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One Day Loop |
| Towns: | Sonoma—Glen Ellen— Calistoga—St. Helena—Rutherford—Yountville— Napa |
| Activities: | Breakfast—Historic Downtown Sonoma—Wineries—Lunch—Wineries—Dinner |
| Start: | Boon Fly Café, Carneros |
| Finish: | Rotisserie & Wine or Carpe Diem, Napa |
As this is a full day, we recommend that you start early!
Our one-day loop through the wine regions of Napa and Sonoma begins with breakfast in the Carneros region along highway 12/121. This is an area where the low mountains allow fog to roll in from San Pablo Bay, creating perfect conditions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay!
After a quick history lesson in downtown Sonoma, we explore one of the finest chocolatiers and several wineries in the Sonoma Valley (also called Valley of the Moon). This is the birthplace of California’s wine industry. Then we cross the Mayacamas Mountains to Calistoga for lunch at a Michelin-recognized restaurant.
After lunch we drive through the Napa Valley, visiting wineries amid stunning vineyards, and then take a beautiful, scenic mountain road to visit an artisan distillery.
We end our day with a well-deserved dinner at one of Napa’s newest restaurants.
Breakfast: Boon Fly Café
We start our day with a healthy breakfast at the Boon Fly Café located at The Carneros Inn, and then head to downtown Sonoma.
Morning: Downtown Sonoma and Glen Ellen
We start our walking tour by strolling around Sonoma Plaza, the largest plaza in California. In the center is City Hall, surrounded by a plethora of wine shops, cafes, and retail stores. Head to the northeast corner of City Hall to check out the statue of the Bear Flag Revolt. Then proceed to the mostly rebuilt Sonoma Mission, a California historic icon.
We then take the back roads to Glen Ellen. There we visit Wine Country Chocolates on Arnold Drive to sample handcrafted, artisan truffles. Then on to Audelssa in downtown Glen Ellen.
Our drive continues through the scenic Sonoma Valley, home of famous writer Jack London, before exploring Family Wineries Tasting Room in Kenwood, a co-op which hosts several small-production wineries.
Lunch: Solbar
On to Calistoga: We drive over the Mayacamas Mountains on Calistoga Road and enjoy lunch at the award-winning Solbar at Solage Spa and Resort.
Afternoon: Wineries
Across the street from Solbar on Silverado Trail is B Cellars, distinguished for its Napa Valley blends. Continue along Silverado Trail and cross back to St. Helena using Pratt Avenue. As a side note: We prefer Silverado Trail over highway 29 because there is less traffic and it feels a bit more rural.
In St. Helena, we explore the cult wine inventory at ACME Fine Wines before heading up Spring Mountain Road to Charbay Winery and Distillery. While this is a slight detour, the scenic mountain drive takes only 10 minutes and Charbay’s brandies and vodkas are certainly worth the trip.
To finish the wine tasting for the day, we make stops at Alpha Omega Winery in St. Helena and the award-winning art gallery and tasting room of Cliff Lede Vineyards in Yountville.
Dinner: Carpe Diem or Rotisserie & Wine
For tonight’s dinner we give you two options: Carpe Diem, where the local hipsters hang out, or Rotisserie & Wine, our new favorite restaurant in Napa featuring celebrity chef Tyler Florence.