The Best Wineries to Visit in Napa
For our honeymoon in 2019, Rick and I chose to go to Napa Valley – and we LOVED it. It was by far one of my favorite trips, and we can’t wait to go back – we’re planning on trying to head back for our five year anniversary.
While we were there we visited quite a few wineries, and I’m listing a few of our favorites here. We even joined a few wine clubs while we were out there, and get to enjoy California grapes all year ’round!
If you’re new to Napa, just know – these are 5 wineries out of MANY. There are too many to name, to visit – you’d have to live there and go year round to tastings to visit them all, it’s impossible! When we go back next time, we would proabably visit all new wineries to fully experience. If it’s your first trip though, here are some favorites we enjoyed and would recomend to anyone visiting Napa!
Domaine Carneros Winery
Dress: Lilly Pulitzer | Purse: Tory Burch || Sandals: Nordstrom
Domaine Carneros was, hands down, the most beautiful winery we visited. It’s breathtaking. You walk up center stairs to what feels like a European castle to have your tasting outside. The grounds are massive, as you can see in the the third photo. Domaine Carneros is known for their sparkling wine – I did a full sparkling tasting, while Rick tried some reds. We also had an amazing spread of smoked salmon, cheeses, pates, crackers, etc. I LOVE smoked salmon, and it paired perfect with the bubbly. Out of all these tastings, the sparkling rose was my favorite! We shipped some back home, and we ordered cases of it at the start of 2020 and 2021 summers to enjoy throughout. It never makes it to the end of summer, though – it’s too delicious! In my opinion this is a must to visit if you go to Napa. You truly get the vineyard views and it’s just gorgeous.
Del Dotto Vineyard
Dress: Loft | Purse: Tory Burch | Sandals: Nordstrom
Del Dotto was recommended to us by our waitor at Domaine Carneros, saying it’s cave tour was great. And it was! Unlike any other wine tastings, Del Dotto takes you right into the cave and you taste wine straight from the barrel as it’s aging. At the end, you can purchase the exact wine you tasted to be shipped to you once it’s fully matured. It’s really a cool educational tour where you learn about making of wine. It ends with a snack tray of cheese and crackers. This was a fun one!
Darioush
This was a very different winery, but one I personally loved. Darioush truly has some amazing architecure that is stunning as you walk in. For me, the Chardonnay was the star here – I absolutely loved it. So buttery and smooth, it was my favorite that we tested and I shipped several bottles home! Rick loved the Shiraz and shipped a few bottles of that home, as well. This was a fun visit, and one where we truly enjoyed the wine.
Clos du Val
We visited Clos du Val after Darioush, and to be honest, my memory of this tasting is a little fuzzy 😂 Doing two wine tastings in a row might be fun at the time, but man…I paid for it later. Anyways, Clos du Val is GORGEOUS. The inside of the building is stunning, all open to the outside to truly have an indoor/outdoor tasting. You’re surrounded by the vineyard. This was one of our favorites – we loved the wine so much we actually became wine club members! Every quarter we have 3-4 bottles shipped to us. I enjoy their Chardonnay, and they have delicious Cabernet’s that go great with a steak.
Duckhorn Vineyards
Dress: Loft
Duckhorn was recommended to us by several northern California family members who are club mmebers of Duckhorn. They promised us we wouldn’t be disappointed – and Duckhorn knocked it out of the park. Their wine is PHENOMENAL. They are known for their reds, particularly Merlots – which are amazing. We became Duckhorn members and regularly purchase more than the 3-4 bottles they ship quarterly. Their Sauvignon Blanc is also outstanding, but the real winner here is their black label wine, “The Discussion”. It’s a smooth, silky wine that will win over even those who don’t love red wine. I highly recommend visiting Duckhorn if you are going to pick just one vineyard on this list!
