an englishman in chianti

T H E
WO R L D ’ S
L E A D I N G
F I N E
W I N E
M AG A Z I N E S
no. 1 4
€30
– THE WINE MAGAZINE
AN ENGLISHMAN IN CHIANTI
CENTURY TASTING 1900–1999 • MEADOWOOD • BORDEAUX 2011 • 100 BEST CHAMPAGNES 2012
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Text: Pekka Nuikki
Photography: Pekka Nuikki
s with any other wine region in the world,
the complete experience of Napa Valley is
a sum of visits to the vineyards, the sounds
and smells of the valley in the air, the tastes of
its great and individual wines lingering in your
mouth, encounters with the people behind these
wines, and the joy of sitting down to a delicious
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meal where the food and wines of the area are
united with skill and love. During our numerous
annual visits to Napa Valley, we have found a
place, hidden in the middle of the vineyards,
where the unique location, the perfect weather,
discreet privacy, natural beauty, long heritage and
local culture meld seamlessly.
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“We wanted a restaurant for our
members and visitors that had
the highest standard of service,
food and wines.”
F
or decades, the Meadowood Resort
has attracted people from around
the world with its privacy, tranquil
surroundings and varied activities. The place
has become a melting pot of the valley’s
greatest offerings, especially when it comes
to food and wine. In the last five years, the
resort has gained more media attention than
any other retreat in the valley. A lion’s share
of the glory belongs to the young, successful
chef Christopher Kostow and his team at The
Restaurant at Meadowood. Under Kostow’s
command, the restaurant became only the
second restaurant outside of New York to
gain a third Michelin star in 2010.
The wooden grey-and-white, modern
American country house stands in the shade
of foliage on a slope overlooking Meadowood
Golf Course. Nothing except a small discreet
sign indicates that I am on the doorstep of
one of the best restaurants in the United
States. As I enter the casual lobby, the
friendly personnel welcome and guide me
into the dining room, where large windows
allow the spacious room to be bathed in
bright daylight. The interior is comforting,
harmonious and neutral but stylish. It is a
normal weekday but the 44-seat restaurant
is full. A quick glance across the dining
room reveals casually dressed middle-aged
and older couples and groups. I am given a
seat, and the joyride that is the experience
of The Restaurant at Meadowood kicks off
impressively as the sommelier pours me a
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glass of the crispy Krug Grande Cuvée.
For the next three hours I will enjoy several
courses of beautifully presented, pure
and intensely flavoured dishes such as
Hibiscus-Cured Foie Gras with Radish and
Puffed Seeds, and Goat Poached in Whey,
Curd Gnudi and Tiny Vegetables. Upon my
request, the sommelier lays a fascinating
palette of Napa Valley’s finest wines by the
glass next to the dishes, and the dinner
experience is complete. So complete, in
fact, that it is impossible to point to any
single highlight of the experience. I look
forward to going behind the scenes to find
out more about the philosophy behind the
great restaurant.
The next day I have a chat with Patrick
Davila, Director of Wine and Cuisine and
Hotel Manager, who is in charge of all food
and wine operations here. This sharp and
determined man is the behind-the-scenes
mastermind for the Meadowood Resort
when it comes to developing wine and food
services. He is in charge of the three kitchens
that provide these services to Meadowood’s
members and customers at The Restaurant
at Meadowood (fine dining), The Grill (casual
dining) and the catering for room service,
poolside service and off premises.
Before arriving at Meadowood, Davila
gained substantial experience of working at
and opening top restaurants in the US and
collaborating with great chefs like Daniel Boulud
in New York, Wolfgang Puck in San Francisco
and Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group in Los
Angeles. The Meadowood Resort, however,
presented a challenge the likes of which he
had never encountered before.
“When I arrived here in 2005, The Grill
was the only restaurant operating on the
property. It served the club members meals
from breakfast to dinner and was a traditional
hotel restaurant. The Meadowood owners’
focus was on creating a top-notch dining
experience on the premises and my task
was to make it happen. We had no intention
of challenging the legendary restaurant The
French Laundry; we wanted a restaurant for
our members and visitors that had the highest
standard of service, food and wines. I hired
the staff and renovated the premises in order
to execute the plan. We brought in Nathaniel
Dorn as Restaurant Manager to oversee all
front of house operations; and then we hired
the highly esteemed chef Joseph Humphrey.
Meadowood
“With our wine selection, we
want to showcase the finest
wines of Napa Valley as well
as our vintner friends’ wines
from around the world.”
