2005 Coppola Diamond Claret
$20

Rating: ♠ ♠ ♠

I’ve got to admit to a soft spot for just about anything Coppola. It’s not just that The Godfather and Apocalypse Now stand as two of the greatest films in American cinema. Rather, it has to do with San Francisco, and North Beach, where Francis Ford Coppola owns a large, and lovely, flatiron-style office building, and the fact that he was an investor in Enrico’s, the old-school watering hole where I worked for several years. Ever imperious, Coppola would sometimes hold court in the dining room, entertaining big shot actors like Nicolas Cage and Matt Dillon.

So when Coppola went into the wine biz, I figured his wines would be as big and chewy and expansive as his films and as himself. Thus far he has not disappointed—at least not on the The Godfather III level.

But it was a bit of a surprise when I came across Coppola’s 2005 “Claret” on the bottom shelf in the wine section of my local Right Aid (don’t ask). “How odd,” I thought. But then I began to think a little more and decided perhaps that labeling a wine “Claret” was perhaps part of the reason this more than serviceable food wine found its way into the oenological remaindered bin. Fact is, hardly anyone in the U.S. knows what claret is.

For the record, claret—pronounced “claire-ette” not “claire-ay”—is the English term for a Bordeaux blend, based on Cabernet Sauvignon, but which may also include Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere. Dyed-in-the-wool British oenophiles will insist that the only true claret is one that comes from Bordeaux, but since this is not a protected term, winemakers everywhere are free to use it… if they want their wines not to move, that is.

In the U.S., Bordeaux-style blends are often sold under the moniker “Meritage,” and there is a Meritage Association which was founded to help ensure the quality of U.S.-made “claret.” (For more on this, see the Red Blends & Regionals section, and my previous article “Grin and Claret.”) I’m not sure “meritage” is any more familiar a term than “claret,” but whatever.

Anyway, if there’s one word that sums up Coppola’s 2005 Claret it would be “spicy.” Ol’ Francis is definitely not fucking around with this bad boy. It’s bold, tannic and forward, with a chewy mouth feel that’s like sucking on warm, peppery pebbles. This claret would go great with a really big steak or chop, but also with a big bowl of spaghetti. And I can tell you for certain that it was absolutely bang-up with the two chimichangas and the handful of almonds I ate for dinner last night.

Claret Links from Wines.com:

Francis Coppola 2004 Diamond Claret - Bordeaux Blends Red Wine

Newton 2005 Claret - Bordeaux Blends Red Wine

—Michael Mattis, Proprietor