This morning we were up and tasting by 10 a.m. with an appointment at Jessup Cellars. Our “tour guide” Lesley (as we hava come to refer to her) had suggested many wonderful, small wineries, but none were as highly recommended as Jessup Cellars. Not actually located on the vineyard property, tastings take place in a building in downtown Yountville. You can participate in a walk-in tasting, but Lesley suggested that we make an appointment for a private, sit-down tasting. GREAT suggestion! Chris, our host, was very knowledgeable in all things wine and Napa. We had a lot of fun comparing wines (who knew there was such a difference between years of the same wine), pairing them with various cheeses and just talking wine in general. We even got around to talking MonaVie and gave our wonderful host some Emv to try. A lot of the wine was out of our price range, but it’ll be one for the future. Tasting Fee: Free with Visitors Council Coupon. Final Ranking: 5 out of 5 stars!
On our way to the Silverado Trail, we had to make a quick stop at Arger-Martucci for Chris to purchase some wine. He didn’t buy the Syrah he liked yesterday in case he found something better, but for the price there wasn’t anything better to be found. After the purchase we headed north on Highway 29 and in Calistoga crossed over to the Silverado Trail.
Our first stop on that side was a small winery called August Briggs. With a really neat logo, I was already sold. It is a small, family-run winery with the nephew of the owner leading the tastings. He was very knowledgeable in his uncle’s process and even offered us some tastings straight from the barrel. So what would have been a 6 flight tasting turned into a 9 flight with the 3 unreleased, barrel wines. It was incredible to see the storage facility and labeling system they implemented. We had a Cabernet Blend, Syrah and a yet-to-be named red blend all from the barrel. YUMMY! 
The released wines were also great. I ended up buying my mom a bottle of their Pinot Noir. Another interesting tidbit is that they are the growers and benders of Jeff Gordon’s line of wine. They are just more reasonably priced. Tasting Fee: $0 all the time! Final Ranking: 5 out of 5 stars, for the most unique winery experience!
Next stop was one of the suggestions from our friends who have visited. Frogs Leap is a nestled into the middle of the Valley with a 5-acre property that you are free to wander after your tasting, which we of course we did. The tasting takes place on the back porch of the home overlooking the vegetable garden. Also, found on the property are grapes, chickens and orchards, plus a barn that we heard is haunted. The tasting offers a 4 flight with cheese plate. We started the flight with the first wine they released, which is light and fruity Sauvignon Blanc. Both Chris and I fell in love with this white and both ended-up purchasing a bottle. It’ll make the best sit-by-the-pool wine. Tasting Fee: $15. Final Ranking: 4.5 out of 5 stars, because it was an expensive tasting considering it was a 4 flight 
but the wine and setting were great.Again, we played the day wrong and hadn’t eaten anything other than the cheese and crackers served along side the wine. So at the suggestion of our host Mindy from Frogs Leap, we headed to a local lunch stop. The Soda Canyon Shop is a convenience store with great deli selection for sandwiches and a lovely wrap-around porch. We enjoyed a great and relaxing lunch. I suggest the egg salad sandwich for those who are fans. ☺
The last stop of the day was at the suggestion of Lesley. Clos du Val was a larger winery with a wider distribution and lovely property. The wines were good, but our experience was not stellar. The woman who was serving our 5 flight seemed uninterested in being at work and even sighed when we asked questions. The only time she seemed interested was when I disliked one of the options and she poured an estate version into our glasses. Of course, the estate wine was divine, but at $105 a bottle way out of my price range. Chris found himself in love with their Chardonnay and purchased a bottle. Our host seemed surprised to be making a sale, but obliged to assist. Tasting Fee: $10, but make sure to get the Buy 1, Get 1 tasting coupon from the Visitors Council. Final Ranking: 3 out of 5 stars, because the wine was good but the service was not.
Another hard day of drinking behind us, we needed to unwind. What better way to do that than to go see a Broadway Show?!? Wicked has a standing production in San Francisco, so I decided that it would be the best way to spend the evening plus the theatre was only a quick 40 min drive. I had seen the show before, but it was Chris’s first time. I have forced him to listen to the music in the past, so he wasn’t completely in the dark about the show. It was a wonderful production and I have now satiated my musical theatre need for a while. Tomorrow we head to our next stop: LA!
