Nov 04, 2016
The continued post of our first full day in Napa
Thanks for the comments re Part 1 of this post. Yes the wine tastings are very expensive but that is no reason to not visit the wineries. There is no charge to walk around inside nor outside and it is worth the time to do so. Such a variety of architecture, some lovely art & sculpture displays and wonderful grounds to explore and so much history to discover.
The last two wineries we visited Wednesday were huge and so very different. We spent over six hours touring that day.
Castello Di Amorosa often referred to as the Castle Winery. Is is 136,000 square feet surrounded by 30 acres of vineyards.
The owner spent decades researching medieval castles and built this authentic 13th century inspired Tuscan Castle. It took years to build and he brought in European workers and as much product as he could. It is a fascinating read to read from start to finish.
http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/History
This is the great room, the castle also has a moat, a dungeon, a torture chamber and more. It truly is authentic and one has to remember it is also a winery.
It even has a consecrated chapel and this is an antique confessional.
The light just wasn’t right for a good photo. We should have been there early in the day not at the end but we didn’t know. Sadly there was no way to get up high into those towers unless paying a lot of money for a tour. Yes all the wineries in addition to charging for tastings also charge for tours where you get to go to s few special places as well as the caves where the wine is stored.
The view from the parking lot.
Next and last stop for the day was the Chateau Montelena established in 1882, right at the top of the Napa Valley map. It would prove to be my favorite stop of the day for so very many reasons.
Jade Lake the first thing we saw next to the parking area. Sadly we lacked the time to walk the perimeter.
The winery.
This painting was done in 1890.
The tasting here was only $27.00 but again I only wanted to sample the first wine. They graciously gave me a generous taste pour at no charge. It was lovely.
There were two Napa wineries that won first in the 1976 Judgement of Paris and that really did put Napa on the map. The other was Stag’s Leap Wine cellar for what I believe was a cabernet.
On the 1973 Chateau Montelena winning bottles of chardonnay.
The winery runs 100% on solar and is a certified “Napa Green’ winery. I am really looking forward to finding the 2008 movie Bottle Shock which portrays the story of a blind wine tasting in Paris that leads to Chateau Montelena winning.
Neither of us were ready to leave the Chateau but it was past closing time. A perfect place to end our first full day in Napa Valley.
It was a bit of a drive back to the RV and I was looking forward to a glass or two of Pinot Grigio. The girls were walked and fed. It was then time for us to go for a walk into Napa. We had chosen a Mexican restaurant favored by visitors and locals alike, the Taqueria Maria. They say it is the best food in town.
We each chose the enchiladas con camarone. A great choice.
I hope that you are enjoying our Napa Valley tour.
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Wonderful pictures of the winery. Wish I could have been a fly on the wall in that antique confessional! Have fun!
Beautiful. Love your photos! I will never get there so I’m visiting through you. Thank you!
Love you photos of the area
You dinner looks wonderful too.
Contessa, Have followed your blog and enjoyed your photos for sometime/ Wanted you to know how great your blogs on Napa have been. Napa is a short distance from my daughter’s and I visit there several times a year. Yes, we always go to Taqueria Maria’s for the wonderful Mexican food and it is the best. Enjoy your time in the gorgeous wine country.
Really enjoying the tour…. that castle was something else, but the chateau looked special with all the ivy clinging to the walls…
Did you find the winery that sells the five liter boxes for $12? LOL
I’m not a wine drinker so I have no idea if that LOL is because that’s an amazing or terrible price…
I’m really enjoying your tour of Napa, a place I have no intention of visiting but have been curious about. The castle does look authentic!
The last picture with the food — that rice! I miss red Mexican rice so much…
Wow, I really loved the look of that front of the building of the second winery in today’s post. The old building and the vines climbing the wall is wonderful.
My mouth is watering for those enchiladas!
Ruth