2007 Coppola Magenta Label Alicante Bouschet

This is a strange varietal that is apparently a cousin to Grenache. Cheers to Coppola for making an oddball wine that goes for right around $11.

The nose has a distinct rotten strawberry quality.

More rotten - or at least ultra ripe right on the cusp of turning - strawberry on the palate plus some super ripe, slightly too ripe black raspberry, plus a kinda weird rehydrated prune thing seems to be happening.. Not much tannin, but plenty of acid - almost like a heavier tasting Beaujolais. There's a good amount of acid and spice - black pepper, anise, basil, even a strange roasted red pepper thing. When I use "rotten" fruit to describe wine it's not necessarily a bad thing, but here it is unpleasant.

Overripe strawberry and some blueberry notes linger on the finish.

I can't say this is a poorly made wine, but it's certainly one that I don't enjoy the taste of.

Wine: 5
Value: No

2003 Rubicon Estate Cask Cabernet Sauvignon

Rubicon – the classy Coppola winery – I've been wanting to try wine from this producer for some time but have avoided it – this half bottle ran me thirty bones, so you see why.

Big vanilla and cherry on the nose.

At first I wasn't convinced but the longer I have this in the glass the more I'm sold (in other words – decant 3+ hours) – plenty of vanilla, lots of tart cherry, some ripe strawberry, rich chocolate – not in the funky/earthy/baking chocolate kind of way, but legitimate hints of a dark chocolate candy bar, great balanced tannins.

The oak sticks around on the finish with some nice tart strawberry notes.

A great wine – excellent depth, great fruit, solid backbone – perhaps not quite worth the price, but a solid effort.

Wine: 9
QPR: N/A

2005 Director's Cut Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This was about $25 at Trader Joe's – I bought on a bit of a whim, figuring it was a pricier Coppola bottle perhaps it would be somewhere between the standard, somewhat mediocre line, and the Niebaum labels which are a bit out of our price range.

Vanilla, raspberry, and a bit of asphalt on the nose.

Rather smooth – soft tannins, cherry, vanilla, and some smooth oak – just a bit of cola as well, quite interesting.

Some spice comes through and more of that cola essence lingers as well.

This is definitely a solid bottle, certainly a step up from the standard Coppola line (even though the Ivory label Cabernet was well received here), and one really is ideal if you're looking for a gift for a movie and wine lover. I'm not sure I'll be rushing out to get this again – it's not kick you in the pants amazing, but it's a good bottle overall.

2005 Francis Ford Coppola Rosso

I was walking around Costco and this caught my eye – a couple years back this could've been considered our “house wine” - we bought it frequently and paired with almost everything (this was either the 2003 or 2004 vintage though). Have our palates outgrown the Rosso? Considering this is $7 – I hope not.

Cherry and oak on the nose.

Big and fruity- a bit of oak, but mainly cherry and blackberry – bold and somewhat of a fruit bomb – the oak is present and there's a bit of mild tannin, but there's some sweetness and a lack of structure make this a bit flabby. This is a blend of 51% Zinfandel, 29% Syrah and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon – I don't get any Syrah, but I feel the Cab and I definitely taste the Zin.

A bit of spice – cinammon – comes through on the finish, but mainly it's dark berries.

I want to hunt down a bottle of the 2004 – this is disappointing and there's plenty more out there in this price range that I'd return to instead of this.

2005 Francis Coppola Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Series Ivory Label

We've had a few Coppola wines before and basically – they're not bad, but they're not exactly exceptional either. This seems to be a new line replacing the Black Label Claret, so I figured I'd grab a bottle which ran around $12.

A bold nose with cherry, cinnamon, and oak on the nose.

A solid burst of fresh strawberry as soon as this hits the palate. Medium tannins – cherry, oak, tobacco

Cedar and anise show up on the finish as well as some other spice notes and a touch of cigar.

The best of the Coppola Diamond Series wine we've had this far – this is fantastic, a great QPR, and one I'd gladly buy again.

2005 Coppola Sofia Carneros Pinot Noir Rose

We were having some Indian takeout on a nice summer day and I figured I'd grab a bottle of rose. I stopped by a local shop who had very little in terms of rose, so I was stuck with this one for about $9.


Perhaps a bit of earth on the nose.

I get some strawberry, some earth, just a bit of tannin but certainly still smooth. Fruity, but not sweet at all.

Not much finish really.

As with just about all the Coppola wines I've had, it's certainly not bad, a decent wine for the price, but by no means groundbreaking.

2004 Coppola Diamond Reserve Claret

We last had this wine a few years ago after I read an extremely strong review of it...we were underwhelmed, but I figured I’d give it another shot since it was on sale for $11.

The nose has oak and berry.

When I first opened the bottle, I was shocked at how completely bland it was. After opening for two hours, it’s come to life. Cherry, blueberry, oak, nice tannins, a bit of spice, and some red fruit - plums mainly.

The finish lingers with oak, cinnamon, and a bit of that miscellaneous red fruit.

Basically, it’s not bad. Actually, this isn’t a half bad wine to bring to a dinner party or to serve to guests because it’s easy to drink and is a conversation piece - it’s called “Claret” - a British term for Bordeaux, it has a classy label, and yes, it’s that Coppola. Unfortunately, I’ve seen this one go for as high as $20 and it’s certainly not worth it, but closer to $10 and I’d say give it a shot.

2005 Niebaum-Coppola Sofia Blanc de Blancs

This is Francis Coppola’s winery’s sparkling wine named after his daughter Sofia. It comes wrapped in pink cellophane, a good marketing gimmick as it certainly stands out. The wine itself is pale gold, typical of Chardonnay based sparkling wines.

The nose has nothing but fruit, no yeast or anything of that sort.

The palate on this one is extremely simple—all we both get is grapes. Maybe there’s some apple, but this is a grapey wine. I always find that to be a bit refreshing, a wine that tastes like what it is. There’s really not a lot going on, no subtle flavors that I pick up, just a good, drinkable wine.

The finish on this one consists of one flavor whispering something inaudible to the other leaving it all up to interpretation even though all we want is a real resolution.

At $16. I’m not sure I can give this one a strong endorsement. If you find it on sale for $12ish, I’d say go for it. If you have something like an anniversary or birthday, it’s certainly an attractive package. This one also comes in cans which wouldn’t be half bad for a picnic.