Napa Valley Wine Train Review

Travel, Wine, Wine Travel

February 10, 2020

For my birthday in early October, we visited Sonoma and Napa because let’s be honest, all I wanted to do for my bday was drink wine! On the day of my actual birthday we did the Napa Valley Wine Train. I was skeptical of trying this at first, because of how expensive it is. It definitely is a splurge, but it is a unique experience like no other. Read below to see our whole day aboard the train!

Schedule

We participated in the Estate Tour. This is the one we chose because of the wineries that were on the list – all of which I hadn’t been to yet! Here is an overview of our itinerary:

10:15 AM – Check in
10:30 AM – Board the Train
10:45 AM – Train departs
11:15 AM – 12:45 PM – Domaine Chandon
1:00 PM – 2:20 PM – Louis M. Martini
2:30 PM – 3:50 PM – Inglenook
4:45 PM – Train returns


All Aboard!

As we boarded the train and were immediately greeted by smiling faces and sparkling wine. Each couple gets their own booth where you have a view out of the window and a table for your drinks and food. The first course was a breakfast parfait, oatmeal, and smoked salmon bite. This was just the beginning of our full day of indulgence!

Domaine Chandon

At our first stop, Domaine Chandon, we were greeted with some bubbly (of course), led on a tour of the building, and given a lot of great history about the producers. We tried three different Sparkling Wines here; the first Brut Classico, the second a little more sweet made with Pinot Noir, and our third was a sparkling cocktail. I loved the variety they served us and the grounds were beautiful. 

Second Course. As we gathered back on the train we had our salad course. Asparagus soup with truffle oil and fig salad. All delicious!

Louis M. Martini

Our second stop was Louis M. Martini. I’ve been wanting to go here because I had been enjoying their Cab Sauv for years! We were greeted with Rosé and then we tried two different Cabernet Sauvignons while learning about the history and touring the beautiful new facility that was just finished in the last year! This place is a great one to go to for hanging out on the gorgeous patio. They have a beautiful fireplace and lots of yard games! 

Entree Course. I chose the Red Snapper in a tomato broth. It. was. yum.

Inglenook

Inglenook was my biggest surprise, especially because of the fascinating history. The history of Inglenook had a lot of ups in downs in terms of owners and reputation of quality in their wines. They are currently back on track to being a well known and high quality producer of wine! We were also greeted with Sauv Blanc so you know I was happy 🙂 After touring the caves, we snuck away at the end to find a beautiful hidden vineyard and overlook of Napa Valley! If you go to Napa, I highly recommend a visit to try their wines and learn their story!

It was an awesome day full of historical tours, beautiful wineries, great wine, and overall a fun experience. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning more about the wineries they visit because you get a private tour of each facility and taste three of the wineries top wines at each stop. To find out more info and see the variety of tours they offer check out their website here. Cheers!

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