478375 Fri Jan 11 11:52:28 -0800 2008 11 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 3285635 My wife and I will be arriving in Napa (Yountville Inn) on a Wednesday we will hit a few wineries and dine that evening at French Laundry. Then we have the entire next day to hit the wineries. I have put together a list of wineries I am considering. I would like to do three per day so I need to eliminate some. My goal is visit to bring home good cab and pinot (no more that $40 per bottle) that I can not get in DC. Here's the list: Judd's Hill Hall Plumpjack Saintsbury Cliff Lede Peju Freeman Dutch Henry Gary Farrell J Vineyards Frog's Leap Also, any recs on restaurant for dinner on Thursday would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Fri Jan 11 11:52:28 -0800 2008 142787 ibirdie18 1 3286956 Well, for starters, your best bet is to put them all on a map to see where they are in relation to one another. For example, J Vineyards is in Healdsburg, not Napa so you could spend half a day getting there and back. Also, Saintsbury is not open for tasting to the public, so you can discount that one as well. Do a bit more research on which ones are open to the public and where they are on a map and it should be pretty easy for you to put together an easily manageable schedule of the ones that remain. For dinner on Thursday, I would recommend Pilar or Ubuntu, both in downtown Napa. Fri Jan 11 17:47:49 -0800 2008 3285635 16933 Carrie 218 2 3287136 Here's a Google map I put together of Napa County wineries. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/476543 It has high level information about hours, fees and whether the winery requires an appointment. It has a link to the winery website so you can verify hours, etc. I put it together quickly and I'm in the process of verify details. It also has links to the SF Chronicle info about the wineries which is more detailed. Fri Jan 11 18:59:31 -0800 2008 3286956 10264 rworange 1 3286985 Judd's Hill is a delightful place. He makes big, flavorful wines, and if you are lucky enough to have Judd at your tasting, you'll be very pleased. I don't know why people are attracted to Peju. The place is nice to look at, but the wine. . .I dunno. Spend your time nearby at Cakebread. In Sonoma, you have listed Gary Farrell (Beautiful view of the valley from the tasting room) and Freeman. I think you'll need an appointment at Freeman (and at Judd's, too, by the way.) Don't miss Mazzocco. Also, Hop Kiln, if you're in the Gary Farrell neighborhood. Dinner? Dizzying number of choices. What do you like? Fri Jan 11 17:57:44 -0800 2008 3285635 27748 rruben1 1 3287009 For dinner Thursday, just walk down Washington street to Ad Hoc, Bistro Jeanty, Bouchon... (make rez first)... Fri Jan 11 18:08:13 -0800 2008 3285635 10877 Sarah 1 3287482 If you're in search of good Pinot, I highly recommend Robert Sinskey Vineyards. It's convenient to Yountville, too: http://www.robertsinskey.com/page.asp?pid=171 Fri Jan 11 22:21:29 -0800 2008 3285635 10989 Absonot 1 3287610 For dinner, If you're in Healdsburg, I recommend Cyrus. If you're still in Yountville, I recommend Redd. Sat Jan 12 00:34:15 -0800 2008 3285635 153396 ankimo 1 3288147 Agree with the above posters, you'll have to make the Russian River wineries another trip as you are staying in Yountville. For cab on your list: Cliff Lede - no appt necessary and a couple of minutes from where you are staying. I'm assuming that you can get Shafer, Joseph Phelps and Duckhorn in DC? If not, make an appt. Whitehall Lane and St. Clement also make good cabs and you can walk in without an appt. If you are flying into SFO and driving north: The Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants in SF (at the Ferry Building) carry Freeman. You could stop there and have lunch at the same time at Taylor's Refreshers or Slanted Door. A short distance away is K&L wines, which has a better selection of wines than Ferry Plaza. The pricing is usually better there than if you bought from the wineries. Sat Jan 12 09:21:53 -0800 2008 3285635 131282 tanglenet 1 3289702 By the way, consider having the wineries ship your wine, as you cannot carry it on an airplane, and shipping services must have special licenses to ship wine (and most don't). Your hotel may be able to give you some places nearby that do ship, but I'd check in advance so you know what you're facing. Susan Sat Jan 12 19:59:39 -0800 2008 3285635 22319 waldrons 2 3289714 i do not know much about wine but bistro jeanty in yountville is one of my favorite places to eat...you won't be disappointed Sat Jan 12 20:05:42 -0800 2008 3289702 156970 steener222 1 3289812 My recommendation is to be sure to use the "spit container" on your winery visits so that you feel fresh and ready for what should be an amazing (and probably vinous as well) dining experience! Sat Jan 12 20:47:52 -0800 2008 3285635 11036 Fine 1 3289885 I would concur that you would be best served by limiting yourself to a more compact geographic ares so you are able to spend more time and enjoy each vinyard,as opposed to a forced march that results from trying to run from one end of wine country to the other. On your list, I'd recommend Frog's Leap. It's a fairly small operation that still allows some personal contact. It's a whole lot more commercial than it used to be, but they still have joy and a sense of humor about their business. I would also second the rec for Robert Sinesky. It's also a more personal experience. One other that's not on your list that we have enjoyed very much ids Schramsberg, between St. Helena and Calistoga, just off 29. they do a great job of educating the visitor about the process, and their facility is quite fascinating. another one thaat has a beautiful facility, although their wine is just pretty good, is Clos Pegase. the winery has a significant sculpture collection that many museums would envy. on the food side, in Yountville, Ad Hoc, Keller's third outpost is as different in concept and execution from TFL as you can get, but quite good in its own right. It's hard to go wrong eating in Yountville, though. thet hamlet has the highest number of quality restaurants per capita, in the world. Redd, Bistro Jeanty, Bouchon, Ad Hoc and of course, TFL are all worth trying. Have fun and enjoy! Sat Jan 12 21:33:16 -0800 2008 3285635 106255 chazzerking