26 Mar Coppola Winery Geyserville CA

In some ways, it’s the typical American winemaker success story.  The family started making their own wine in the basement.  The second son continued the tradition.  He eventually built a nice business out of the family hobby. Happens all the time.  But this particular story took a detour when the second son temporarily focused on another passion and did pretty well with it.  He won six Academy Awards.

Francis Ford Coppola is a film-making legend.  Now semi-retired, Coppola has two wineries, one in Napa and another, which we visited, in Geyserville.   The Geyserville winery includes a mini museum with memorabilia from Coppola’s epic movies.  Sure, it’s touristy.  But where else can you get up close and personal with Don Corleone’s desk from “The Godfather”,  a beautifully-restored 1948 sedan from the movie “Tucker” rotating on a massive lazy susan, a shrine to (IMO) the best war movie ever,  “Apocalypse Now” and five genuine, non-knockoff Oscars?

As we walked from exhibit to exhibit,  the over-40 crowd couldn’t take enough selfies.

What about the wine?  It was surprisingly good.

Coppola produces boatloads of red and white, predominately cabernet and chardonnay.  You can find it at virtually any grocery in Portland.  In addition, Coppola produces wine for Costco.  Kenwood Sonoma County Chardonnay?  Inside the bottle, Coppola wine.  Outside the bottle, a Costco label.

Given all of that, going into the tastings, I had no/low expectations. But with the exception of a sparkling wine that was average at best, every sample…a pinot noir, red blend and high-level cabernet…was balanced and smooth.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, the wines we tasted in Geyserville aren’t available in Portland-area stores. We will review the Coppola wines you CAN find…Coppola, Director’s Cut, Diamond Collection…in a future PTWG post.

If you’re planning a trip to Napa & Sonoma,  there are dozens, if not hundreds, of boutique wineries that will pour you higher-rated reds and whites in a more traditional tasting setting.  On the other hand, Coppola offers a different experience…a combination of Hollywood glitz and easy-drinking local varietals. It’s a unique, user-friendly stop on California’s Wine Road.