The team gained two Michelin stars for The
Restaurant at Meadowood already in its first
operating year, 2007. After he left, we found
the young and hungry two-Michelin-star chef,
Christopher Kostow. We knew it would be
a great challenge to keep our two Michelin
stars after a change in chefs, but with Kostow
we managed it. Unexpectedly, while we were
relieved and proud to have kept the two stars,
the third star came as a surprise already in
the second year after Kostow’s arrival.”
While Kostow built up the kitchen team and
the food, Dorn built up the service and front
of house. Davila and Dorn worked with the
wine team to create an exclusive selection
and an extensive range of the finest wines by
the glass and wine list.
“With our wine selection, we want to
showcase the finest wines of Napa Valley
as well as our vintner friends’ wines from
around the world. We carry 1400 choices
on our wine list, with the major part being
Napa Valley and other Californian wines plus
Burgundies, which pair particularly well with
Kostow’s dishes.”
Most recently, Dorn has been working on
an exclusive offering, where they serve a
vast number of half-bottles and wines that
are available nowhere else in the world, such
as a Sauvignon Blanc from Screaming Eagle
and half-bottles of Bond and Harlan. On
top of the extensive range of wines served
by the glass – around 50 wines in total –
the sommeliers at The Restaurant will not
hesitate to open even the finest wines to be
served by the glass.
Now that The Restaurant is recognised
and operated on the targeted level under
Kostow and Dorn, Davila’s current project
is The Grill. “It’s time to refurbish its
setting to a level that suits the standard
of The Restaurant at Meadowood and
complements it with a more casual offering.”
Davila is confident about the quality of the
food served at The Grill, as its great chef
Victoria Acosta is well versed in Kostow’s
cuisine and her ingredients derive from the
same origin as those of The Restaurant –
their own gardens.
“We are lucky to have our own gardens
as an asset that guarantees the quality of
the ingredients that we use in our cooking
across the board: The Restaurant, The Grill
and the catering operations. While Kostow
takes care of his restaurant, we have his
former sous chef, the talented Victoria
Acosta in charge of The Grill, and catering
chef Alejandro Ayala who has been at the
Meadowood Resort for 25 years. With highquality ingredients nurtured by our skilful
team and the extreme competence of the
chefs, we can provide a level of dining that
matches the standard raised by Kostow and
his team.”
With Davila talking about Kostow with
such great respect, it is time to find out the
principles and philosophy behind the man
and his cooking.
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Food with a sense of place
It is a nice sunny autumn afternoon when
I meet Kostow on his restaurant’s terrace.
I am curious to find out what lies at the heart
his cooking and behind his team’s success.
The tall, slim top chef has the looks of a
contemporary rock star rather than a chef,
with styled hair, beard and designer glasses.
He certainly does not look like a chef you’d
find in a countryside resort, but rather
someone from the big city scene. However,
first impression of the urban, easy-going
artist quickly fades and the man turns out
The Meadowood Wine Programmes
Meadowood’s multiple wine programmes cater for
everyone, from amateurs to wine professionals. The
different programme options vary from half an hour’s
tastings to full-day winery visits, on which Meadowood
customers can visit wineries that normally receive no
visitors and get to taste the wines with the winemakers.
Other programme options include private wine tastings,
private wine picnics, and private guided wine tours.
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“We are lucky to have our own
gardens as an asset that guarantees
the quality of the ingredients that
we use in our cooking.”
Kostow stresses that the value of the work
derives from understanding the history of
the valley, working in the gardens and living
in the countryside. These factors set The
Restaurant at Meadowood apart from many
city restaurants in the US. An ability to visit
the gardens on a daily basis, to sense the
origin of each ingredient and to produce
ingredients on the premises helps the team
to improve the quality of the products and
creates greater regard among the chefs for
the products they use in cooking. Kostow
believes that this is one of the key factors in
the success of his kitchen.
For him, a lack of connection with the
origins of the products is a great challenge
for any urban chef.
“It is very hard to make really honest and
consistent food when you get out from your
apartment and drive to the city to work in
your restaurant – compared to the situation
we have, where we get out of bed and go
first to our gardens or orchard to pick our
daily ingredients before entering the kitchen.
We are able to sense the origins of our
ingredients and I truly consider that it has
inevitably affected the food that we serve.
“I believe that living in these
unique surroundings in Napa
Valley and Meadowood has had
a great influence on me and my
entire team.”
By having direct access to the provenance
of our raw materials we are also able to
improve their quality by influencing farming
methods.”
obligation to impress your concern on them,
because that might be your only chance.
