{"id":787328,"date":"2013-03-17T16:32:57","date_gmt":"2013-03-17T16:32:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/?p=787328"},"modified":"2013-03-30T01:15:01","modified_gmt":"2013-03-30T01:15:01","slug":"bucket-list-napa-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/2013\/03\/17\/bucket-list-napa-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Bucket List Napa Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

For DH’s birthday, I decided to go all out and treat us to a couple of days together in Napa.<\/p>\n

We dropped the boys off with Eric and Crystal. \u00a0I had created seven custom notes\/envelopes for DH to open during our “adventure”. \u00a0First envelope was for us to stop at Nugget Market for some delicious fresh squeezed juice. \u00a0The drive in the Jeep was full of Kim Walker-Smith<\/a> music cranked loud and smiles.<\/p>\n

Envelope two contained the treat of a 90-minute couples massage appointment. \u00a0It was at the same place we were staying, The Poetry Inn<\/a>. \u00a0This place is off the charts incredible. \u00a0It is owned by the Cliff Lede Vineyards<\/a>, and sits on the hill overlooking their vines and winery. \u00a0Each room is named after a poet\/ess. \u00a0Ours was the ‘Walt Whitman’ room. \u00a0It’s an understatement when I say the pictures do not do it justice…<\/p>\n

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\nPur own private patio…
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\nOur own private outdoor shower. \u00a0This is the view from our patio…
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\nThe desk and mini bar. \u00a0Everything in the mini bar and fridge was free and replenished everyday. \u00a0The only think you’d pay for was the wine and apparel…
\n\"IMG_1592\"<\/a>\u00a0Bathroom door leading to outdoor shower.<\/p>\n

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The custom envelopes\/notes for my love…
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The massage room for the couples massage…can I make a suggestion? \u00a0When you go on a couples getaway, make a 90 minute couples massage your first stop. \u00a0Not a 60 minute…a 90 minute..at least. \u00a0It totally set the tone for relaxation for the rest of the getaway. \u00a0We were so relaxed and able to thoroughly enjoy our time together to a deeper degree that would not have been possible in that short amount of time without it.<\/p>\n

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After the massage and getting settled in our room, we drove down to Yountville for lunch at Bouchon Bakery.<\/a>\u00a0 This is owned by the amazing Thomas Keller of Bouchon<\/a>, Ad Hoc<\/a>, and another Bucket List place…French Laundry<\/a>. We sat outside their place and enjoyed sandwiches and desserts…
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Back at our room to enjoy the view and the weather for the rest of the afternoon…
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 <\/p>\n

We had planned on having a personal chef serve our dinner on our patio, but it was actually too warm to eat there. \u00a0So, we ate inside instead…
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The Amuse Bouche (French for mouth-amuser) is a single bite appetizer \u00a0served to whet the appetite. \u00a0This is a piece of smoked salmon over creme fraiche and cucumber…\"IMG_1611\"<\/a>
\nAppetizer:\u00a0Seared Dayboat Scallops, with Cauliflower Puree, Golden Raisins\"IMG_1612\"<\/p>\n

Main Entree:\u00a0Filet Mignon with Truffle Pommes Puree, Market Vegetables, Demi Glace
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\nCheese Course: Homemade Ricotta with Truffle Oiled Honey
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Dessert: Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup Creme Br\u00fbl\u00e9e
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 <\/p>\n

Another little gift for my love: a homemade decorative pillow that I sewed…
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\nOverlooking Yountville at night…
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\nThe first night we were there was Wednesday. \u00a0There was another couple staying at the Poetry Inn, but they decided to “spend the night in the city (SF)..”, so we had the place all to ourselves. \u00a0Literally. \u00a0The innkeeper went home at nine. \u00a0This is the beautiful lobby…
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Nightcap bar. \u00a0Free for guests…
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Early morning fog…
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Breakfast. \u00a0Bacon -cheddar scones from Bouchon Bakery, fresh squeezed orange juice, homemade granola, yogurt, and huckleberries…
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DH had poached eggs with prosciutto and a vegetable hash. \u00a0I had the smoked salmon plate…
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\nDay two was a day of wine tasting. We decided to stay on the Silverado Trail and the Napa Valley floor. \u00a0We visited three new properties. \u00a0First stop was our host property, Cliff Lede Vineyards. \u00a0As guests of the property, they treat you to a complimentary tasting…<\/p>\n

…this is the view of the Poetry Inn from the winery…
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…our view from the patio at Cliff Lede…
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 <\/p>\n

Our Cliff Lede host, Ryan (great guy), suggested a couple of places to visit. \u00a0One was Regusci Winery<\/a>. \u00a0When he mentioned it, I was reminded this was a property we intended to visit a few years ago, when the Smiths were with us. \u00a0We missed their driveway and discovered their next door neighbor, Chimney Rock<\/a>, instead. \u00a0A delightful error.<\/p>\n

So glad we decided to visit Regusci. \u00a0I love everything about this place. \u00a0A third generation family property, with small yields. \u00a0The grounds beautiful, the staff casual and personal, and the wine wonderful.<\/p>\n

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\nMidweek, early spring in Napa is a great time to go. \u00a0Although the vines are all pruned back and not much to look at, the surrounding hills and trees are all green, and there are shocks of yellow with the mustard plants throughout some of the vineyards. \u00a0Better still, midweek means few tourists, and more individualized attention from the hosts. \u00a0You are able to connect on a deeper level than if you were there on a harvest weekend, or really any weekend.<\/p>\n

Because it was quiet, and we were enjoying our conversation with our host Alex, he decided to treat us to a barrel tasting of the\u00a0\u00a02011 Patriarch (we also tasted the 2007 and 2009 in the tasting room. \u00a0It was a highlight of our trip. \u00a0While in the barrel room, we met the owner, Jim (3rd generation), but did not realize it was him until later.<\/p>\n

Alex, entering a small door to open the bigger door…
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 <\/p>\n

We picked up salads and sandwiches at the Soda Canyon Store.<\/a>\u00a0 It’s not my first choice to eat, but there really is nothing else in that area. \u00a0Decent food, but not outstanding. \u00a0We took the food back to our room to save for later, then went to Goosecross Cellars<\/a>\u00a0for a private tasting that I had made an appointment for. \u00a0Goosecross is another small, family owned property. \u00a0It is much more casual than the other properties we visited, and off the beaten path. \u00a0Our host, Jose, took us on a short tour, then into a private room for the tasting, cheese and crackers. \u00a0Jose has been with the property for nine years and did a great job of educating us. \u00a0When we went into the private room, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that a tour group had arrived and the tasting room was packed. \u00a0We were whisked away and still had Jose to ourselves. \u00a0We felt like spoiled little celebrities. \u00a0We also got to meet one of the owners of this property. \u00a0It was really neat to get so personal.<\/p>\n

David and Jose
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We had thought we’d go out for dinner, but the lure of our room was great and ended up spending the rest of the evening there.<\/p>\n

Our final morning was a magnificent breakfast on the property… crab benedict…the yolks were bright orange. \u00a0These were directly from the innkeepers own free pasture range chickens…
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\n…the drive home…mustard among the vines…
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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For DH’s birthday, I decided to go all out and treat us to a couple of days together in Napa. We dropped the boys off with Eric and Crystal. \u00a0I had created seven custom notes\/envelopes for DH to open during our “adventure”. \u00a0First envelope was for us to stop at Nugget Market for some delicious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-787328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-thisnthat"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787328"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":787524,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787328\/revisions\/787524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}