Day off in Napa- 1/21

To celebrate MLK Day back in January, we decided to go to Napa with Brian's co-worker, Ryan and wife Kristine. They haven't been to Napa very much, so we thought it would be fun to show them around. Ryan likes wine, but because of his chemotherapy, he was our DD! 

When we go to Napa, we always try to pick at least one new winery to visit. I have been wanting to go to Chateau Montelena in Calistoga for years! Here is the reason why-

I still don't remember how we stumbled upon this movie when we lived in Germany, but we LOVED it! It is a true story about how Napa wines competed against French wine in 1976 and Napa won and eventually got their name on the international wine map! There were several wineries in the competition, but the movie mostly featured the story of Chateau Montelena. 

Here is the winery-

 It was grand and beautiful, just as I remembered it in the movie. I was like a little kid walking through the gates of Disneyland when we arrived here!

Here are the 4 of us-

 The wine was FANTASTIC! A little out of our price range, but the experience of being there was epic. While there, we were told that while the movie Bottleshock had a few Hollywood add-ins, there was also a book which was completely legit. I had to run out the next day and get it-

 I devoured each page of this book! It was all so fascinating to me. I love Napa and I love wine- this is my book. I will re-read this for sure. At times it read a bit like a text-book, but surprisingly, that didn't bother me at all. (The author was the reporter at the Paris tasting in 1976!)

Next up- lunch. We also picked a new spot- the Goose & Gander in St. Helena. It was awesome and we can't wait to go back!

It was as adorable from the outside as it was impressively decorated on the inside-

Kristine and Ryan

While in wine country, you expect your waiter/waitress to suggest wine, right? Not this place! They have a very famous "mixologist" and a very impressive cocktail list...

i can't even remember what was in my drink- but it was very unique and tasty!

here is the bartender- i mean mixologist- book that he authored- 

 (I will stick to cookbooks I think...)

After lunch we went to a couple favorites- V. Sattui and Silverado to finish of a great day!!