Fantesca Estate & Winery is a boutique

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

in the

Spring Mountain District AVA The Spring Mountain District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Napa Valley AVA in California. Spring Mountain District AVA was officially established as an American Viticulture Area in 1993. Encompassed within its bounds ar ...

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

. The proprietors – Susan Schulze Hoff and Duane Hoff – are former executives of Best Buy Company. Since April 2008,

Heidi Barrett Heidi Peterson Barrett is an American winemaker and entrepreneur who has been responsible for some of California's most notable cult wines. Her career has included stints at Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle Vineyards, Paradigm Winery, Grace Family ...

has been the estate's

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

History

Fantesca's property was originally the dowry of Caroline Bale, when she married

Charles Krug Charles Krug (1825–1892) was among the pioneers of winemaking in the Napa Valley, California, and was the founder of the Charles Krug Winery. Biography Charles Krug visited the United States from Prussia in 1847, and became a citizen in 1852. I ...

in 1860. Even then, it was recognized as prime mountain vineyard land. A Cabernet Sauvignon from this vineyard made by Hannah Weinberger won one of the first awards for a wine from the Napa Valley in 1889. Susan Schulze Hoff is the daughter of Best Buy Chairman and Founder Richard Schulze. She began working in the family business at the age of 18 and, after 23 years, retired from the post of Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer in 2006. Duane Hoff began as a department manager at Best Buy and held the post of Business Development before his retirement. In February 2004, the Hoffs purchased the estate and cave, which had been developed by Robert Yeakey. At the time of purchase there was an inventory of 2002 vintage wine in barrel, which the Hoffs hastily finished and branded for a 2005 release. In 2018, Sommelier ''DLynn Proctor'', who is known for an American documentary film SOMM: Into the Bottle was appointed as Director at Fantesca Estate.

Name Origins

The Fantesca name comes from the female character La Fantesca (who was part of an Italian comedy group, in theater performances of Commedia dell'arte). She was both the lover and equal companion of the character Harlequin and could always be counted on to charm her audiences.

Grape Varieties

From a property, the

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineya ...

is cultivated with Cabernet Sauvignon,

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

and Cabernet Franc.

Featured Wines

Fantesca features not only the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, but a Chardonnay and a red blend called All Great Things (made by Heidi Barrett). It also features a Pinot Noir, made by winemaker Tony Arcudi. Each vintage of the blend All Great Things has a different photograph with a different theme: *"Honor" for 2011 *"Duty" for 2012 *"Mercy" for 2013 *"Hope" for 2014

Mardi Gras

Susan and Duane Hoff have taken part in and been celebrating Mardi Gras since 2001, with the Krewe of Mid-City- originally at the encouragement of friends. In 2017, just in time for the Hoff's 29th wedding anniversary, they were named Queen and King of the Krewe of Mid-City.

References

External links

Fantesca Estate & Winery official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fantesca Estate and Winery Wineries in Napa Valley Companies based in Napa County, California