Fantesca celebrates newest grand-daughter arrival

Fantesca fantasy label celebrates newest grand-daughter arrival - family fun with Fantesca continues … 

A quiet celebration at home for the arrival of our newest grand-daughter, and her courageous mom, we opened this whimsical label that celebrates a legendary harlequin. Seeking a Cabernet to enjoy paired with a selection of artisan cheeses and pate’, we pulled from the cellar an aged vintage bottle from one of favorite producers, Napa Valley Spring Mountain District, Fantesca. 

(Of course, readers of these pages saw our gala family celebration dinner several weeks ago revealing the name and anticipating Ryleigh’s arrival, featured in this post - Family Celebration Dinner at Mesón Sabika Naperville.)

The name of the winery comes from a character in the Italian comedy troupe that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. La Fantesca was the single female character in the early theatrical performances of Commedia dell’Arte. Both the lover and the equal of the protagonist, Harlequin, Fantesca could always be counted on to charm the audience. Owners, Duane and Susan Hoff write that "when we heard Fantesca described as ”Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious,” we knew we had found a name worth living up to."'

We hold nearly two dozen vintages of this producer, one of our favorites, in our cellar holdings. 

We have been fans of Fantesca since the estate was taken over and the brand was established by Duane and Susan Hoff back with the 2004 vintage release. We hosted new owner/producer Duane Hoff at our home on one of his first release tours when he was traveling the country building the Fantesca brand, then enjoyed visiting the magnificent estate Chateau several times for tastings and tours, as chronicled in these pages in these blogposts:

We tasted and acquired early releases of this label during our visits to the Fantesca Estate on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley. Following meeting and hosting producer Duane Hoff here in Chicago in 2006, we visited the Fantesca Estate & Winery during our Napa Valley Spring Mountain Experience in the autumn of 2009, and earlier during our Napa Wine Experience 2007, and again in 2011. 

Initially, the early year 2002-2007 vintages from the estate were crafted and managed by winemakers Nils and Kirk Venge - some of our favorite winemakers and producers of a broad collection of wine holdings in our cellar. 

Then in 2008, Fantesca teamed up with legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett. The celebrated winemaker has been referred to as “The Wine Diva of Napa” and as “The First Lady of Wine.” She gained fame and recognition producing exceptional high quality wines that she produced for famous labels.

They then went on to bring on Master Sommelier DLynn Proctor as wine ambassador and evangelist. I met DLynn when he hosted a Penfolds Tasting that featured Legendary Grange at our local Binny's back in 2014, when he was Penfold's Ambassador and Education Director for that icnonic Australian producer. (Grange is one of the signature wines we hold for our son Alec, his birthyear vintage being named #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator). 

What fun to meet DLynn in person (right) having enjoyed watching his pursuit of his Master Sommelier Certification in the entertaining documentary movie SOMM which is a feature on Netflix. We enjoyed seeing DLynn on the Amazon Prime Somm III documentary prominently wearing his Fantesca jacket.

We’ve had fun with and featured Fantesca labels in many special and family centric dinners such as this  Wine Dinner Featuring Spring Mountain Wines.

That tasting introduced the inaugural release of a new Fantesca label series inspired by the words of Winston Churchill:  “‘All great things’ are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.”  

 

Each vintage release of the Fantesca “All Great Things” label commemorates one of those notable words from the legendary Churchill quote - freedom (2015), justice (2016), honor (2011, 2017), duty (2012, 2018), mercy (2013), and hope (2014) - this one christened the (first) "Honor" release. 

Fantesca wines have anchored several momentous dinners to follow, featured in these pages’ blogposts - Family Holiday Gathering brings out flight of varied reds, and Father Son World Cup wine tasting and  Family Christmas Celebration and Wine Dinner.

Fantesca wines have also anchored many of our Pour Boys wine groups dinners such as this one -  Sea Smoke Gratis, King Richards, Del Dotto Highlight Beef Tenderloin Dinner; And this one - Pour Boys EM Team Hemmingway’s Dinner.

We featured and wrote about the “All Great Things” label and branding in earlier blogposts in these pages back in April, 2023 - Family birthday dinner at Son Ryan's features a flight of big red wines

This was served by son Ryan at grand-daughter MacKenzie's birthday, when Ryan and D-inlaw Michelle hosted a gala family celebration dinner. At that dinner Ryan served from his cellar several vintage premium wines including this interesting label from Fantesca. “All Great Things”, Freedom 2009.

Tonight, We pulled this bottle from a mixed OWC - Original Wood Case of a mini vertical collection of 2005-06 and ‘07 vintages, selecting the oldest twenty year old 2005 release for enjoying, tasting/pairing. 

Linda prepared toast points from three different breads, served with two different preserves, Raspberry and Shiraz Blackberry, along with pate’ and olives, and a selection of artisan cheeses - Brie, Swiss, Gouda and English Stilton Blue, 

Always the creative and innovative marketers, Fantesca have fun with their ‘fortune-corkie’ program, featuring notable quotes on the corks, submitted by Fantesca fans. Winners whose quotes are selected are rewarded with magnums of Fantesca wines. 

What fun that tonight, opening Fantesca to celebrate the women in our family, and most notably the arrival of grand-daughter Ryleigh, the fortune cookie whimsically quips about women - from comedian George Carlin! 

We last opened this label BYOB for an anniversary dinner at one of our favorite eateries - Chez Joel French Bistro in Chicago - featured in this post - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/08/fantesca-spring-mtn-napa-cab-for.html.

Fantesca Spring Mtn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

At twenty years of age, the importantly fill level and cork (shown above) were still pristine. This is drinking at the apex of its drinking profile and still has life yet at this level - no need to hurry to consume remaining bottles in the cellar. 

Tonight’s tasting was similar to that BYOB Chez Joel dinner on the patio … The Fantesca was wonderful, a perfect selection for our intimate occasion, and a perfect complement to the Pate plate and then my New York Strip Steak with roquefort, as well as Linda's Salmon and asparagus entree.

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, a mouthful of sweet red currant, spicy cinnamon, black cherry, black berry, cedar and lively acid with a long sweet spicy oak finish held together by finely integrated firm tannins.

Interestingly as I write an earlier blogpost, I had pulled and compared my tasting notes to an earlier review of this wine when I wrote' "Over a eleven hundred different wines in the cellar and I chose this one for our intimate anniversary dinner ...."

RM 93 points.

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