Wine Review: Francis Ford Coppola Black Diamond Claret 2011

I had the pleasure of revisiting another "old friend" yesterday... Francis Ford Coppola Black Diamond Claret 2011. I love this wine, but it's been hard to find. Finally, my favorite wine retailer got some in, and I just happened in during a sale. Normal retail is about $18, I got this bottle for $12. SCORE! I bought four.

First of all, I think it's important to explain that Claret is simply the British name for Bordeaux blends. Throughout the Middle Ages, England, France and Spain were off-and-on mortal enemies. Since England didn't have a climate conducive to growing grapes, wine had to be imported. To assuage the sting of deficient terroir, the English renamed the Bordeaux blend as Claret, referring to the wine's color... or, perhaps, I should type colour. So, if you're an Agatha Christie fan, and you've read that Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot enjoyed a glass of Claret, now you know it's referring to the blending of Bordeaux grapes.

That concludes the history and literary portion of tonight's program. On to the wine...
The blend is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec, 3% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, blended by Corey Beck and aged 15 months in French oak. Expert rating is 90.

There's a faint sweet floral aroma, kind of like dusty rose, with a little vanilla. The taste is fairly dry, lots of berries, a little licorice and a touch of coffee. The finish is really nice, not overpowering, just kind of a subtle lingering. I enjoyed this wine with a homemade, spicy hot, sweet and sour Chinese-inspired stew yesterday, but it was even better with the medium rare steak topped with melted blue cheese and carmelized onions I had tonight. I heartily recommend this wine, especially if you can get it for less than $20. Cheers!