You have three hours and ten dishes, so that
is your little window to show your concern.”
A taste of care
What is good food?
For Kostow, good food means honest
food. “It is food that is prepared with care
and concern. It is not necessarily the most
technically precise food, but it is food created
from the spirit of the person who prepared it.
In my opinion you can tell from the dish if a
chef cares about what he is serving. When
a chef cares about the food he prepares, he
cares about you as a customer. Too often
there are meals where you can tell that the
chef didn’t care about what he was doing.
At that point I feel that the guy didn’t care
about me. I take this very personally as a
customer. When you pay somebody but
walk away with the sense that the person
didn’t care enough, that bothers me. As a
chef you know what it takes to make it right.
It is about concern for the customer. I always
remind my team that we are an expensive
restaurant and the guests might only come
in once in their lives. You have a duty and an
In Kostow’s view, in modern cooking chefs
focus too much on different cooking styles
and techniques. They are important, but
more important is the emotion that should
be transmitted from the chef into the
cooking. It is a taste of care, which the client
can sense from the plate in any restaurant –
from a fancy molecular gastronomy place to
an easy-going diner.
Kostow’s mantra, the taste of care, is
formed of three factors: the taste of the
food, the cooking technique and the quality
of the ingredients. These factors seem to be
well tuned at The Restaurant at Meadowood
by Kostow and his team, as the food they
serve is tasty and pure. The high-quality
ingredients are prepared with techniques
that respect and do justice to their pure
flavours. When all this is done by a team
who have not only a devotion and passion
for food but a relationship with the origin
of the ingredients, the result is somewhat
magical – an emotional cuisine that radiates
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to be more serious and philosophical than
expected in our chat about his cuisine.
Kostow considers moving to Napa Valley
and working at the Meadowood to have
brought about big changes in his style.
“I believe that living in these unique
surroundings in Napa Valley and Meadowood
has had a great influence on me and my
entire team. This is not another restaurant
in the big city where we work for some time
before moving to the one next door; no, we
have all changed our lives and brought our
families to live here. For me, that creates
the sense of an investment, which in turn
generates appreciation for our work and
for the area on which we expend so much
effort. It is very enjoyable for me as a chef
to lay down roots. Inevitably my team and
I were going to create better food than before,
as we are cooking from somewhere and for
somewhere now. We show off the place to
our guests. We are saying something and
there is more to say now than before. As
long as we do a good job in saying it, we are
going to be very successful.”
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Christopher Kostow
Age: 36
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Cuisine: Modern Napa Valley
Philosophy of life:
t Put yourself in a position where you can be as happy as possible.
t Do the things that you know will provide you satisfaction in the end.
t Give yourself the space to fill creatively and emotionally.
t Take up on the challenges that are going to create a life that is stimulating and satisfying.
2008 Chef, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St Helena – Napa Valley (3 Michelin stars)
2006 Chef, Chez TJ, San Francisco (2 Michelin stars)
Prior experience Sous Chef, Campton Place Restaurant by Daniel Humm, San Francisco
Prior experience Cook, Le Jardin des Sens, Montpellier, France (1 Michelin star)
1999 Cook, George’s at the Cove by Trey Foshee, San Diego
Merits:
Nominee for The Best Chef – Pacific in 2011 and 2012, The James Beard Society
Four Star Restaurant 2010, The San Francisco Chronicle
Three Stars 2011, 2012 The Michelin Guide
The Best New Chefs 2009, Food & Wine Magazine
Two Stars 2008, 2009, 2010 The Michelin Guide
Room for improvement
positivity towards its creators, the service
personnel and the customers. Combined
with the high standards of service and the
wine list, this makes it clear to see that The
Restaurant at Meadowood has earned its
three Michelin stars.
Kostow is pleased by the recognition but
says: “It is stressful to live with the idea of
keeping the stars, but we do not cook with
fear. We do not get up every day with the
idea of working for those stars. I know and
I am very confident that if we do what we
aim to do, the rest of the things will follow
– whether they are Michelin stars or The
World’s Best Restaurant title; all of those
things will take care of themselves. A true
three-star restaurant is one that is specific to
its region. It is not just being the best chef or
the most technical, or having fifteen kinds of
chocolate and twenty kinds of bread, which is
so in nowadays. We know that if we are clear
in our message and we deliver it well, we will
succeed. I am too young to cook with the
intention of keeping my three Michelin stars
and it does not interest me at all. It’s not that
I don’t value it – I value it very much indeed
and consider it an incredible honour – but I
believe I will do the whole thing a disservice
if I stop and just try to protect what I’ve got.
