I’ve poured Fantesca for friends on my deck and watched the room go quiet—that Spring Mountain hush you only get from serious hillside Cabernet. Susan and Duane Hoff—yes, the Best Buy executives from back in the day—took a 53-acre property with a 10-acre vineyard and doubled down on organic, mountain-sane farming. Jim Barbour tends the vines; the site sits on the southeast face of Spring Mountain, mostly Cabernet with a sliver of Petit Verdot, and it’s CCOF-certified. Production? Around 4,500 cases—appointment-only, small circle, the good stuff.
The lineup drinks like a wink from the cellar: an estate Cabernet that’s all graphite, cassis, and mountain spice; “All Great Things,” the shape-shifting red blend that changes composition with each vintage; and two Russian River ringers—a Chardonnay and the “King Richard’s Reserve” Pinot—that bring silk to the party without losing their nerve. They source those Sonoma pieces with care (you’ll taste orchard-fresh detail in the Chardonnay and red-berry precision in the Pinot), but the soul of the house is still that rocky Spring Mountain terrace fruit that gives structure and drive.
Now, the secret sauce—Heidi Barrett. For years she shaped Fantesca’s style, and you can feel her fingerprint: purity, plush texture, and no palate fatigue. If the name rings a bell, it should—she’s the winemaker behind some of Napa’s most mythic labels: Screaming Eagle (those 100-point thunderbolts), Dalla Valle, Grace Family, Paradigm, Vineyard 29, Revana, Lamborn, Amuse Bouche…and her own La Sirena. That résumé isn’t marketing fluff; it’s hard-earned and broadly documented. (Heidi stepped away from Fantesca in 2025, with Tony Arcudi now in the cellar, but the house style still echoes her playbook.)
What’s in the bottle at Fantesca? Estate Cabernet and Petit Verdot from those lean, east-facing blocks—terraces that get the morning sun and hold just enough water to make the vines work for it. The “All Great Things” blend is the mystery novel on the shelf: every vintage a new cast, same author’s voice—one year more Cabernet backbone, another a velvet cameo from Merlot or Petit Verdot. I’ve tasted a few side-by-side and the thread is unmistakable: dark fruit, polished tannins, and that quietly confident finish that makes you lean in for the next sip.
And if you’re chasing Heidi’s broader arc for context, think of Fantesca as one chapter in a career that rewired modern Napa. Screaming Eagle gave the world lift-off; Dalla Valle proved power can be perfumed; Paradigm and Grace Family set the benchmark for site-true Cabernet; La Sirena shows her own palate’s north star. That’s the lineage whispering through Fantesca’s glass. Pair it with a steak—or just a quiet night and a couple of close friends—and you’ll hear the mountain talk.
