Perfect Birthday Weekend in the Napa Valley
We wore matching outfits. True.
I’ve been to the Napa Valley several times before; in fact, I used to live in Sonoma, right off the town square. But none of my other visits compared to this trip, mostly because my mother and I were there to celebrate her 60th birthday. You don’t need much more than 3-4 days in the Napa Valley, else you’re likely to come away understanding the phrase “Take-a-Napa,” so our trip from August 18th – 22ndwas perfect. In August, grapes are in their late vegetation state, right before harvest (or “crush”) in September, so the vines were full!
Yay, grapes!
Plus, the weather was beautiful and, though I vowed not to complain if it reached the 90’s as expected for that time of year, it lingered in the mid-80’s the whole time and the skies were sunny and blue.
The Napa Valley is spread out with countless wineries and Michelin-rated restaurants. We called Yountville home base for our three nights, and it’s simply what I’d recommend to anyone looking for the quintessential Napa Valley experience. We stayed at the Napa Valley Lodge , which was perfect for our needs. And, unless you’ve got the cash to stay at the Auberge du Soleil, I’d recommend it to anyone (and have via my TripAdvisor review).
The rolling hills and vineyards across the Napa Valley
Of course, we took full advantage of our close proximity to good food, dining at Zinsvalley (with my old friend and former boss from a different life, Guy), Etoile at Domaine Chandon (which just received its second Michelin star), Bouchon Bakery, and, of course, The French Laundry (curious about the dining experience and menu du jour during our visit?). We also visited the Girard tasting room in Napa, and also took a drive over to my old stomps in Sonoma to visit Gloria Ferrer, Sebastiani, and Arrowood. We brought back our fair share of wine, including some old vine, unoaked chardonnay, white pinot, and both high and low elevation cabs—all of which are either limited production or exclusive to the tasting rooms.
Getting sloshed at Girard (always the mom, she thought we should hold up the brochure, lest we forget where the hell we were after many glasses of wine)
Things I learned on this trip:
- My mom, even at 60, can party tough, even when her saucy daughter can’t handle the liquor like she used to.
- The French Laundry composting pile is kind of amazing.
- It was a good move on my part to ditch the hospitality industry as a career (everyone there was SO NICE… I just can’t imagine doing that now that I’m old and bitter).
- Giving someone the “greatest Saturday of [their] life” as a birthday gift is, indeed, the sweetest reward.
The Sonoma Mission in the town of Sonoma
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