It just does not make a lot of sense to me.”
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Last winter The Restaurant at Meadowood
was closed for the remodelling of both the
interior and the service concept. The dining
room and lobby were gently updated, but
the major changes took place in the kitchen,
which was refurbished and completed with a
new chef’s counter experience. This allows
guests not only to feel the action in the
kitchen but also to enjoy dinner inside the
kitchen, where Kostow and his team prepare
a special Counter Menu of 15 to 20 courses.
During the dinner, Kostow interacts with the
guests and guests may also walk around the
kitchen. The 500-dollar Counter Menu with
its fixed prices (tips and taxes included), may
feel pricey for a menu, but getting to witness
the three-star kitchen in action exclusively
and being part of it is a unique dinner show
well worth experiencing.
The Chef’s Counter was not the only
change that occurred. Another major
refurbishment focused on the menu. “We
decided to get rid of the menu,” Kostow
says and continues: “Instead of serving the
same food to customers as fixed menus, we
decided to go for personalised menus, where
we create an exclusive experience for each
table. It challenges us, but this is something
I have always wanted to do. Everyone in the
kitchen has an understanding that our goal is
not only to be the best restaurant, but a very
specific restaurant where we create unique
dining experiences that you can only have
here and that will be different every time.”
Peace on earth
Meadowood’s guests get to enjoy not
only some of the top gourmet experiences
in the country, but also the exceptional
peacefulness of the location, luxurious
services and the fruits of the resort’s seamless
collaboration with local winemakers. Bill
Harlan, an esteemed wine producer and the
founding partner of Meadowood, says:
“Meadowood began as a private club for
the local winegrowing community in 1964. In
1979 the property became available for sale.
Two friends and I acquired the small secluded
260-acre valley, as I was considering
planting a vineyard where the golf course
is today. It turned out that the land was
not appropriate for a high-quality vineyard.
It seemed the valley needed a common
ground for the vintners and growers. From
this need, together with the historic use of
the land as a gathering place for recreation
and social activities, we felt that creating a
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The Meadowood Spa
a building is also light in colour,
representing a classic and sophisticated American
n
style of wooden architecture like the other buildings
in
n th
he area. Its pure grey and white tones provide a
refreshing contrast amid the greenery.
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life, and our spa services are tailored to
meet that need.” The spa’s treatments are
all designed to pamper, and one is even
called “Bliss”.
Speaking of food and pampering, I ask
about the collaboration between the
restaurants and the spa. “We do not have
an explicit spa menu at our Meadowood
restaurants, but our staff are more than
happy to take into account individual wishes
regarding lighter meals. If necessary they
will bring forth a light yet nutritious off-menu
meal out of fresh ingredients from local
producers. We take a holistic approach
toward our customers’ wellbeing, meaning
that we seek to produce wellness from both
the inside and the outside,” Kerry says.
Some of the spa’s beauty and wellness
treatments are directly connected to the
surrounding wine-growing region, which
adds interest and stays with people as one
of the things to experience in the Napa
Valley. The treatments use grapes in many
forms; for example, a body scrub is made
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small country resort showcasing Napa Valley
wines would be the most appropriate use of
the land here in the heart of the Napa Valley.
“Today, the three original goals of
Meadowood still stand and I feel we have
made great progress. First, the Napa Valley
Vintners Association has been holding
many of its meetings as well as the Auction
Napa Valley at Meadowood for over thirty
years. Second, the original club has grown
and thrived with the families of our local
community and is certainly part of the
culture of the valley. Third, Meadowood has
been a member of Relais & Châteaux for
25 years, and has a Michelin Guide threestar restaurant and a wine list with the finest
wines of the Napa Valley.”
from ground-up grape seed, which is rich
in antioxidants. The oil from the seeds is
a true gift of nature to beauty care, as its
polyphenol content provides a targeted
antidote to skin aging. The oil is used for
both facials and body treatments, and the
spa’s Grape Seed Rejuvenation package is
specifically designed to pamper body, mind
and spirit.
In addition to unprocessed natural
ingredients, the spa uses the Australian
biodynamic Jurlique range of cosmetics,
which is like a super food for the skin.
This reflects the same approach of the
Meadowood restaurants towards purity and
authenticity: the cleaner and more organic
the ingredients, the better a basis they
create for a wholesome and truly nourishing
result. Customers do not need to hesitate
to put themselves in the spa personnel’s
capable hands. The treatments are peaceful
and luxurious and add a delightful bonus to
any visit to Meadowood.
