I've been a bit delinquent getting this posted, but on February 15th my wife and I went to Napa for five nights to celebrate our fifth anniversary. We got off to a bit of a rough start as our flight was delayed for about 2 1/2 hours, first by weather in SF then supposedly because something ran into and damaged the tail of the airplane. In any event, we finally got a replacement plane and were off.

We arrived in a rainy SF (which was a sign of things to come...it rained all week), picked up our rental car, and headed directly to Del Dotto, arriving only a few minutes late for our cave tour and barrel sampling. Cavegirl wasn't there, but Ty Tepper was great as we tasted our way through about 15 barrel samples, another 3 or 4 bottles, and then 6 barrel samples of their first vintage of port. As it turned out, Ty was also going to be attending an offline that night at Fume Bistro in Napa. I know that it's been said numerous times, but the Del Dotto cave tour and barrel sampling is a must visit.

After a much needed hour long nap, we were off to Fume Bistro for an incredible offline with somewhere around 21 750s and 6 magnums of killer wine. We met many wonderful people, including Bob Bressler, Herb and Jennifer Lamb, Mark Neal, Gove Celio, and numerous other great people including Orlando De Jesus, who occasionally posts here on VC. The wine highlights included:

2001 Sine Qua Non Albino (Magnum...the bottle was about 20 inches tall! One of the best wines of the night)
1995 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
1993 Dalla Valle Maya (Magnum...probably WOTN after being open for a couple of hours but I didn't keep detailed notes)
1993 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet (Magnum...drinking far better right out of the bottle than the Maya right out of the bottle)
1995 Vineyard 29 Cabernet
1996 Araujo Cabernet (Magnum)
1998 Karl Lawrence Cabernet (Magnum)
2001 Egelhof Cabernet (Magnum)
2002 Corte Riva Merlot
2002 Herb Lamb EII
2002 Neal Petite Sirah
2002 Kenefick Ranch Cabernet

All I can say is wow!! What a first day!!! I wouldn't recommend Del Dotto before a blow-out offline though...

Sounds like a great first day! Thanks for sharing.

Curious how the Kenefick and Corte Riva were showing, if you recall. Thanks.

Heck of a first day. Bring on the rest of the week....and happy belated anniversary. A spouse has to be addicted as well if the wine disease is to fully flourish, and a few days in Napa is a great place to rekindle the addiction.

I was in the Valley last year solo, since I had a four day weekend from work I parlayed that to a 6 day longer weekend. Though I did not have as good of a first day, it was still really good. I have already made my plans for this year, I have to take the wife with me. It is a good thing sometimes we have close to the same palate, in both food and wine. I have to start saving money now since I come home with a few cases of wine to put into my already cramped wine cellar and over-flow closet.

Finally recovered, caught up, and able to post a few notes about the last kpak trip to the wine country.
We had an absolutely wonderful week 1/29-2/06 and the weather really couldn't have been better.
Drove from Reno to and then up the coast and were awarded perfect Pacific views with crashing surf and blue skies and seas. Had a night in Bodega Bay and headed up to Jenner and then in along the Russian River Valley. We visited Gary Farrell and Rochioli and Rabbit Ridge among others that first day of tasting.
Winery highlights of the week include revisiting the Neal Family Vineyards guys, an absolutely beautiful (although windy) day at Pride, getting down, dirty and pruning the vines at Lewelling's Wight Vineyard and the cave tour/tastings/debauchery at David Arthur.
Food highlights include coastal oysters, the kobe burger at the bar at Martini House (thanks to VC for that tip); the "chocoate soup" at Brix, tailgates at Taylor's and mandatory and never-wrong tacos at El Sombrero in Healdsburg.
We spent four nights at Maison Fleurie in Yountville (wonderful) and two at the Silverado Resort (0K)
Flew out of Sacramento on 2/07.
It was a trip worth repeating and as is said, "All's well that ends well" (i.e, the shippers arrived home safely) .

You're making me very jealous. Sounds great.