All Review Photos

Open: 10am to 6pm
Tours: 11am to 5pm

Approaching the entrance of Domaine Chandon, we were immediately struck by the artistic archway announcing the winery name. The archway, lily-filled pond/river, wooden bridge, a fountain, and stone-cobbled paths are just a few of what makes this winery special. All around, more pleasant surprises dotted the grounds, and not to be missed is the rock-mushroom plot and the stone/metal art-pieces.

The wine-tasting area looked more like a restaurant, which, in fact, is situated just across. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we decided not have our lunch there and try our luck on our next stop. Peeking through the glass doors of the restaurant; we saw the formal, yet casual, air it had.

The decision not to delay our journey for another 30 minutes for lunch at Domaine Chandon presented itself to us immediately soon after.

Once back on the highway and on our way to our next pick, the Beringer Farm (which happened to be the farthest amongst the three we chose to visit), the drive was a slow one, with bumper-to-bumper traffic on the one-lane highway to Calistoga. Since it was past noon, we decided to just have lunch.

Again, this was a small problem, as nearly all the restaurants we thought were good choices were all packed, based on the overflowing parking lots, more cars, and people waiting. One particular restaurant we really missed out on that appeared to be a winner was "The Mustard," located just in the outskirts of St. Helena (or was it Oakville?).

However, just with our experience in the restaurants in SF, it appeared that it was another waiting game was on for lunch. What’s more is we were told that it would be an hour at least before our turn for a table. No surprise, gauging from the more than 30 people milling around. It wasn’t our idea either to enjoy what the bar had to offer while waiting, especially on empty (and VERY) hungry stomachs.

Our next option proceed to town (St. Helena), where on a weekend, parking was another problem. However, the main street was a treasure of shops, so finding a parking spot much farther out (nearly out of the main town) was a blessing, as it afforded us to walk and enjoy each and every shop on the way.

We decided on SUPREEYA's THAI HOUSE on Main Street. Their fish entrée that day was just too hard to resist. They had very simple decor--Oriental, of course.

They had great taste and serving sizes for the VERY reasonable amount. For three main courses, appetizer, and drinks for three, the total bill was about $40.

As much as the town was something we would have wanted to check out, we had to make it a quick stop to get to Beringer Vineyards.