Catchng Up, Part 3

So in an unlikely deviation from our usual travels, Meagan & Marlowe went to Napa Valley for 5 days with 6 other people-- and Marlowe learned to enjoy wine (Meagan already knew how to enjoy it).

We did a few touristy things: Winchester Mystery House and saw Steven Wright perform.

We enjoyed some amazing food: Falafel's Drive-In (excellent fast food), Eiko's (great food, lousy service), La Toque (very fancy, very delicious, budget plenty of time for a good meal), and Brassica (good food, and they do wine samplers as 2 oz. pours!).

    

But mostly, we visited vineyards, toured vineyards, and sampled wines.



Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards: Great tour! Great wine! Did you know that wine can be buttery, and that that's a good thing in some styles?!?

Louis M. Martini: Fun tour! Amazing cellars! Good wine!

  

V. Sattui: Felt like The Lab in Asheville; a ton of pretty people but too crowded and without any really impressive beverages.

Sliver Oak Cellars: Not to be missed! One of our favorite vineyards!



Alexander Valley Vineyards: Cool caves! Good wine!

   

Conn Creek Winery: Enjoyed this one a lot! Good wine and very knowledgeable tour guides!

  

Robert Mondavi Wines: Because of who we were traveling with, we got the red carpet treatment at several wineries, but this one was amazing! Wine was great and the grounds, tour, & facilities are just gorgeous!

  

Pine Ridge Winery: Another can't miss! Great selection of really excellent wines!

Franciscan Estates: Another one where we were completely spoiled because of whom we were traveling with, but some of the best wine we had on this trip. We also played boccie ball :-)

  



So all in all, Marlowe probably drank more unique wines this trip than in his entire life, and he enjoyed almost all of them. It's good to expand your horizons...