Three wines from Francis Ford Coppola’s Napa Valley estate
Just like his films, the Oscar-winning Hollywood director is not afraid to challenge conventions when it comes to his wines
With a filmmaking career spanning five decades, Francis Ford Coppola is best known as the six-time Oscar-winning director, writer and producer behind such films as The Godfather (1972). Less well known is that he has been in the wine business for 40 years.
Coppola’s wine journey began in 1975, when he acquired a segment of the Inglenook estate in California’s Napa Valley. Founded in the 19th century by Gustave Niebaum, Coppola spent the next four decades restoring the estate to its former glory.
To realise his dream of making the highest quality, long-finishing wines, Coppola turned to Bordeaux for inspiration and entrusted the mammoth task to Philippe Bascaules, managing director at renowned first-growth Bordeaux winery Château Margaux.
In Napa Valley, Bascaules, who believes that complexity is derived from the quality of the soil, set out to increase the quality of the grapes. Harvests start earlier because, according to Bascaules, doing so maintains the characteristics and flavours of the grape.
In the cellar, Bascaules’ winemaking aims to preserve the quality of the fruit and he manages the tannins by using a gentler extraction method and lowering fermentation temperatures. The result is a less concentrated wine with more complexity and freshness.