Niebaum-Coppola has implemented many changes that have contributed to the world-class status of its estate wines. For instance, they completely uprooted an eight -year-old vineyard because a new and better clone of the grape variety became available. In another instance, they went so far as to construct a mountain, including caves! Natural caves are the ideal environment for aging expensive French oak barrels, much better than air conditioning, which promotes too much evaporation. Coppola comments, "You may be improving your wine one percentage, but each move you make could cost millions and millions of dollars. You have to trust that in the long term, when the benefits of all those gestures arrive, your wine is going to be just that much better than it had been."

Coppola may be Italian, but his model for world-class wines is French, as it was for Gustave Niebaum. Except for Zinfandel and a small amount of Dolcetto, estate grape varieties are all French. The total case production for the winery is now 400,000 with just 20,000 cases comprising the premium wine produced from estate vineyards. The most famous is the Bordeaux-blend Rubicon, first produced in 1978. Eight other wines are produced from the estate, including Edizione Pennino Zinfandel, named for Coppola's songwriting Grandfather; RC Reserve, a Syrah developed by son Roman Coppola; and the Sofia Blanc de Blancs, named for daughter Sofia-a fruity, sparkling wine made from Monterey grapes. Coppola says the Diamond Series and the Francis Coppola Presents labels are everyday wines. He saves the Rubicon for special occasions.

In Coppola's mind, his own achievements take place in a kind of epic context that slides back into the past and extends into the future. To reflect this, Francis Coppola likes to make timelines, not unlike the storyboards for epic films. A huge one occupies a large wall at the winery. Another is on his web site; others are printed materials that inform the public. A family timeline lists the births, deaths, and accomplishments of family members and other influential people in Coppola's life, both living and dead.

This expression of forward movement and ongoing contributions reflects his sense of family continuity. It also harks back to the old world when different generations lived in the same household, practiced the same trade, and taught it to their children, who improved the process when they could. His goals for Niebaum-Coppola are nothing short of making the finest wine in the world from his extraordinary Rutherford vineyards. Grand projects take time, certainly more than one lifetime. For Coppola, the project began in 1880 when Niebaum purchased the property, and it will continue when Roman and Sophia become its caretakers. Their children, yet unborn, will carry the story into the future.
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This article was reprinted with permission from PRIMO Magazine.

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