Fantesca Estate & Winery is a family-owned boutique

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

in the Spring Mountain District AVA of

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Napa County, California. The area was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on February 27, 1981, after a 1978 petition submitted by the Napa Valley Vin ...

. The proprietors – Susan Schulze Hoff and Duane Hoff – are former executives of

Best Buy Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was r ...

Company. Since April 2008, Heidi Barrett 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 de ...

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. ...

in 1860. Even then, it was recognized as prime mountain vineyard land. A

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

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 ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

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 Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

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

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