Another Weekend in Wine Country

A few weeks ago we headed to Napa to celebrate our third wedding anniversary! I really can't believe it's been three years already, but it's easier to remember when I look at my three year old niece (she was born a week and a half after our wedding - my poor 9 month pregnant sister at the wedding!). I'm fortunate to be sent to San Francisco for work a lot, so Jeff and I decide every now and then to have him fly out to meet me for the weekend. This was our third trip to Napa Valley, and we basically copied our itinerary from the last trip, just with a hotel down the street and a few different dinner reservations.

We stayed at Napa Valley Lodge in Yountville, really only because we loved Yountville so much but Hotel Villagio (where we stayed on our last trip) was under construction! The Napa Valley Lodge was a little quieter because the pool didn't have a full-on bar, but really it was basically the same experience, with a champagne breakfast looking out into the vineyards in the morning and a pretty pool. The Napa Valley Lodge had prettier rooms than what we saw at the Villagio, but I assume the Villagio's rooms will be gorgeous when the remodel is finished!

Yountville is a great place to stay in Napa Valley for a couple of reasons - the first and most important being that it's really walkable with great restaurants, so after a long day of wine tasting you don't have to worry about driving! As city kids, that's really important to me and Jeff ;) Also, when I say great restaurants, I mean some of the best in the country! We still haven't made it to French Laundry (almost squeaked into a lunch reservation this trip!) but have loved Bistro Jeanty (omg the rabbit pasta!!), Bottega, and Brix for fancier dinners, and R+D Kitchen and Redd Wood for more casual meals. Yountville is also a really cute little town with little boutiques and parks - one night we were there they showed a movie in the park next to our hotel, and there were tons of people out enjoying their fancy bottles of wine.

As far as things to do, we went on another wine tour with Platypus. We love their tours because they take you around to smaller wineries you probably would never visit otherwise, and because it's usually a really fun group of people. This time we went on a weekday and it was a smaller group and more relaxed experience. Besides the wine tour, we visited Bennett Lane again and got the VIP experience since we're members there. They really have the prettiest gardens of any of the wineries I've been to in Napa! We grabbed sandwiches from Giugni on our drive up to the winery and sat on their back patio with a bottle of wine for a couple of hours - so beautiful and relaxing!

Besides drinking all of the wine, we also did some pool time and hammock time and played bocce at our hotel. I had just learned how to really play bocce earlier that week from a bocce national champion (which yes, is a real thing haha) at a work event and it turns out that training paid off, because I beat Jeff in both of our games! And that, my friends, is quite an achievement, because I don't think I've ever previously beaten Jeff at any sport ;)

(I told Jeff he should start his own Instagram, "Jeff Hearts Sandwiches")

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One Shoulder + Striped Skirt

Top (currently on final sale for less than $7!!!) - LOFT / Skirt - J. Crew Factory / Sandals  (similar) - Dolce Vita / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor / Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters / Earrings (also, have you tried ear support patches for statement earrings? They make a huge difference!!) - BaubleBar

Were you done seeing pictures of me in Napa yet? Because, sorry, I wasn't done sharing them ;) 

Napa Valley may just be one of my favorite places on Earth. I love the laid-back feel, the countryside + mountain views, and, of course, the wine. Plus, the weather somehow seems to be absolutely perfect. I'm basing that off of only two trips, but somehow because of the humidity and the lack of wind the hot never feels that hot, nor does the cold ever feel that cold. When can I move in? 

For our trip (now two weekends ago?!) I picked a lot of blue and white to mix and match in my suitcase. I hadn't tried these two pieces together previously, but the combo of a one-shoulder top with a pretty skirt feels both classic and trendy at the same time. Perfect for wine tasting, and then more wine tasting, and then all the way through dinner! 

We took these pictures in and around Yountville, mainly in the gardens for the French Laundry. If you haven't heard of it, it's one of the fanciest restaurants in the United States, and dinner for two can easily cost over $500. While we have so far decided the price isn't quite in our budget for these trips (mainly because we'd rather spend that money on more wine!) I'm still hoping that somehow we'll make it! In the meantime, their gardens across the street are open to the public, and are full of every produce item you can think of! Plus, there's no missing that view :) 

Top (currently on final sale for less than $7!!!) - LOFT / Skirt - J. Crew Factory / Sandals  (similar) - Dolce Vita / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor / Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters / Earrings (also, have you tried ear support patches for statement earrings? They make a huge difference!!) - BaubleBar

Linking up with Style Me Wednesday, Style Sessions, Trend Spin Linkup.

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White and Blue in Napa

Top (similar and less than $25!) and Shorts - J. Crew Factory / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor / Sunglasses (great Karen Walker dupes for less than $20!) - Urban Outfitters / Sandals (similar) - Sole Society / Earrings (similar) - Charming Charlie

When we were in Napa over the weekend, our itinerary for the trip was pretty chill. We wanted to taste a lot of wine, eat a lot of good food, and spend some time at the pool. Check, check, and check! After a full day of wine tastings in the hot sun (don't worry, we had a driver!) all I wanted to do was jump in the pool and then find something fast and easy to eat. It turned out that everyone at our hotel seemed to have the same idea as us - the pool was hopping! Does it prove just how uncool I am that I just used the word "hopping??" But really though, it was (almost) like being in Vegas, except with lots of wine instead of the giant frozen beverages. 

