Napa Valley Help
 

We are traveling with a large group to Napa Valley during the middle of October - we hear it will be like "Disneyland crazy" at that time.

We are thinking of 1 day in Sonoma, 1 day in Yountville/Oakville and 1 day in Calistoga visiting wineries - because of the time we will be there, we're told we need reservations but don't want to tie ourselves down to a tight schedule - looking for suggestions for 2 wineries in each of these areas and restaurants. We will be staying in Yountville and flying into San Fransisco.

gshb: My picks as a 'local' gal:
Town of Sonoma Wine: Gundlach-Bundschu and Ravenswood.Sonoma Eats: Meritage or The Girl & The Fig. Nearby worth seeing: In Glen Ellen-Benziger for the tram tour.
Now to that 'other county' Napa....
Yountville Wine:Niebaum-Coppola and Robert Sinskey (there are many more but you did say two..)
Yountville/St. Helena Eats: Tra Vigne,
Martini House,Terra,or Bistro Jeanty.
Calistoga/North end the Valley: Sterling (aerial tram & Great view) and Clos Pegase (great architecture)
Calistoga Eats:All Seasons Cafe.
Next time come over to the Sonoma side
of things-of course I am biased! You will have a great time here (and I would not live here if it were remotely like 'Disneyland crazy' any month!)
Have fun!
R5
P.S.
Do you have a limo or van?

i suggest robert mondavi wine tasting of the essence tour.it was great or merryvale tour.they were fun and informative,caymus,vinecliff,frogsleap,
schramsberg,chateau montelena.
for dinner.french/domaine chandon,auberege/great outdoor dinning,bouchon,i did not love bistro jeanty but it is very casual and may be good for a group.Martini house has great outdoor dinning,terra has great food,brix,tre vigne,french laundry was amazing but you probably will not get a reservation for a large group.We went on a balloon ride and loved it.In sonoma
visit healdsberg/great town,chateau soverien,great view and lunch,st.jean
have fun

gshb -- in Sonoma The General's Daughter or Della Santina would be better choices for a larger group than Girl and Fig or Meritage. Altho G&F is a favorite of mine.

We were in Napa in Aug and were told it can be busy in early to mid-Oct, depending on harvest. The traffic in Sonoma was a little slow through town. We visited Benzinger, which is a little out of town, but well worth the drive. have an excellent tram and wine cave tour. The other one we visited was Sebastiani's, but only for tasting. We were too late for tours. Mondavi's in Napa has a good tour, but Napa was more crowded and less friendly than Sonoma. We also visited the Anderson Valley wineries and this area was uncrowded and the people so pleasant. Best bet - pick up a map at hotel or in town that shows all wineries in Sonoma and Napa. It gives a good description of all the wineries and what they offer.

I was just in St Helena(at Terra) last evening for dinner. We drove up 29 from Napa (having crossed over from Oak Knoll Rd) and I was amazed at how very little traffic there was and how quiet the valley seemed. Razzle Dazzle's suggestions are good ones..I might also add Pine Ridge on The Silverado Trail for good cabs. You will be very close in miles when you stay in Yountville to Calistoga. Look at wineries on the Silverado Trail side of the distance between the two towns. You could do many more wineries that way or add some others to your pared down list. I'd say if you are wanting to eat in some of the more popular places, you might book one or two of them now especially in a large group and then allow yourselves some flexibility. I'd add Bouchon to the list in Yountville. Add The Foothill Grill to your list of places in the Napa area. This is a locals place..small but with good food and half the "attitude". If you are there on a weekend make reservations there as well.

I like all these ideas. If you have some art lovers on the trip, you might suggest a visit to the Di Rosa museum. Wonderful, contemporary Bay Area art. I especially love the outdoor sculpture garden.

http://www.dirosapreserve.org/