The 2010 Coppola Diamond Collection Claret is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc sourced from Coppola Estate vineyards, other Napa vineyards, Sonoma and El Dorado AVA (located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains). The word Claret is a British term used to identify Bordeaux wines, much like the term Meritage in California. It is used here as a tribute to the Inglenook Winery founded in 1887, Coppola purchased and restored the old Inglenook winery and Claret was one of the first wines Inglenook produced. The wine was aged for 11 months in French oak barrels and the alcohol content is 13.5%. This wine lists for $18 but you can often find it in the $15 range.
The color is extreme purple. The nose is cherry, dusty oak vanilla, plum and Nestle’s Chocolate powder. This is a full bodied, but soft wine, with a silky mouthfeel. It starts with a mix of black and blueberries, a slight touch of espresso coffee, French vanilla coffee creamer and cassis. The mid palate adds a little rough edge from the tannins, nothing out of balance, just enough to let you know they are there, tart cranberry, licorice and some sweet strawberry. The acidity is well balanced, it does not let itself be known until the finish and it helps the dark berry finish linger for a while.
The Coppola Diamond Collection Claret is a big California Red Blend without going overboard. It has enough balance and length to make it a legitimate Bordeaux style wine, while still being a very approachable, backyard, steaks on the grill wine. This is a wine that has enough pedigree you can bring as a gift to a party at a friends house and is still inexpensive enough to drink on a tuesday night.
this wine was provided as a sample
