Tour Vin Scouts Out New Venues in Napa Valley!

Published on: February 23rd, 2015

We at Tour Vin pride ourselves in visiting all venues before we recommend them to our clients. This February, we spent a week in Napa exploring new wineries, hotels and restaurants. Here’s what we found!

Wineries: We tasted wines at six different wineries, all offering a unique wine tasting experience.

* Round Pond Estate – Located in Rutherford, this estate is surrounded by vineyards, gardens and orchards where you can enjoy a wine and food pairing, as well as an olive oil tasting. Great views!

* Del Dotto Vineyards – Located in St. Helena, this truly unique Venetian-themed winery offers a wonderful barrel tasting tour in their caves that is like no other. Their grapes are sourced from the well-known areas of Rutherford, Howell Mountain and St. Helena Mountain.

* Ovid Napa Valley – Atop Pritchard Hill, Ovid is known for their small lots of Bordeaux style wines. Their blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot is definitely worth the tricky drive to the top of the mountain.

* Tedeschi Family Winery – A small family style winery in Calistoga, Tedeschi produces old world style wines in the back of their home. As a guest, you are treated to a personalized tour and will learn everything from how to plant the crop to how to hand bottle the wine!

* Keith Webster Cellars – This winery offers a truly unique experience in wine tasting. We were fortunate to sit down with Keith and Chelli to taste Left and Right Bank Bordeaux style wines, as well as their Proprietary Blend. They also reserved space in a local restaurant just for us to enjoy a food and wine pairing.

Dining: We enjoyed two unique dining experiences while in Napa Valley.

* Ciccio – Located in Yountville, Ciccio is a family owned, Italian restaurant that features a dynamic menu of pizzas and Italian entrees all cooked in a wood fire oven. Plan to arrive early for your meal, as they don’t take reservations. The wine list features the excellent wines produced by Altamura Vineyards.

* Atlas Social – The newest restaurant in Napa, Atlas Social is known for their fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Small plates are the way to go here, unless you are in a large party, then order family style platters to share. Enjoy whole chicken, roasted crab, braised beef rib, smoked trout, oysters and, my personal favorite, grilled swordfish. The bar area is expansive, so stop by for a drink!

Hotels/Inns:

* Silverado Resort – If you enjoy golf, the Silverado is the place for you. Located in the middle of the wine country, the resort offers two championship golf courses and, for tennis buffs, there are also 10 tennis courts available only to guests. Newly renovated, the rooms are classy and well appointed.

* Milliken Creek Inn – If inns are your preference, try this location. Settled on the Silverado Trail in Napa and overlooking the Napa River, you will enjoy a five-star experience: great service and first-class style in a private setting. The gourmet breakfast in bed is out of this world. Not to mention, spa treatments and massage therapy are also offered on site.

Tour Vin is unique from other concierge services in that we plan trips to Napa Valley based on our clients’ preferences – no prearranged tours here! We also arrange all extracurricular activities, including hot air balloon rides and bike tours. Need a car service – we can arrange that for you, too!

With summer and fall right around the corner, don’t wait to plan your next trip to Napa Valley. Give us a call today and we can start arranging your excursion!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa Valley Concierge