One of the things I love about San Fran is all the fun things you can do just a couple hours away. It’s a short drive to the beach or mountains. Redwood forests and hiking are a big favorite, and the great little towns on the way. This time we took an overnight trip to the wine country, for a tasting at Scribe in Napa.

Scribe was Taylor’s pick. I think she picked it from pictures she saw in a magazine article about the brothers who recently bought it as a fledgling enterprise, and whipped it into the gorgeous winery it is today.

The staff at Scribe is like a fun group of young friends that like to hang out and talk about wine. Along with your wine, they bring olives, nuts, cheese and some pretty good stories.

We kicked off our day with the tasting. There’s only a limited number available each day, so we were lucky to snag these with a last minute call.

The seating was a free for all. The tasting area was on a hill overlooking the vineyard, scattered with wood tables, chairs and soft, bug-free grass. We picked a giant table made of bleached wood. The California air was crisp, the wood was old, and the wine was chilled.

Our tasting started with a light chablis along with some olives and nuts. The wine was refreshing, and citrus-y. It went well with the salty olives and crunchy nuts.

Next we got an oaky chardonnay. It was smooth and buttery, and very yummy.

Our third wine was a silky pinot noir. This was my fave. I savored every sip while I soaked in the “how these vintages were made” stories. Nothing was rushed. We were relaxed, the air was cool, and the sun was shining. We were buzzed and happy.

When we finished our wine, Taylor took the tree swing for a ride. I pushed her until she was 20 feet off the ground. She swung back and forth like a giant human pendulum. Like a little kid again, except for the buzzy wine part.

We explored the mansion next. It looked haunted and beautiful. We were told it used to be a brothel, and the vineyard used to be a turkey farm. And then both went down. And the entire place was deserted for decades. But then the Scribe brothers bought it and converted it to the great winery it is today.

The winery is great, but the mansion still has a way to go to fix all those decades of desertion. Even though the mansion is in disrepair, it’s quite an attraction, and even hosts plenty of weddings. The balconies have a stunning view of the California valley. The doorways are arched and the floors are all original hard wood. The upstairs, where the brothel was, is a little eerie, and looks like it has stories to tell. The walls were covered in newspapers from the 1950’s, though I’m not sure what was hidden underneath.

We had a great day at our Scribe wine tasting, and I hope to go back there in the next few years to see how it changes over time as it becomes more established.