There is an old saying that if you want to make a small fortune with a winery it’s simple: just start with a big fortune. Famed film director Francis Ford Coppola should have no problem there! But in all seriousness, one huge advantage that such wealth brings to a relatively new wine venture is the ability to spare no expense in sourcing the finest grapes from the best vineyards and putting together a great winemaking team. While this may not guarantee success, when it all comes together, the result is immediately apparent in the quality of the finished wine. The 2007 Francis Ford Coppola Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the Strasser Vineyard in Knight’s Valley, is a perfect example of such a wine.
The 2007 Coppola Reserve Cab is deep red in color, with a purple core. The nose is still tight on this young Cabernet, but a quick swirl reveals layers of red fruit accompanied by plum and herbal notes. Sourced from the warm Knight’s Valley appellation, this Cab is packed with blackberry and currant flavors, with the hotter growing climate ripening out all but the slightest hint Cabernet’s signature capsicum flavors. This is definitely a full-bodied wine, but impeccably balanced, with good acidity and super smooth tannins that linger on the finish, giving an impression of coffee bean ice cream. This is drinking well today, but will clearly open up over the next several years of cellaring. Right now it is a perfect match for grilled red meat, but as it ages and the fruit subsides it should pair beautifully with more subtle dishes, perhaps featuring mushrooms or game. A wonderful expression of California Cabernet!
Appellation: Knights Valley, Sonoma County
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 14.5%
Aged: 20 months in French oak; 60% new oak.
94 Points
Opens up with an aromatic burst of black cherry jam, wild huckleberry, and a hint of crushed espresso bean. On the palate, the fruit is lush and primary, but it's the secondary notes—toasted nutmeg, dark chocolate truffle, and the signature 'Dry Creek Dust'—that provide a long, savory finish.
95 Points
Aromas of wild berries, black fig and ripe dark fruits are intertwined with hints of fresh mountain herbs, mineral, leather, savory spices, and cigar box. On the palate, the rich fruit flavors of dark cherry, ripe plum, blackberry, red currants and cassis are layered with notes of wild sage, dark chocolate truffle, cinnamon, clove, and a kiss of oak.
96 Points
Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, huckleberry, floral violet and savory spice. The palate is full and layered, with robust, age-worthy tannins and gorgeous flavors of dark berries, mocha and chocolate-covered cherries mingling with hints of graphite, fig and fine leather. Smooth tannins, firm structure and silky texture coat the palate on route to a long, generous finish.
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