Itinerary for a day in Yountville
During our stay in Sonoma we did a day trip to Yountville. Back in 2017 I visited Sonoma for the first time and while exploring we stumbled upon Yountville. It was such a cute town with amazing food. We did not explore it much on that trip and this time I wanted a designated day in the town.
The drive from Sonoma to Yountville is about 30-40 minutes.
Brunch: Restoration Hardware
We started our day with brunch at Restoration Hardware. I have eaten at the RH restaurant in Toronto many times before and miss having one close to me. I love the mix of art, decor and food the space has to offer. When I saw there is an RH restaurant in Yountville I had to check it out.
We decided to have lunch at the indoor restaurant. The restaurant has a glass roof making for a nice bright space. Indoor fountains mixed among the trees create for a great indoor-outdoor feel. The restaurant also has outdoor seating.
Everything about our experience at RH was impeccable. They had a great selection of sparkling wines. I tried two different Californian rosé sparklings which were both the perfect pairing with our meal. We started with the arugula salad. The salad had grapes in it which were unique and hard to explain. I initially didn’t realize they were grapes and thought they may have been cranberries. They were slightly desiccated and soft but quite flavourful. We also got the crispy artichokes and the french fries. I have to say these may have been some of the best restaurant French fries I have ever eaten. They were skinny, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and perfectly salted. The crispy artichokes were nice and light despite being fried.
There are so many items on the menu I wish I had tried and already want to go back.
After lunch we meandered through some of the showrooms in the back. Most of my furniture is from RH so I was interested to see what they had.
The RH in Yountville has a separate building called the wine vault. Here they do wine tastings. We did not have time to try this out but I definitely will next time!
Afternoon Wine Tasting: Chandon
After lunch we went down to the Chandon winery to do their afternoon wine stroll. As a lover of sparkling wine Chandon was one of the wineries I was most excited to visit.
The wine stroll is hosted on the winery’s newly renovated Oak Grove and is a guided group tour and tasting. The space spans roughly half an acre with beautiful views of the mountains. There are various seating areas where you can take your wine and enjoy them at your own pace. We each received four sparkling wines while hearing stories about the winery. A cool fact I learnt is that Chandon is lead by a full female team!
We were able to try wines that you can only get at the winery. Our tour guide was amazing which made for a fun afternoon. I definitely recommend trying this experience if you like sparkling wines. It is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon outside sipping on some unique delicious wines.
Two wines I discovered while there which I love are the Garden Spritz and the Red Demi-Sec. The Garden Sprtiz tastes like an Aperol Spritz in a wine. The Red Demi-Sec is a sparkling red. You definitely need to try these!
Dinner: Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bistro holds a special place in my heart. The day I found out I passed my radiology Royal College exam we had dinner here. Bouchon is a French bistro and it one of Chef Thomas Keller’s restaurants. The food there is always delicious.
We started dinner with mussels and salad. I had been looking forward to the Bouchon Steak all week. It was cooked to perfection and the fries were crisp and delicious.
I finished my meal with the Paris Brest which was the perfect way to end the night.
If you are in the Sonoma / Napa area I definitely recommend a day or two in Yountville. There is so much to do and try that you will not be disappointed!
Photos: Paige Own
xo Sam
