Recs needed for wineries/lodging in/around Napa

[jordancatalano4ever]

My husband and I are returning to Napa and we would like some new places to try. We visited Coppola’s, sterling, Mondavi, and Castello di amarosa last time. For reference my favorite wines tend to be more fruit forward merlots or blends, moscato, muscat, reisling, etc. My husband enjoys all reds but in particular Cabernets, and tempernillos. We stayed at the best western last time cause it was cheap. We could stay anywhere but would prefer $200 or under per night. Clearly we are not sophisticated wine snobs. We just enjoy the countryside and experience more than anything. All recommendations are appreciated.

[goldengirlz]

Would you consider Sonoma County as well? You might have more lodging options for that price.

I love both Napa and Sonoma (and we go A LOT since we live nearby) but we tend to go to Sonoma more often. We prefer the atmosphere and can usually find better hotel rates.

[jordancatalano4ever]

May 28, 2019 22:40:25 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Would you consider Sonoma County as well? You might have more lodging options for that price.

I love both Napa and Sonoma (and we go A LOT since we live nearby) but we tend to go to Sonoma more often. We prefer the atmosphere and can usually find better hotel rates.

Absolutely. We don’t care where we stay as long as it’s within the region. Whether it be Sonoma or Yountville or anywhere in between. I just refer to Napa because I figure that’s the common area people refer back to.

[ESF]

If you aren't looking for anything special and just want to be in wine country, I would do Sonoma (county, not the town), and stay in Healdsburg. There are a lot of hotels and motels in downtown Healdsburg, and if you want cheap, there's a Travelodge. There's a big town square with tons of tasting rooms and restaurants. It's more vibrant than downtown Sonoma , and it's cheaper and more accessible than Napa. It's also really pretty. That would enable you to drive around the area for the first part of the day, but then enjoy some tastings while not having to worry about driving.

The wines in that region tend to be big fruit forward zinfandels, but you can find anything. For wineries that would be a short drive - Bella, Medlock Ames, Simi (lots of whites), Ridge, Mazzocco, Truett Hurst, Amista, and Dutcher Crossing. If you like Pinots, you can drive a bit towards Guernville and do Lynmar or Freeman (this one is irregularly open to the public), or Iron Horse for bubbly. Downtown Healdsburg, I like La Crema (great for a big range of whites) and Stephen & Walker (lots of reds), but there's a bunch more than I'm forgetting.

[goldengirlz]

The West Sonoma Inn in Guerneville might fit the bill in the under-$200 category. We had our own little 1-bedroom “cottage” and could walk to downtown.

Some winery recommendations:

V. Sattui
Kunde
Woodenhead
Frog's Leap and/or Stag's Leap
WALT
Bedrock
Mumm (specializes in sparkling wine)
St. Francis
Benziger
Gundlach Bundschu (cave tours)
Landmark

[TBM]

May 29, 2019 16:07:18 GMT -5 ESF said:

If you aren't looking for anything special and just want to be in wine country, I would do Sonoma (county, not the town), and stay in Healdsburg. There are a lot of hotels and motels in downtown Healdsburg, and if you want cheap, there's a Travelodge. There's a big town square with tons of tasting rooms and restaurants. It's more vibrant than downtown Sonoma , and it's cheaper and more accessible than Napa. It's also really pretty. That would enable you to drive around the area for the first part of the day, but then enjoy some tastings while not having to worry about driving.

The wines in that region tend to be big fruit forward zinfandels, but you can find anything. For wineries that would be a short drive - Bella, Medlock Ames, Simi (lots of whites), Ridge, Mazzocco, Truett Hurst, Amista, and Dutcher Crossing. If you like Pinots, you can drive a bit towards Guernville and do Lynmar or Freeman (this one is irregularly open to the public), or Iron Horse for bubbly. Downtown Healdsburg, I like La Crema (great for a big range of whites) and Stephen & Walker (lots of reds), but there's a bunch more than I'm forgetting.

My H says that you forgot Ferrari-Carano.

He had a really wonderful tasting experience there on his way to the airport. He wasn't driving. It was a slow day, and he wound up getting a private tasting that was quite the upgrade from what he paid for.