Nautie Friends, Napa was beautiful. It was also travel / tourist friendly. The food choices were ah-may-zing. There was wine. Good wine. Lots of good wine. Day One in Napa was my Girl Cousin's Birthday. I know right, the day after mine! (It's almost like we planned it...)

We had a big day planned....one that was to include a hot air balloon ride....and then it got windy. Like, as the balloons were filling up with hot air it got windy...and the balloons started behaving a little erratically. Wop wop. (There will be an entire post dedicated to balloon shenanigans, fear not.)

We skipped the ride and ate a hearty breakfast before meeting up with our wine tasting tour guide.

We signed up with Platypus Tours and it wasn't a mistake. I mean, not only was it not a mistake it was a good idea. I know. Gotta love good ideas when you have no idea what the eff you're doing!

By being with Platypus we were able to:

Not drink and drive. Win!
Have private tastings.
Not worry about hydrating between tastings....lots of water in the van.
Eat a yummy lunch. With a desert. In a pretty location.
Meet friends on the bus to go out to drunk dinner with!

I think I'm just going to inundate you with photos. Why tell you alllll about it? Check it out!

First stop of the day: Laird Family Estate. Their wine was some of my favorite from the trip. Plus, their lanai was seriously where it was at!

Second stop of the day: Luna Vineyards. I enjoy their wines. Period. We also had lunch here so I was able to bond with their patio furniture.

Third stop: Hopper Creek. I realize that this photo doesn't showcase the place itself. That being said, tasting is by appointment only here. The introvert in me loved this. Also, we spent a fair amount of time chatting on the lanai behind the tasting room. There were lovely views and it was so wonderfully casual. I'm sure you can appreciate that wine country can feel a bit uppity at times. You won't feel that way here. It was hands down my favorite stop of the day. (Lastly, for some reason I love this photo. This check had on such a great wine tasting outfit! Ha!)

Fourth and Last stop: Hagafen Cellars. The ambiance and charm at this place was unbeatable. I am also not the biggest Chardonnay fan however; I bought the best Chardonnay I've ever had in my whole life here.

My only word of caution when going wine tasting: HAVE A PLAN.

Are you interested in purchasing wine? yes? How much do you want to spend?! By the end of they day the likely hood of you being slightly willy nilly with your purse will undoubtably be an issue. HAVE A PLAN!

Say you're feeling slightly willy nilly after wine tasting - if you're staying in Napa - Go to Norman Rose.

(Also, I've been linking to these businesses because I enjoyed them....in the off chance that some of you go to Napa and want to check them out I want to make sure you have all the tools necessary!)

I'm going to leave you with the tiniest photo gallery. There were hundreds (and I do mean hundreds) of photos from Napa Day One.

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