Bread and Wine

...and then came Saturday! We were up early to meet friends Franse and Kim at Panera BREAD for some coffee and breakfast before driving to Napa Valley for some sightseeing. After our fix of pastries and egg souffles, we hopped in the car for a beautiful cruise through delta-land on Hwy 12. Our first stop was Sterling Vineyards, up in Calistoga. This winery includes an arial tram ride over the vineyards. WOW! You should have seen the morning sun shining on the grapevines (now golden yellows and oranges). The view from the winery is worth the cost of tasting/admission. Awesome. We enjoyed some time just relaxing on the balcony and talking. A good start to the day.

Following Sterling, we enjoyed lunch in St. Helena and a quick stop at Prager for a sampling of Port. Prager is a little hole-in-the-wall, infamous for it's walls covered in signed dollar bills. Franse and I quickly found our dollar bill on the ceiling, posted there during her bachelorette party!

My favorite...St. Supery...was next on the list. St. Supery produces Moscato, my favorite dessert wine. We enjoyed talking with the wine host, who was sporting a Hume Lake wristband and had some mutual friends. (Here's Kim screwing around! ha ha)

We strolled through the beautiful grounds of Peju Provence, but passed on the vino here.


Our final stop for the day was Domaine Chandon, producer of Sparkling Wines. There was a lovely ambiance in the tasting room (which is open to the vineyards) as the sun set and turned to a swanky evening lounge. We enjoyed a cheese platter and had some fun with the table next to us : )

Here is a HUGE shout-out to my Napa buddies Kim, Jessie, Franse and Brandy. Each of you inspire me in different ways. I'm so glad we got to spend this time together..."Take off your boots, Jessie," the blue-blazer, and our "sorority"...all cherished memories. I LOVE YOU GIRLS!