After pool time, we quickly hopped in the shower and then headed off to Redd Wood in downtown Yountville for a couple of pizzas. Because is it really vacation if you don't eat a pizza? Our dinners the other nights were pretty fancy, so it was nice after a full down to relax and do something low-key (or at least as low-key as you can get in Yountville!).

I snagged this stop last summer, and while it sold out super fast there's actually a pretty similar top currently available from Old Navy! I actually checked it out yesterday when I was doing some returns and it's super cute in person (and on sale for less than $25). Pair it with some white shorts and you're set for the rest of summer.

Top (similar and less than $25!) and Shorts - J. Crew Factory / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor / Sunglasses (great Karen Walker dupes for less than $20!) - Urban Outfitters / Sandals (similar) - Sole Society / Earrings (similar) - Charming Charlie

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A Long Weekend in Napa

Oh hey there! In case you somehow didn't hear, Jeff and I just spent a long weekend in Napa!! We went for the first time last fall when I had to go for work and told Jeff he would be meeting me out there, not realizing I was going to be making him get on a plane the day after the Cubs won the World Series - I think it was a bit of a rough flight for him ;) But while we were out there, I told him in no uncertain terms that we would be making many trips back. It's so beautiful, the weather is gorgeous, and you get all of the relaxation of a trip to the country but with lots and lots of wine!

shirt (on sale!) / similar skirt / similar sandals

This trip was somehow even better than the last time for a couple of reasons, the first being that we decided to stay in Yountville, a little town just north of Napa. Last time we stayed at Carneros Resort and Spa, which is absolutely gorgeous and has the cutest little individual cabins for each room. But, BUT, there's nothing around there because it's in the middle of the countryside. There are a couple of restaurants on site, but you have to drive to get to everything else.

The main thoroughfare through Villagio

As city kids, Jeff and I really love being able to walk to stuff, so this time we decided to stay at Villagio Inn and Spa instead. Between the unlimited complimentary mimosas with breakfast and the poolside bar, this was a bit more of a party atmosphere than I expected (although it was really quiet Sunday night and Monday) but also really fun. Plus, every good restaurant in Yountville (which is basically made up of all good restaurants) is easily walkable, as well as a couple of tasting rooms and even Domaine Chandon!

Our view from dinner at Brix - definitely order the burrata salad, which is a clever way to pretend to be eating vegetables when you're really just eating cheese ;)

We ended up doing another tour with Platypus Wine Tour, which sets you up with a group of a dozen people and a driver to take you around to a bunch of different small, family-owned wineries. This time our favorite stop was Benessere, where the owners decided to rip out all of the old vines (gasp!) and plant clippings from Italy, so they have a bit of a different selection than other places in Napa. The tour is always really fun, and we'll probably do it when we go back again!

dress / similar sandals / similar earrings

We also loved checking out Ma(i)sonry, a tasting room in Yountville that specializes in unique bottles from small wineries across Napa Valley. Our server was really knowledgeable and let us taste more wines and fancier wines than we were supposed to, the patio is absolutely beautiful, and they even had one of the wine makers for a wine I was tasting on site to come over and say hello! We wanted to bring home a bunch of bottles from here but had to hold ourselves back - everything was so good!

The view at Bennett Lane

One of my favorite things that we did though was decide to go to Bennett Lane, where we're members, and bring a bunch of food to lounge out on their patio for a few hours. Since we're members they kept pouring tastes for us long after our tasting was supposed to have ended, and even brought us some fresh berries from their garden to sample. It was so relaxing and beautiful - I wish we could have stayed all day! Oh, and Jeff set me to the task of finding him a great Italian sandwich to bring with us, and the Google box sent us to W F Giugni & Sons, and omg you guys - so, so good. I don't know when else I've had such a good sandwich, besides, of course, in Florence!

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our stop to Gott's Roadside! We were absolutely starving considering we'd eaten breakfast at about three in the morning Pacific time, and didn't get to the Napa area until noon, so a big burger (and a glass of wine of course) were in order! I don't know if it's because I was so hungry I was actually shaking, but this was one of the best burgers I've ever had. We actually stopped at Gott's last time we were in Napa but were trying to be healthy so we just sampled the salads. The salads are good, but definitely, definitely try the burger!

We managed not to get back until about one in the morning on Tuesday thanks to a super delayed flight, but this time our wine actually made it back with us (last time the airlines lost our box for 24 hours!!) so I can't really complain. We're sort of back in the groove, but it's a short week for me so I'm already looking forward to the weekend, and maybe an opportunity to drink some of that fancy wine we brought back ;)

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