Wine spa
The architecture at Meadowood was
designed to blend seamlessly into the
beautiful, natural setting. California enjoys a
Mediterranean climate, which means indoor
and outdoor living for much of the year. Thus
the guest rooms include abundant outdoor
space in addition to the interior areas. The
interior design is guided by the beauty of
the surroundings and the philosophy behind
the décor is to reflect indoors what the
guests have the joy of seeing outside. Soft
tones found in nature are a common theme
at Meadowood.
The Meadowood Spa building is also
light in colour, representing a classic and
sophisticated American style of wooden
architecture like the other buildings in the
area. Its pure grey and white tones provide
a refreshing contrast amid the greenery.
It is located in a meadowy clearing in the
middle of the forested Meadowood valley,
and its pool and terrace bask in the sun from
morning until early evening.
Next on our agenda is a meeting with the
spa’s director Kerry Brackett, who is kind
enough to explain some of the philosophy
behind the place. “Meadowood is primarily
a place that people visit to enjoy the brilliant
restaurant, as well as the wines, being
located as we are in the United States’ most
celebrated wine district. The guests who
come here are seldom on a diet. They come
to experience a small break from everyday
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Tennis
Meadowood’s tennis pro Doug King sheds some light on this fine sport
and its part in the whole sports scene:
“Tennis is a very vital part of Meadowood. We consider sport and recreation as an
important ingredient in a healthy lifestyle. Our mission at Meadowood is to help people
experience a sense of rejuvenation and find proper balance in their lives. Sport and
recreation is a means of finding that in our physical beings through movement with
other objects. We learn how to move with balance and grace. In the experience of
sport we also learn how to move with our teammates and opponents to develop
the skill of sportsmanship. So tennis and sport become another means by which we
develop health balance and grace within our physical bodies as well as our social
relationships.
“We believe that sport is especially valuable to teach these skills to young people.
It helps them to develop concentration, coordination and character through a
dedicated commitment to sport.
“My biggest personal challenge is to get people to appreciate the value of
sport, strengthen their commitment to it, and at the same time keep it in a healthy
perspective. Sport is an opportunity to learn new things about ourselves and to
develop a greater awareness of our bodies. But more important is the spirit that we
bring to the court, and this is independent of one’s playing skill or level. It is important
to me that people keep this perspective.
“We offer a full array of tennis programmes covering lessons, playing experiences
and competitive events.”
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Mike McDonnell Meadowood croquet pro
In addition to treatments, the Meadowood
Spa offers diverse opportunities for
maintaining the body’s wellbeing, ranging
from a well-equipped gym and lessons to
mountain biking and swimming. Brackett
says that the schedule includes 28 different
fitness classes each week, including pilates,
yoga and dance-like lessons, as well as aqua
aerobics in a pool that, at these latitudes, is
very tempting. Personal training services are
also available, and that may just be the ticket
after a delicious and perhaps rather lengthy
dinner the night before.
The Meadowood Spa has more than one
thousand members, some of them from the
FINE has hit balls on the Meadowood Golf Course’s fairways
on many occasions, and now Doug Pike, Meadowood’s resident golf
professional, describes the golf course to us.
“We have a gorgeous executive nine holes that when played with our
hickory golf clubs and golf ball from over 100 years ago feels like a step
back in time. We value the beautiful setting that we are so naturally blessed
with at Meadowood, and do all that we can to preserve the ever-growing
wildlife as it brings a very powerful charm to what people might think is only
a ‘smaller course’.”
When asked about his biggest everyday challenge at Meadowood, Pike
answers: “Personally... it’s going home. I love what I do and where I do it.
Having been around golf for 25 years now, I find that the people that I come
into contact with are always so happy, relaxed and refreshed that even a
bad round of golf can’t change their mood.”
“My biggest working challenge is now behind me. I spent years teaching in
a cage without ball flight to go off of. Then spent a few more years teaching
solely on the course with ball flight but with it came the interruptions of other
golfers passing by. Now I guess the answer would truly be tempering my
enthusiasm and confidence in my ability to help everyone. Since our new
Studio has been open we have had stunning results.”
Meadowood offers both TrackMan Pro and the new TrackMan Range
technology. Available to hotel guests and Meadowood members, the studio
offers an opportunity for both beginners to learn the basics and more
seasoned players to perfect their technique, all while enjoying stunning,
dramatic views of the property in a comfortable, quiet environment. The new
technology used by the Meadowood
adowood Golf Performa
Perform
Performance Studio “transforms
the way players learn and
d how the game is taught,
taught
taught,” Pike sums up.
