The Biltmore Estate

So, I am in Asheville, North Carolina this weekend for my brother's wedding. Of course, while I was here, I couldn't miss the biggest tourist draw in western North Carolina. The Biltmore Estate, constructed in the very last years of the 19th century by George Washington Vanderbilt, grandson of family patriarch and railroad magnate "Commodore" Vanderbilt, was then, and still is, the largest private residence in the United States.

We started our tour by driving through the gabled Lodge Gate, adjacent to the train depot that Vanderbilt had constructed to welcome his special guests and their (in many cases) private railcars. We took the winding road past ponds and plantings, with new things around every corner. This was the intent of New York's Central Parks designer Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the Biltmore Estates gardens and landscapes as one of the last projects in his life. (He didn't even live to see it finished.)

The idea was that the anticipation for guests arriving in carriages would build as they rounded each lushly planted and wooded curve. As we drove up over a century later, the effect was much the same. We didn't see the house until the last minute and that initial view was breathtaking. A large esplanade, ringed by gravel drives, gave a great view of the house itself, reminiscent of the finest of French chateaus. As we got closer and closer, the decorations and details became more evident, including wonderful gargoyles around the roof edges and knights standing guard around the stair tower.

The interior was no less breathtaking. Still in the hands of Vanderbilt descendants, it has been preserved as it was in George Vanderbilt's day, and is still furnished as it was at the turn of the century. Textiles owned by Cardinal Richelieu. A chess table and set used by Napoleon. Countless antique tables, chairs, and decorative objects. And beautiful works of art, including paintings by Renoir, Whistler, and John Singer Sargent. (A Sargent portrait of landscape architect Olmsted was stunning, far and away my favorite piece.)

I won't get into all the details here. Not nearly enough space, and I couldn't possibly capture it in proper detail and description. It took us almost three hours to walk the house itself, including public grand rooms like the Banquet Hall with its pipe organ and 70 foot high barrel-vaulted ceiling. The separate bedrooms of the master and mistress of the castle and several of the many guestrooms made available to family and friends. Even the "working" portions of the building--servants' bedrooms and sitting areas, kitchens, pantries and storerooms. (We had lunch in a cafe in the old stables...our booth was set into one of the stalls, feeding trough still intact.) It was a fascinating look at privileged life in the Gilded Age.

And, somehow, despite its grandness, there was a warmness I didn't expect. Perhaps because it is still owned by the Vanderbilt family. Maybe because, on the very informative audio tour, there was such a emphasis placed on the day-to-day life of the aristocracy who lived there. Or even because the entire staff was just so darned friendly. I certainly was dazzled, but not put off as I expected I might be in such a grand environment. (While there, I purchased Lady on the Hill, a book on how the Vanderbilt family struggled to keep as much of the estate intact as possible and make it financially self-sufficient--something George Washington Vanderbilt never was able to do.)

After a quick tour of some of the adjacent gardens, we made the several mile drive to the Biltmore Estate winery. (In a brilliant (and commercial) move, the estate folks force visitors to drive by before they exit the estate.) And it was worth a stop. It is located in the former dairy, with wine tasting room in the former milking barn. (there has to be a joke there somewhere.) As a part of the mission of the Estate to be a financially viable operation, the Biltmore Company began producing wines (some from grapes grown on the estate) in 1985. We tasted several that were wonderful: an unoaked Chardonnay, a Reserve Chardonnay, a Sangiovese, and a red Zinfandel. Despite the fact that they couldn't ship to Texas (Curses to stupid wine laws!), we ended up with several bottles to schlep back.

All in all, a great day. And one I recommend to anyone headed to western North Carolina. It was beautiful to see the trees in full autumn splendor. And the holiday decorating already underway was clear indication that Biltmore is as glorious over the Christmas season as the stories tell. Check it out.