perfect wine-tour in napa valley is well planned ahead
A couple of weeks ago we did what I would call a perfect wine-tour to Napa Valley (bar the weather, which was unusually rainy) where no-one had to be the designated driver. We hired a limo for our use and had an appointment to a private vineyard, and attended a private tasting party in another one. Highly recommended if you don’t like crowded tastings.
Our first stop was Elan Vineyard, and this was a tasting event for their wine club members at the own (oh so lovely) home. There was 20 vintages on offer and the greatest cheese selection I have ever seen. I must have sampled about 30 cheese varieties too! Of all vintages my favourite was from 1999.
Our second stop was also small and rather new Ilsley Vineyard, which is family-run (for 3 generations already) and have only recently released their first wines, as they mainly used to provide grapes for other vineyards. It was lovely to hear their history and how everyone in the family gets involved in the process. They currently produce a cabernet and a blend called Seis Primas (Six female cousin), which was named after their six grandchildren! As their production is still rather small the vintages run out pretty fast.
We didn’t have time to visit our third appointment, but certainly had the time to enjoy a lovely French dinner in downtown Napa in Angèle. Lovely food and great waterside location, but somehow the desire for wine with the meal was no longer there…
This trip was the best wine tour I have ever been on, and I would recommend getting a driver and planning the trip well in order to avoid disappointments. Happy weekend and wine tastings if you are heading towards Napa or Sonoma!
‘Current Ilsley labels’
