For chef Douglas Keane, the road here has been not merely long and winding. It has been brutal.

When his acclaimed Cyrus in downtown Healdsburg closed in 2012 following a landlord dispute, he vowed to reopen the two-Michelin-starred restaurant elsewhere in the Alexander Valley. Little did he know it would take 10 years of stops and starts, plus lengthy deliberations over five different properties — four of which would prove too problematic — to make it happen.

On Sept. 9, Cyrus will finally be reborn, in a bucolic setting in Geyserville, a 10-minute drive from its original location. Keane will again be serving up his style of assertively flavored, seasonal California fare with Japanese and other global influences, this time with an added Willy Wonka-like surprise.

Exclusive reservations for the first three dinners, Sept. 9-11, will go on sale online at noon on Sunday, June 26, by San Francisco’s Meals on Wheels. Just 12 seats will be available each of those evenings, priced at $5,000 per person, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit that provides meals to homebound seniors.

Architectural features under construction at the new site of Cyrus on June 20, 2022. Cyrus was a Michelin-starred fine dining destination in Healdsburg and is now re-opening in a striking glass-concrete-steel structure in the middle of a vineyard in Geyserville.

Architectural features under construction at the new site of Cyrus on June 20, 2022. Cyrus was a Michelin-starred fine dining destination in Healdsburg and is now re-opening in a striking glass-concrete-steel structure in the middle of a vineyard in Geyserville.

On July 8, general reservations will open up via Tock for the $295 tasting menu ($250 wine pairing), designed like a progressive dinner with guests moving through different parts of the restaurant to experience a range of courses.

“There were times I did give up. But this building re-energized me,’’ said Keane, 51, who signed a 30-year-lease. “I can’t wait to be in the kitchen and have it be home. I’ve really missed it.”

The original Cyrus in the upscale Hotel Les Mars was the epitome of Old World sumptuousness, with starched white tablecloths and a Venetian plaster ceiling. Its second coming couldn’t be more different. It’s located on the ground floor of a former Sunsweet prune packing plant that was refashioned into a soaring barn-like structure made of glass, concrete and steel on 6 acres of vineyards and pear trees.

Coming onboard are chef Drew Glassell, who cooked at the original Cyrus; pastry chef Joshua Gaulin, formerly of San Francisco’s Quince and currently at Truss Restaurant & Bar in Calistoga; and wine and beverage director Cyrus Schultz, most recently at the French Laundry but best known for his time at Orchard City Kitchen and Be.Steak.A, both in Campbell.

Of course, Cyrus wouldn’t be quite Cyrus without Nick Peyton, Keane’s business partner of more than 20 years. Peyton will indeed return as maitre ‘d. He wouldn’t have it any other way, even at age 74.

“It’s the drug I know,’’ Peyton quipped.

Workers prepare an accessible area at the new Cyrus, a striking glass-concrete-steel building in Geyserville.

Javier Landa of Santa Rosa cuts tile at the new Cyrus location. Cyrus was a Michelin-starred fine dining destination in Healdsburg and, after 10 years, is preparing to reopen in Geyserville.

Keane had all but given up when space in this three-story, live-work building became available in 2020. It’s owned by a former Cyrus regular, Steve Oliver, a philanthropist, contemporary art collector and president of Oliver & Co. construction, which built the property.

Diners can expect a 3½-hour experience with staggered seatings for 12 people at a time. The tables are theirs for the night, so they are free to linger.

The first stop is the lounge, where the focal point is a 15-foot-long, 1,600-pound cantilevered steel dining table that appears to be floating in midair.

Seven other tables will be set aside for walk-ins, starting Oct. 6. Kinetic walls nearby also can be moved to create a 12-seat private room. A caviar and Champagne cart, a fixture at the first Cyrus, makes a return here, as well as a full bar.

Diners are welcomed with canapes spotlighting the flavors of sweet, salty, sour, umami and bitter, such as in a grapefruit-Campari-makrut lime leaf gelee.

The main kitchen is under construction at the new site of Cyrus in Geyserville. The restaurant is scheduled to debut in September.

Next, they walk through the glass-walled wine cellar that leads to the open kitchen with gas cooktops and a live-fire grill. A fish tank will hold live lobsters and spot prawns. There’s even a $50,000 generator that can support the entire restaurant in case of blackouts during fire season.

Guests take seats at a U-shaped chef’s counter framed by Shou Sugi Ban walls, charred in the Japanese method of preserving wood. Two chefs will serve diners both raw and cooked first courses, including a crudités platter showcasing Jackson Family Farm baby vegetables alongside Chinese steamed buns with house-made butter.

Afterward, diners are escorted to tables in the dining room for main courses, cheeses and desserts.

The pièce de résistance comes upon departure: A door opens to reveal a room where mignardises await, again highlighting five basic tastes, all boxed up beside an 8-foot-tall cascading wall of molten dark chocolate. Built by former Cyrus sous-chef Stephen Beaumier, it features more than 100 pounds of his specialty White Label Chocolate made in Watsonville. With a low wall in front, as well as a dining room captain stationed alongside, it’s intended as an art piece to be admired, not to poke fingers into.

Cyrus co-owners Douglas Keane and Nick Peyton are preparing to reopen their acclaimed restaurant in the middle of a vineyard in Geyserville.

The 20 staff members will be cross-trained to fill multiple roles. To combat labor shortages and burnout, each one will work four days a week, 10 hours a day, at a starting annual salary of $65,000 with the goal of eventually reaching $75,000.

Forty investors, most from the Bay Area, backed the $5 million restaurant designed by noted Seattle firm Olson Kundig, which also did Asa restaurant in Los Altos and Copine restaurant in Seattle, as well as the opulent residences being built at the new Mill District in Healdsburg. But Sean Parker of Napster fame, who was Keane’s early primary investor, is no longer involved.

As Cyrus’ opening nears at last, so, too, does the end of a long, bumpy journey. “We’ve looked forward to this for a long time,’’ Peyton said, his voice cracking. “It’s so fulfilling.”

Cyrus. Opening Sept. 9. 275 Highway 128, Geyserville. www.cyrusrestaurant.com

Carolyn Jung blogs at FoodGal.com and is the author of “East Bay Cooks.’’ E-mail: food@sfchronicle.com