2007 Francis Coppola Claret and a little wine trivia

Well, I don’t usually cover single wines unless they made the “Most Wanted” list, but I wanted to talk about this wine more for the sake of discussing “claret” in general.

First off, the Francis Coppola Diamond Collection 2007 Black Label Claret (1910 Type) has a very long name. This is due, in part, because of a slight case of over-marketing. But, when you’re bold enough to make a wine using all five of the Bordeaux varietals, I guess you can call it whatever you want to.

FFC’s 2007 Claret is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The dark blend of grapes  coupled with what turned out to be a pretty warm year in Napa and Sonoma creates a smooth tasting and pleasant smelling red that’s still tough enough to go head-to-head with a big bowl of beef stroganoff.

Overall, it turned out to be a good wine. It was worth the $20 a paid for it, but I doubt I would have paid a dollar more.

Click here to buy this wine from Wine.com

About Claret
Claret is more less a generic term used here in the U.S. to describe red blends made of Bordeaux varietals. A lot of people think it’s a French word and pronounce it accordingly (kla-ray).

The truth of the matter is, claret is actually a British-English word used to describe red wine from the Bordeaux region, traditionally pronounced as it is spelled (KLARR-et).

When your friends start to feel silly after you correct them on the pronunciation of the word, follow it up by salvaging their self-esteem while making yourself seem even more vint-elligent: the word claret was derived from the French word clairet, now an uncommon dark rosé that was once the most commonly exported wine from the Bordeaux region prior to the 18th century.

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