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CENTURY TASTING 1900–1999 • MEADOWOOD • BORDEAUX 2011 • 100 BEST CHAMPAGNES 2012

T H E W O R L D ’ S L E A D I N G F I N E W I N E M A G A Z I N E S

– THE WINE MAGAZINE

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PerfectionB Et

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s with any other wine region in the world,the complete experience of Napa Valley isa 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 thesewines, and the joy of sitting down to a delicious

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 aplace, 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.

Text: Pekka NuikkiPhotography: Pekka Nuikki

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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

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.

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

“We wanted a restaurant for our members and visitors that had the highest standard of service, food and wines.”

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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 high-quality 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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“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.”

Meadowood

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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

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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“We are lucky to have our own gardens as an asset that guarantees the quality of the ingredients that we use in our cooking.”

The Meadowood Wine ProgrammesMeadowood’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.

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.

By having direct access to the provenance of our raw materials we are also able to improve their quality by influencing farming methods.”

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

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

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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“I believe that living in these unique surroundings in Napa

Valley and Meadowood has had a great influence on me and my

entire team.”

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Room for improvement

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

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.”

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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Christopher KostowAge: 36Origin: Chicago, IllinoisCuisine: Modern Napa ValleyPhilosophy of life: Put yourself in a position where you can be as happy as possible. Do the things that you know will provide you satisfaction in the end. Give yourself the space to fill creatively and emotionally. 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 SocietyFour Star Restaurant 2010, The San Francisco ChronicleThree Stars 2011, 2012 The Michelin GuideThe Best New Chefs 2009, Food & Wine MagazineTwo Stars 2008, 2009, 2010 The Michelin Guide

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The Meadowood Spaa building is also light in colour, representing a classic and sophisticated Americann style of wooden architecture like the other buildings inn thhe area. Its pure grey and white tones provide aa refreshing contrast amid the greenery.

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small country resort showcasing Napa Valleywines 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 havemade great progress. First, the Napa Valley Vintners Association has been holding many of its meetings as well as the AuctionNapa Valley at Meadowood for over thirtyyears. Second, the original club has grown and thrived with the families of our localcommunity and is certainly part of theculture of the valley. Third, Meadowood has been a member of Relais & Châteaux for25 years, and has a Michelin Guide three-star restaurant and a wine list with the finest wines of the Napa Valley.”

Wine spa

The architecture at Meadowood wasdesigned to blend seamlessly into the beautiful, natural setting. California enjoys a Mediterranean climate, which means indoorand 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 behindthe décor is to reflect indoors what the guests have the joy of seeing outside. Soft tones found in nature are a common themeat 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 themiddle 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 primarilya 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 cometo experience a small break from everyday

life, and our spa services are tailored tomeet 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 therestaurants and the spa. “We do not havean explicit spa menu at our Meadowood restaurants, but our staff are more than happy to take into account individual wishesregarding lighter meals. If necessary they will bring forth a light yet nutritious off-menumeal out of fresh ingredients from local producers. We take a holistic approachtoward 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 thesurrounding wine-growing region, which adds interest and stays with people as oneof the things to experience in the NapaValley. The treatments use grapes in many forms; for example, a body scrub is made

from ground-up grape seed, which is rich in antioxidants. The oil from the seeds isa true gift of nature to beauty care, as itspolyphenol content provides a targetedantidote to skin aging. The oil is used forboth facials and body treatments, and thespa’s Grape Seed Rejuvenation package is specifically designed to pamper body, mind and spirit.

In addition to unprocessed naturalingredients, the spa uses the Australianbiodynamic Jurlique range of cosmetics, which is like a super food for the skin.This reflects the same approach of theMeadowood restaurants towards purity andauthenticity: the cleaner and more organic the ingredients, the better a basis theycreate for a wholesome and truly nourishingresult. Customers do not need to hesitateto put themselves in the spa personnel’scapable hands. The treatments are peaceful and luxurious and add a delightful bonus to any visit to Meadowood.

Meadowood’s tennis pro Doug King sheds some light on this fine sportand 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 andrecreation 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 todevelop a greater awareness of our bodies. But more important is the spirit that webring to the court, and this is independent of one’s playing skill or level. It is importantto 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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FINE has hit balls on the Meadowood Golf Course’s fairwayson 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 stepback 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 comeinto 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 othergolfers 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 Golf Performance Studio “transforms the way players learn and how the game is taught,” Pike sums up.

Meadowood Golf Performaadowood Golf Performd how the game is taught, how the game is taught

Mike McDonnell Meadowood croquet pro

In addition to treatments, the MeadowoodSpa offers diverse opportunities formaintaining the body’s wellbeing, ranging from a well-equipped gym and lessons to mountain biking and swimming. Brackettsays that the schedule includes 28 differentfitness classes each week, including pilates, yoga and dance-like lessons, as well as aquaaerobics in a pool that, at these latitudes, isvery tempting. Personal training services are also available, and that may just be the ticket after a delicious and perhaps rather lengthydinner the night before.

The Meadowood Spa has more than one thousand members, some of them from the

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 theyoga mat next to yours may belong to the winemaker from next door.

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 atMeadowood, however, we have a long-standing tradition of exceptional dining and wine experiences, including the only three-star Michelin Guide restaurant in a hotelin 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

Meadowood, wild turkeys, woodpeckers andother wildlife and natural elements impact theeveryday care and keeping of a fine resortand 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 avision that Meadowood should be among thefinest wine country resorts in the world. Inmore recent years, the property has becomethe home away from home for members of the Napa Valley Reserve.”

Meadowood is also a common groundfor the local winegrowing community, and it has maintained its commitment to thissince the 1970s. Meadowood is the annual setting for Auction Napa Valley, the world’s leading charity wine auction; meanwhile,the Napa Valley Vintners trade associationhas 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 winegrowingcommunity 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, NapaValley feels the most balanced. The natural environment here is almost perfect both for local wine production and for receivingvisitors. The area’s super-positive and laid-back atmosphere and the first-rate services are beyond compare. The region’s numerousfine wines and visitor-friendly estates are the icing on the cake, creating a whole thatmakes us, like hundreds of thousands of others, return here again and again. The word perfection will easily come to mindwhen speaking of a trip to Napa Valley. Butas Meadowood founder Bill Harlan likes topoint 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 communityas a whole have a clear vision andcommitment to our economic, social, andenvironmental responsibility. Great progress has been made over the past 50 years; it’s only the beginning.” >

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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 ourselvesgrow, 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 yearwe will probably produce 70 to 80 per cent of what we need. Currently ourfocus is on producing herbs, vegetables and fruits. There is a little gardennext 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.”

Garden

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