Bay Area Foodie

The Chateau

I was amazed to find that Mike had never been to the Coppola winery in Napa since his favorite filmmaker is Francis Ford Coppola. Mike told me he had tried a couple Coppola wines in the past and was not overly impressed so he didn’t have an interest in visiting the winery. Well, I thought it was time to check it out.

When we arrived at Rubicon (formally named Niebaum Coppola Winery) we were instructed by the parking attendant/security guard to go inside the Chateau and pay our guest fee. There was a $25 per person entry fee which included a tasting of 5 wines, a guided tour* and access to the Chateau’s museum and exhibits. We had about 50 minutes before our tour so we walked around the museum and then had our tasting. The ladies that were pouring in the tasting room that morning were a hoot. They were friendly and fun. Rubicon Estate is where Francis has decided to exclusively showcase all his higher end wines. Mike and I were blown away with the selections. The Zin was robust but not overly peppery like so many other Cali Zins. The highlight was the “Rubicon,” a Bordeaux style red that uses only organically grown estate grapes. It’s mild enough to drink now or will age perfectly for another 15 years. Another thing that impressed Mike was that the wines were not overpriced… just like his favorite winery, Phelps. As we finished our tasting the tour started.

The 30 minute tour took us on a walk around the grounds and explained the history of the estate. It was very educational. We learned that Coppola has moved all his lower end everyday wines to a 2nd winery called Rosso & Bianco in Geyserville, CA (it’s currently being remodeled but I’m sure we will make a trip soon). The Rubicon estate was beautiful and a landmark not to be missed. Our visit went surprisingly well. We arrived with no expectations and left with a couple bottles of wine and a wine club membership so we will be returning.

Front yard of the Coppola Family Home --straight ahead behind the mass of trees is their house

*Note: If you want to take the tour that’s included with your entry fee sign up early! The tours run 3 times a day (11:30,1:30,3:30) with only 20 people and its first come first serve. When we arrived at 10:20am we were the last 2 people that made the 11:30am tour. I would suggest coming in before 11am and signing up for whatever time you want.

Website: http://www.rubiconestate.com/

Filed under: Napa Valley | Tagged: Francis Ford Coppola, napa, Niebaum Coppola Winery, Rosso & Bianco, Rubicon Estate Winery, wine |