Napa Valley

My aunt and uncle are awesome and were willing to work around what we wanted to do. They love wine, and they own a vacation rental property in Napa. So, when I suggested that we wanted to go to Napa my aunt made sure we'd be able to make it. I went to Napa on my last trip, but I was only 21 or 22 so my wine palate was not yet refined. Now, that I was 28 at the time I wanted to try wine tasting again because I know what I like and I have a better understanding of the different types of wines (semi-sweet reds, if you're wondering. By the way, if you are traveling to Napa and want an awesome place to stay you should totally book my aunts house (not sponsored, I promise).

My friend, Rosendo, was able to make it with us to Napa which was nice because I hadn't seen him in a while. He met me in San Francisco when I had the long layover coming back from Asia, so he already knew my aunt and uncle.

The first winery we went to was Domaine Carneros. You're going to have to ignore that picture of me above. Not sure why I'm looking like that. This was my second time at Domaine Carneros. I like this winery because it sits up on a hill and you can look out at all the vineyards. It also gives the illusion that you are fancier than you really are because you are drinking wine at what looks like a French estate. My aunt and uncle are members of this winery so the woman may or may not have overfilled our wine tasting glasses a little bit. I got the Chateau sampler, and I believe Rosendo and Megan did too, and it was a good choice because it had a mix of reds and sparkling wines, which are my favorites. We also got a cheese plate and caviar. The caviar brought me back to Russia because any celebration they'd whip out the caviar.

The second winery we went to was Monticello Vineyards. The story goes that one of the sons was very fond of Thomas Jefferson, and aimed to build a replica of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home (pictured above). While I preferred the wine at Domaine Carneros, I'd totally recommend this winery. The wine was good, but even better was the views and the fact that we were the only people there. It was like we had our own private vineyard. The older woman working inside was so sweet as well.

After the wineries we went back to the rental house to check on a few things. By that I mean my aunt did most of the work and we tried. Megan picked some lemons from the lemon tree, and I stood around and took pictures. I think Rosendo might have done more work too. I think I remember him wiping down the cushions outside. The house is seriously spectacular and my aunt designed the interior herself. The backyard is also nice and private, and literally like my dream back yard with a nice covered porch and a small path that goes out to a hammock.