Coppola's 2010 Claret

My blog is about discovery of what is possible after 50... new adventures, so to speak. One thing I found a latent passion for is wine. And, not just the drinking part, although I do enjoy trying to identify the complex flavors found in wine. I'm also able to satisfy my history nerdiness, as well, by researching the varietals, vineyards and processes that go into the making of it. And, just as I love trying new restaurants, I also love trying new wines. So, a portion of my blog will be dedicated to reviewing new wines.

I had seen the wine designation Claret before, while reading Agatha Christie books, and just associated it with English women of eighth generation nobility who would insist on taking afternoon tea breaks that included cucumber sandwiches and petite fours with a teeny glass of sherry. So, when I had the opportunity of saving an almost full bottle of leftover Claret from its inevitable oxidated demise three days after being opened, I really didn't expect it to be worth drinking, much less to actually like it. Incredibly, the wine was still quite good and surprisingly to my taste. As is my habit, especially with a favorable experience, I dug into some research about the wine, Francis Ford Coppola's 2010 Black Label Claret.

I learned that Claret is not a varietal but, rather, a method of blending. But, the story of this wine goes a little deeper than that. It is produced by a blending process that is a replication of one used by the rather fascinating Captain Gustave Niebaum, a Finnish sea captain, who by 1850 was the leading fur trader in the world — operating from the Alaskan Commercial Company, a trading company he founded based in San Francisco — and was the Russian Consul to the U.S. in 1867. He explored much of Alaska, prepared most of the maps of the area and was a strong advocate of the U.S. purchase of Alaska. But, he also established Inglenook Winery, in 1879 in Rutherford, California, a small village in the Napa Valley. It was the first Bordeaux-style winery in the U.S., making him kind of the father of Bordeaux blending in America. Francis Ford Coppola purchased Inglenook in 1975 with money he made from "The Godfather." (See? I wasn't kidding about the history nerdiness.)

What is Bordeaux-style? It's a blending of of the grapes grown in the Bordeaux region of France, which are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and small amounts of Malbec and Carmenere, aged at least one year in oak. The French chose the name Bordeaux. The English, historically at odds with the French on so many levels, chose to call the wine Claret, an anglicized version of Clairet, the most common wine exported from Aquitaine for the 300 years it was under English control. While the French word Clairet actually pertained to a rose wine, over the years the term Claret has come to mean any red wine blended with grapes traditionally associated with the Bordeaux region of France. 

So, let's get to the wine. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (79%), Petit Verdot (13%), Malbec (5%) and Cabernet Franc (3%). I'm not much of a purist when it comes to red wines. I really prefer the blends, and this one is a new favorite.

On the nose... vanilla and strawberries that leads really well to an earthy palate of nutmeg, coffee and leather. It would work well with any savory foods, like beef stroganoff or prime rib. Best part... it is a fraction of what you would pay for an imported French Bordeaux (less than $20/bottle) and is consistently rated 86 points with consumer reviewers. Highly recommended.