Napa Weekend! (Pandemic Edition)

We usually head to wine country for just brunch and one tasting, or we’ll stay at a hotel every so often on a Saturday night. A few weekends ago, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and our (now usual) non existent weekend social life 🙂 and headed to Napa for the whole weekend! We’ve never actually stayed in downtown Napa as we usually choose nearby Sonoma or Yountville. We stayed at The Archer Hotel in downtown Napa this trip and it was the perfect choice! The hotel was doing everything they could to keep things clean and social distanced. Our room was beautiful and l especially loved the #robelife drinking a glass of wine in bed before dinner…I mean, thats what I missed most about traveling, ha! The rooftop bar and in-room wine fridge didn’t hurt either! Ahhh, the best! Pro tip: If you’re a CA resident, they’re offering California resident rates on their site. 

We drove up late afternoon after starting work a bit earlier than usual on Friday in order to get everything done! After checking in, we stopped by our wine club at Walt Wine. We usually go to the Sonoma location so it was fun to switch it up! Of course, we didn’t leave without a pinot purchase. After, we had a little snack and pre-dinner rosé in the room before heading to the hotel rooftop for happy hour! Although social distanced, this made me feel somewhat “normal” again. After, we ate dinner al fresco at Coles Chop House! A total splurge and “special” dinner, but we figured it was a special night for the two of us, especially after weeks of grueling work hours for my fiancé. Obviously, we had steak, but our waiter’s wine recommendations were what really stole the show! We ended up visiting the winery that made the wine we had at dinner later in our weekend. Also, the bread pudding and chocolate brownie is not to be missed. 

We started the day on Saturday with an hour walk along the Napa River trail right near the hotel. We always make it a point to stay active, even on vacation. It’s what makes us feel the best. After our gorgeous walk (with lots of real estate swooning) we headed to Oxbow Market right across the river for a green smoothie, and a Ritual iced coffee, then to Model Bakery for a croissant! We spent the afternoon at the rooftop pool. We don’t love drinking red wine all day so we chose to keep our tasting for the late afternoon! We visited Hall in St. Helena around 4:45, then followed the tasting with dinner at Farmstead. We love Hall for their incredible Cabs and surprisingly good Sauvy B! I don’t even like Sauvignon Blanc, but I love theirs. I highly recommend Farmstead for a gorgeous outdoor dining experience. Their heirloom tomato and peach salad was to-die-for and the salmon dish was so yummy.

Sunday started with a run around Napa — how cute is this little car we saw along the way?!

We headed to Grace’s Table for breakfast, a spot we passed by on our run. OMG it hit the spot and was the perfect fuel for a day of wine. The restaurant is fully owner owned and operated. I love that. Don’t miss Monday Bakery next door for a post breakfast iced coffee. After checking out, we headed to T-Vine winery in Calistoga. Friends of ours are members and introduced us to their wine last Fall. We love their Zinfandel and I love their rosé. After, we went to Maldonado tasting room, the same wine we had at dinner on Friday. Also loved popping in the little boutiques in downtown Calistoga. Right now, we’re focused on spending local! We had a late lunch at Brasswood another spot we’ve never been to. They had the best pizza, straight out of their outdoor pizza oven. We couldn’t end the trip without a usual stop to Sweet Scoops in Sonoma on the way home. 🙂

Definitely left wine country full & happy!