A few years ago a friend of mine in the wine trade came into Smith & Wollensky, Boston. I was Beverage Manager and responsible for a 1500 bottle selection wine list, as well as the spirits and beer programs. Max was spreading the word of the Francis Ford Coppola’s new “Director’s Cut” wines. I stopped what I was working on and sat down with him. The next week the samples were in and, long story short, the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel were added to the list. The wines had great weight, fruit and complexity at a good price point. You can find them at some of the better retail stores, and if you really want to go big you can get “Rubicon,” the  Bordeaux-style blend that Niebaum-Coppola Winery makes.

I changed the header on this blog to incorporate an Inglenook bottle. Under John Daniel, Jr. the winery made outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon and was one of the first wineries to emphasize terrior and meticulous standards. The Inglenook bottle above is a reminder of the fact that great wines speaks of place, not personality. Great wine is made in the vineyard. Period. Yeah, I have had some  amazing  Dominique Laurent Burgundy, and yeah there is the 200% oak factor, but the fact is that the quality of the grapes dictated by soil, climate and low yields is evident in how complex the wines are. In 1975 Francis Ford Coppola bought Inglenook. Same great winery, new owner. Things change and things evolve. Some things last longer that others. The estate in Rutherford that is now Niebaum-Coppola still makes great wine.

If you want to read more about Inglenook, here is a link to an excellent article by James Laube:

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives/Show_Article/0,1275,3411,00.html

For more on Rubicon Estate:     http://www.rubiconestate.com/flash.php

For Francis Ford Coppola Winery:        http://www.franciscoppolawinery.com/

All the best,

- James