Sips and Trips with Paige

Napa was simply a dream… probably the best weekend I have ever had in my life. The wine. The food. The weather. OMG. This is a recap of our first day in Napa. We visited two wineries and had a delicious dinner out!

Our first stop in Napa was Jarvis. We really set the bar high visiting this winery first! They are located near the southern tip of Napa. Their entire facility is in a 4,500 square foot man made cave… it even has a waterfall, y’all. Once their grapes are harvested and brought into the cave, they don’t see the light of day until you walk out of Jarvis with a bottle. They take the upmost care in harvesting, bottling and aging.

Their land was purchased in 1985. The land is located on a national wildlife refuge so they decided to dig and make a cave. They started digging in 1991 and the tasting room opened in 1995. There are 37 acres of vines which produce about 5,000 cases a year. They grow only one white, Chardonnay, while the rest are Bordeaux varietals and Tempranillo. Their vines are about 1,000 feet above elevation so their harvest is about 3-4 weeks behind most other wineries on the valley floor. The cave is 61 degrees 365 days a year so they are making and aging wine in perfect conditions.

We had a seated tasting with another group and it was very intimate and delicious. We tasted seven wines pared with cheese and crackers and fell in love! They really make amazing wine. We were lucky enough to bring a few bottles home, we brought home the 2014 Tempranillo and 2013 Merlot. Tempranillo is a Spanish grape that means early, it is the first grape to ripen and is actually their most prolific. They only have an acre but it produces about 7 tons of grapes! The Merlot was DELISH, smooth with black cherry notes.

Following our Jarvis tasting we had to stop at the Napa Valley sign to grab a picture! It’s definitely a photo op that you just can not pass up!

Our second stop was Long Meadow Ranch. This stop was much more relaxed compared to Jarvis. They have a tasting bar where you stand for your tasting. We each picked four wines. We loved their Sauv Blanc! This winery also features a full service restaurant, Farmstead, right next door, where we had reservations. Let me just say… IT. WAS. DIVINE. The Burrata was probably the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. I did not take any photos at dinner because I wanted a break from my phone but our meals were phenomenal. We started with the Burrata, Zach got the Wood Grilled Heritage Pork Chop and I got the California Wild Caught Salmon. We enjoyed Sauv Blanc with our meals and were so happy with our experience.

Keep following along for my recap of our Sonoma day and the rest of our Napa adventures! Also, make sure you follow @sipsandtripswithpaige on insta!

Cheers, Paige