Frolicking in Napa

After fighting a terrible 4th of July long weekend traffic we arrived to Napa for a wonderful day trip. I must say that if it wasn't for Mr. Urban's map savvyness and maneuvering, we'd still be sitting in that awful traffic!

Napa has over 450 wineries, but in over ten Napa trips, Mr. Urban and I have stayed faithful to only 1 itinerary...

The trip almost always begins with a pilgrimage to the magnificent Darioush Winery, an homage to Persepolis - the ceremonial capital of the ancient Persian Empire. We can never get enough of the beautiful architecture (and their wines) and it almost always manages to get us extra points if we are accompanied by out of town visitors.

After, there is always a pit stop at Dean and Deluca's, where we stock up on gourmet picnic stuff to take with us on to our next stop, which is usually the lovely picnic area of Rutherford Hill Winery. Although there are many picnic areas in Napa, we love this particular spot for its rustic feel, gorgeous Napa views, and the fact that it's not overly crowded... We usually get a bottle of their Chardonnay and the next couple of hours are what memories are made of....

From Rutherford Hill we usually head to Domaine Chandon's excellent tasting room and balcony for a some of their bubblies... But since the terrible traffic had taken huge bites into our time, we only had some final moments to sit on the patio of Bouchon Bakery for some chit chat, good coffee, and (sorry to use this inevitable word again) delicious pastries....

(Here's some trivia for you, guess what region was awarded "The World's Best Wine and Food Destination" by TripAdvisor's 2010 Travelers' Choice Awards? NAPA!)

Happy Saturday!

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