Enjoy a tour and tasting with Robert Fanucci at Charter Oak Winery and tour the studio of world-famous artist Layla Fanucci, for up to 20 people. Charter Oak Winery is a small boutique producer of award-winning Zinfandels, Old Vine Petit Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Old World Field Blends. Each member of your party will receive either a bottle of hand-crafted Charter Oak Winery wine, an art poster of one of Layla’s works, or a gorgeous book of Layla’s story and artworks.
The winery has a warm, inspiring family history, and Winemaker Robert Fanucci and his family still use the century old winemaking equipment and process handed down to Robert by his grandfather, Guido Ragghianti, to create truly unique, all natural, luxurious wines with a difference you can taste. The winery is located in a basement hand-dug by his grandfather, and is as old-world as you will find in the New World wine environment.
Layla Fanucci is an internationally exhibited artist who happens to be married to Rob Fanucci, winemaker of Charter Oak Winery. But Layla didn’t spend her early years developing her painting style. Beginning in 1975, Layla taught music, eventually becoming the music director at a local school. In 1998, she found herself wanting some "big, live art" (as she describes it) for her home. Finding nothing to her liking, she bought some art supplies and created a large, colorful abstract painting. By 2000, she was ready to stop teaching music and devote herself full-time to making art. Fanucci’s next challenge was to develop a style of painting that no one else paints in the world. She developed a one-of-a-kind Layla Fanucci style of cityscapes: She paints layer upon layer of color on linen canvas to communicate the mood of a city—New York, Paris, Venice and Rome. When the paint dries, she adds architectural details like buildings and bridges, then gives the painting life with people, motion, and energy before covering it with more color. She may paint three cities on top of the first one, creating depth and texture, so anyone who looks closely can see the other cities and architectural details bleeding through.