Conn Creek (4.81) | | | | The blending seminar is perhaps the best thing I've done in Napa |
| | Jarvis (4.25) | | | | The only thing hampering this experience is the drastically overpriced wines |
