Napa is fantastic if you know how to get off the beaten path. Stay away from the tourist trap vineyards. This place should be explored, allow plenty of time to talk with folks and drive around, you'd be suprised how many places are tucked away. Everywhere has some pretty amazing wine- no matter how touristy. As a rule of tumb, stay away from anywhere with a limo or tour bus in front... it will be cover-crowded and over-priced.

we stayed at the villagio inn and spa in yountville - very cute place that we enjoyed for the most part...with the exception of some early morning construction outside of our window ;) luckily, we were still on est, so it wasn't the worst thing in the world, but who wants to hear that while on vacation? the hotel apologized profusely and discounted our rate, which was very nice.
we got in around 4pm on wednesday afternoon and were a group of 4. we relaxed outside by the pool for a bit and then showered and headed over to mustards grill for dinner. this was a very cute local place that served good food and had a great atmosphere. our waitress was really fun and we basically let her order for us.
the next am, we walked over to bouchon bakery for breakfast - where we grabbed some fresh croissants and coffees and then started our day.
mondavi - did the to kalon tour, very informative - great way to start the trip!
clos du val - had a private tour/tasting here - got more great info
lunch at taylor refresher - outdoor stand with picnic benches - great cheeseburgers!
sterling - our least fave place - cable car/tram was cute, self guided tour was ok, not impressed with the tasting and specifically the ppl giving the tastings
vincent arroyo - one of our fave places! small winery off a dirt path, no frills, GREAT wine (we bought a case to be shipped in the fall after they bottle it!) and great ppl
dinner at french laundry - the service here is impeccable! the food was amazing as well, but honestly, we went for the experience more than for the food. we must have had 10 or 11 courses over a 4.5hr period. we were one of the last tables there, which gave us the advantage of getting extra treats from the kitchen ;)
the next day, friday, we had a driver hired and it was wonderful! after spending a more productive day using a driver, we can't recommend using one enough!
domaine chandon - good champagne, nice flights for tasting
zahtila - tiny place - the owner lives on site. very good wine, great ppl, very cozy
august briggs - we were going to do a tour here, but ended up just tasting - the woman at the counter was great and answered a ton of questions for us and we really had a good time here
frank family - another really fun small winery - the ppl are great, the wine is great (we bought from here as well) and you really feel at home here!
lunch at oakville grocer - YUM! i think i bought 6 different cheeses to go with a fresh loaf of bread here hahaha, i wanted it all! everything is so delicious here - the others got sandwiches and loved them as well. we were running late to our next appt, so we just ate in the limo.
caymus - we did a private tasting here which was nice. you only taste a few wines, but they're all great and you learn alot about the family and the winery.
del dotto - sooo fun! definitely a heavy pour and alot of different pours so like everyone says, do it at the end of the day! we had a great tour in the caves here - tasting from the barrels was so fun! we really like the wine here too and plan on placing an order.
dinner at bistro don giovanni - this place is great with a upbeat atmosphere similar to mustards. the pastas and pizza were awesome, and we brought some bottles that we had purchased at frank and vincent arroyo - both were excellent!
the next morning we stopped at bouchon bakery again before heading out. all in all, we had an amazing trip! we've already decided to do another group trip, take 2 as we've been calling it, next year in the fall. we'll probably upgrade our accomodations, and revisit some of the smaller wineries as well as some new ones. we wanted to get to opus one, but they were closed...we also wanted to hit sterling oak and plumpjack but never got a chance to...next time ;)
i hope this review helps someone! we can't wait to return!
cristina

Just did a weekend trip to Napa. If you are there, make it a point to stop at these wineries.

Steltzner - Small family winery. Hostess was very educated and friendly. Could have hung out there all day (was trying to make a U-turn in their driveway when we came across it .... talk about luck!!)

Luna - great wine, friendly service. A+. Nice grounds. Will be a "must" for me when returning.

VIANSA (which was actually in Sonoma) - BEAUTIFUL grounds. Our first stop coming in from Golden Gate. Very crowded but once we got to the tasting bar, they were very friendly and helpful (go to the back bar ... less crowded).

Pricey: Domaine Chandon was $15 for tasting -- but you get the logo'd champagne glass (mine broke before I even got home though). Upscale atmosphere ... looks like they have a good night life program but we didnt end up going back.

Avoid: Andretti winery -- they were rude.

Van der Hayden. The wines were not impressive. They are open til 6pm for tasting so they are the "last call" location. Tasting is outside and there were lots of flies. Not a great atmosphere.

A family day trip to Napa turned out to be a disaster as the wineries do NOT welcome children as most will say they do. And most of the so called "free" winery tours are not free at all as you are required to buy a tasting coupon for $10-$20 each then you get into the wine tour for free--even if you don't want to drink the wine. The whole area is a big wine hopping cocktail party! I was very disappointe.