Francis Coppola Claret Ds

The 26 vintage marks the first year we produced Claret at our new home in SonomaCounty. Being able to craft the wine from start to finish at our own facility helps usheighten the quality-level of Claret even further.The growing season was long and cool in 26 with moderate temperatures. Wedidnt start harvesting until after Labor Day, a winemakers dream. Our first Cabernetcame in from El Dorado County on September 26th and the grapes were some ofthe best weve ever harvested. An early indication of grape quality is color in thefermentor and in 26 we had plenty. After Cabernet Sauvignon came Malbec andPetit Verdot, both delivering exceptional color, weight and structure.Perhaps, most exciting for us was the fact we could source Merlot and CabernetFranc this vintage from our Estate vines in Geyserville. As 26 marks the first yearwe blended in fruit from the Estate, we were extremely pleased to find that thequality of the fruit surpassed our expectations.