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FINE
has
visited
Meadowood
on
several occasions, always relishing in its
peacefulness and the high-quality yet
straightforward service. On this visit, we
asked Meadowood’s director Patrick Davila
what kinds of visitors and guests would
enjoy Meadowood the most.
“Discerning travellers who have a passion
for wine and food and who value gracious
hospitality. There are many beautiful guest
rooms throughout the Napa Valley, but at
Meadowood, however, we have a longstanding tradition of exceptional dining and
wine experiences, including the only threestar Michelin Guide restaurant in a hotel
in the United States, and we are utterly
committed to service.
“What challenges our daily lives here the
most is the vast acreage of the property. The
guest rooms at Meadowood span the length
of our expansive, private estate. This affords
our guests great privacy as well as room to
walk, hike and enjoy nature. With lodges
tucked into the wooded hillsides over many
acres, however, comes a great deal of work
to maintain the property, from balconies
and roofs to the forested pathways. At
Garden
Garden and husbandry projects
Kostow is proud to talk about the garden and husbandry projects at
Meadowood.
“We are lucky, not just in what grows around us but what we ourselves
grow, which is really important. The two garden projects that we have define
us, they determine how we cook. You almost cook better when you have
some limitations; it forces you to become better. By the end of this year
we will probably produce 70 to 80 per cent of what we need. Currently our
focus is on producing herbs, vegetables and fruits. There is a little garden
next door at the Napa Valley Reserve and a bigger garden close to the St.
Helena Montessori School, which we nurture together with the school kids.
This garden is important for us, not only for access to great ingredients, but
because it is an essential part of the Napa Valley community. We do not
want to be an isolated, lone restaurant on the hill. We want to be involved
with the people in the valley. To be a part of this garden project with the
Montessori School, it generates good for the community, good for our
clientele and good for our staff. Encountering the joy of the school kids
when they run into our kitchen is a very positive thing for me and my team.
I tell my sous chefs that generating positive feelings in people is
more important than the world-known 50 Best Restaurants ranking.”
Meadowood, wild turkeys, woodpeckers and
other wildlife and natural elements impact the
everyday care and keeping of a fine resort
and club. The owners of Meadowood set
out to make the estate a common ground
for the Napa Valley vintners and growers,
and a gathering place for our members, their
families and friends. The owners also had a
vision that Meadowood should be among the
finest wine country resorts in the world. In
more recent years, the property has become
the home away from home for members of
the Napa Valley Reserve.”
Meadowood is also a common ground
for the local winegrowing community, and
it has maintained its commitment to this
since the 1970s. Meadowood is the annual
setting for Auction Napa Valley, the world’s
leading charity wine auction; meanwhile,
the Napa Valley Vintners trade association
has a long tradition of holding key meetings
and gatherings at Meadowood. Similarly,
Meadowood is the home for the annual
Symposium for Professional Wine Writers,
and many of the Napa Valley’s most
prominent vintners and growers have
membership at Meadowood.
Davila would like to remind us, however, that
“despite Meadowood’s location in the heart
of America’s most celebrated winegrowing
region, Meadowood is not only a gathering
place for the burgeoning local winegrowing
community but also a luxury destination for
discerning travellers from around the world
seeking an authentic Napa Valley experience.”
Of all the wine regions in the world, Napa
Valley feels the most balanced. The natural
environment here is almost perfect both
for local wine production and for receiving
visitors. The area’s super-positive and laidback atmosphere and the first-rate services
are beyond compare. The region’s numerous
fine wines and visitor-friendly estates are
the icing on the cake, creating a whole that
makes us, like hundreds of thousands of
others, return here again and again. The
word perfection will easily come to mind
when speaking of a trip to Napa Valley. But
as Meadowood founder Bill Harlan likes to
point out, the journey is only just beginning.
“The future outlook of both the Napa Valley
and Meadowood is greater than it’s ever
been. The vintners, growers and community
as a whole have a clear vision and
commitment to our economic, social, and
environmental responsibility. Great progress
has been made over the past 50 years;
it’s only the beginning.” >
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FINE Destination
area, which demonstrates the locals’ regard
for the resort and its facilities. The members
also bring a different sort of liveliness to the
spa’s activities; the usually very quiet fitness
classes directed only at hotel guests receive
a different form and energy here, when the
yoga mat next to yours may belong to the
winemaker from next door.
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