Holiday Indulgences: The 12 Days of Christmas Dinners at Meadowood

If you've got the means, or if you're going to be up in Napa and need a special-occasion date place between now and December 19th, look no further than the 12 Days of Christmas events at Meadowood in St. Helena. Guest chefs from around the country join resident chef (and Eater's Hottest Chef contest front-runner) Christopher Kostow in Meadowood's kitchen each night to create a special menu to be paired with wines from a local vineyard. We had the pleasure of joining them for Day 4, featuring Los Angeles chefs/Food Network stars Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal, serving up a protein-rich, five-course meal alongside Schramsberg Vineyards sparkling wines -- and one Cabernet from Schramsberg's still wine label, J. Davies. The meal was totally worth the trek up there, and we'd also recommend -- as a special holiday splurge -- booking a room at Meadowood's onsite resort so you can avoid the drive home until the next morning. See a few shots of the food porn from Day 4 here.

Last night's dinner featured Nancy Oakes of Boulevard, and upcoming chefs this week include Laurent Gras from L20 in Chicago, and Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina of Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza in L.A. Get reservations at [email protected] or call (707) 968-3153.