Annual girls weekend in Napa began before the sunrise. We had a super early flight through Nashville and then on to Oakland. This year Nancy along with Becky, joined Marie and I for our annual Napa weekend. We are celebrating Becky’s birthday all weekend, her birthday is on September 30.
We planned a light day for Friday because you never know what traffic will be like. To get ourselves a base, we stopped at In and Out burger in Oakland for lunch. I have to say it is one of my favorite burger places.
First stop after fighting traffic through Oakland was Target in Napa. We stocked up on SmartWater which is so important to stay hydrated while wine tasting. Then we were off to Yountville. I love making Yountville home base because it’s such a cute little town but also very walkable, which is a great way to get to dinner.
We visited Hope & Grace in Yountville for our first tasting. Alex was working the tasting room and she was very friendly. We started off with a lovely Rose, then she pored a Riesling, Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noir, Malbec and St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon. The Reidel glasses always add to the tasting experience, I loved the Pinot glass we used at this tasting. We were lucky enough to have Rick come into the tasting room as we were tasting the Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s always good to see him. We asked about the Hendricks Reserve label wines. Using a Corivan, he let us try the Hendricks Pinot Noir which was out of the world. Marie ended up buying the Hendricks Pinot for us to enjoy at dinner. I enjoyed the wines so much, I ended up joining the club. Yes, another club in my repertoire. Thanks to Rick and Alex for a very fun tasting experience.
Our second and final tasting for the day was at Jessup Cellars. I had made the arrangements in advance and told them we were celebrating Becky’s birthday. They did not disappoint. Whitney had the table decked out with balloons and a birthday sign for Becky. We enjoyed Sauvignon Blanc, the newly released Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Rougette, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Table for Four, Juel and Infinite Recursion. The pairings of the cheese with the wine along with nuts and chocolate make this tasting an enhanced experience. I love the perks of being in the club, not only does Jessup provide complimentary tastings for members, but they also let you try almost everything on the menu. I also love the friendly atmosphere of this tasting room. Carlos was working and as soon as I walked in I was greeted with a hug from him and his big smile. I cannot recommend Jessup Cellars enough.
