May 24th, 2023
Once more we awoke to a pretty grey and overcast morning. With a return to the road tomorrow, we spent the morning, after Breakfast, packing things up, getting ready for the move, and just generally relaxing. Not really much to report, to be honest, some parts of a trip have the be downtime, planning, and preparation. We also were heading to some fairly remote areas so we stocked up n basics, snacks, and water in case we got car issues or just couldn’t find anywhere open to buy food and drinks.
Once we were all prepared and ready to hit the road tomorrow thoughts moved over to today’s plans. The sun has started to break through and we had reservations at a particularly special Michelin Star Restaurant.
Auberge Du Soleil
A lot of attention goes on a certain Chef in Napa Valley, a master of the culinary arts who has somewhat colonized the Valley with three stunning restaurants. We are of course talking about Thomas Keller and his magnificent French Laundry, The Best Restaurant in the world, Period, according to the late Anthony Bourdain. He also has his Bouchon Bistro and the well-acclaimed Ad Hoc. Three great options.
However, we just couldn’t justify the $1000+ it would cost to dine at the Laundry, and Bouchon just wasn’t tickling our fancy. Ad Hoc is certainly an interesting concept but we wanted something a little more special. As such two obvious choices popped out. Press is a highly regarded Michelin Star restaurant, offering probably the best Cuisine outside of The French Laundry in the Area. It was pricey, but not a patch on its contemporary. However, for us, the second option stood out far more. Auberge Du Soilel (Meaning Inn of the Sun) is an ultra high-end resort ($1500-$2000 basic room rate!) nestled up in the Rutherford foothills.
It’s a stunning location and their restaurant is gorgeous on a stunning sun terrace, overlooking the valley. Dining can be about more than just food and the location and overall ambiance of the place meant this option really jumped out at us. It also offered a really good value Lunch Menu, giving us more time to enjoy the day afterward and get the best of the views, as dining here after dark would be a bit of a waste. Not that the menu looked bad and with a perennial Michelin star since 2007 (when the guide first came to San Francisco) it was bound to be a very special meal.
Upon arrival, we were offered seating that wasn’t quite what we expected. Near the back of the Terrace and not giving us the best views available. This was our main celebration meal of the trip and we were not going to accept second best. So we asked to wait and while the Host grumbled a little we were seated in the bar while a table became free. This left us time to peruse the Wine Menu and pick out something suitable for the meal. Our choice was the own brand Auberge Du Soilel Chardonnay. A fitting and excellent choice considering the locale.
After 20-25 minutes, after we had been advised of a 1hr+ wait, our table was ready and we were seated right by the rail, with absolutely stunning views of the valley. Glass of wine in hand this was meltingly relaxing and we sunk into the setting as we anticipated the delights to come.
The Lunch Menu offered 3 courses for $85 which is pretty cheap really for current fine dining, and considering the Michelin Star and simply sumptuous location is basically a bargain.
We chose the Green Galic Soup with Dungeness Crab and the Leon Glazed Pork Belly. The soup was seriously good and while the Pork belly was magnificent, there are small portions and then there are minuscule ones! Twice the amount would probably have been mean!
For main Kate had the Diver CAught Sauted Scallops, these were colossal and intensely sweet and mely in the mouth, served with an array of vegetables and a fantastic glaze that was mellow enough to not overpower the delete Scallops. I took on the Yellowfin Tuna, which was maybe a little basic. The Dashi with boba really helped elevate it, The Steak itself was perfectly cooked, and the Salmon Caviar really popped with flavor, but still, It didn’t quite wow like the Scallops.
Dessert was particularly exciting, and we were both completely spoiled for choice. In the end, unable to decide, we agreed to order the Housemade 70% “Malaquias Estate” Tabasco Mexican Chocolate Cremeux and the Valrhona Bahiibe Chocolate Mouse Trte and share them between us. Both were really stunning and left us squabbling over who got more of which, with the Torte just about edging it.
A really fantastic meal and the setting was just about perfect as we watched the eagles soaring overhead and hearing their calls, as you would on tv/film with terrible overlayed sound, but for real. The sun was shining and the haze burning gradually off. One of the best overall meals we have had and the cheque was not even that hard to stomach afterward.
*Note – We also wanted to Boycot Press as they seem to be attempting to bring about the destruction of Humanity. Listed on their Menu was the Ingredient, Cordyceps Mushrooms. Now if you have not seen the Hit Tv Show The Last Of Us (Or like the cool kids like me the Game!), you might not know why we object to this, if you have, we are sure you are right beside us! This feels basically like serving up a nice side of Covid with your Entree, What the **** is wrong with people? (Honestly, this is just meant as a joke we know people have been eating certain Cordyceps for decades, it’s just a bit jarring right off the back of the TV Show)
Caymus Winery
This would be our final Winaery and one we had been saving up. We had a personal recommendation to Vist Caymus and we were very glad we did as really this could have been one we overlooked. This is an older winery with a lot of prestige, being the ONLY wiery to win the Wine Spectator wine of the year TWICE. It also operates on an older model whereby the $50 cost of the Wine Tasting is offset by any wine purchases. This makes way more sense than simply charging a tasting fee and it attracts serious bers rather than just tourists looking to try some new wines.
The grounds were really beautiful nestled in the Lower Rutherford Hills. The tasting was outdoors in their wonderful gardens and we had a nice little seating area all to ourselves. The host was utterly fantastic and we spent a good 45-50 mins just chatting away and drinking wine, discussing all kinds of things from our website, travel, the area, and obviously a little bit about wine!
The Tasting is from a set list and it was again very heavy on the Reds, as this was Caymus’s signature style. But our host was perfectly fine going off script and bringing Kate a host of different styles while I stuck to the Brand’s famous Reds including their Cabernet Sauvignon, and their 2018 “Special Selection” Cabernet Sauvignon, a very special wine indeed! We read some critical reviews of the Vineyard stating that they only had a couple of “Caymus” wines and the rest were from other Vineyards. This is definitely not the case, it’s just they only brand a few of their wines as Caymus and offer different branding styles for their other products. As Explained Caymus is known for its cabs so when they release a Chardonnay, they market it differently (Mer Soleil, Conundrum, and Belle Glos, for example). All the wines are made in-house though under the Wagner Family of Wine Umbrella.
As a final wine, we got to try their NEW Bay Rose a brand new release and something our host was very excited about. After one of the best tastings we had this trip we now had a choice, pay $50 each and leave after a fantastic time, as would be the case at most Napa Wineries, or Buy some wine and essentially get it FREE (up to $100). Obviously, we took them u on the offsetting and left with a couple of fantastic bottles of wine for our money rather than just the tasting. We really wish all Vinyards did this rather than just charging for the tastings.
Final Evening
Time was drawing in on our Time in Napa, and it had been such a fantastic experience. Amazing food, fantastic Wines, and stunning scenery. We had taken a lot longer t get here than we wanted as Covid had interrupted so many of our plans, but finally we had ticked off the great Napa Valley.
We hit the pool for the last few hours of sun, then grabbed a burger from the local A&W Restaurant, an all-American burger joint we had never tried before…just looking for a meal that cost under $200! A real contrast from Michelin Starred Dining to cheap-a** fast food burgers!
We then just waved goodbye to the Napa Sun, one last time (we would be gone before the fog lifted tomorrow!) and then headed to bed.
Walking Total – 3,776 Steps – 1.8 Miles
A real light day on the feet! less than two miles is a really easy day.
