June 2 – Coppola Winemaker Corey Beck
This week it’s all about Francis Ford Coppola’s journey in wine and some of the great products being produced. Who better to talk about the winery than winemaker Corey Beck. www.franciscoppolawinery.com
“Harvest is not only about turning grapes into wine, but it’s a reflection of Mother nature’s work throughout the growing season.” –Corey Beck
Corey Beck
Corey Beck began his career in viticulture quite by accident as a teen, tagging alongside his grandfather who was, in those years, the vineyard manager for Napa Valley’s renowned Chateau Montelena. Born and raised in Calistoga, Corey spent summer vacations working in the vineyards learning how to cultivate grapes.
Upon earning his degree in Fermentation Science from the University of California at Davis, Corey returned to Napa Valley to work at Chateau Montelena as their Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Master, working with grapes his grandfather had planted two decades earlier. Wanting to broaden his repertoire and work with other varietals as well, Corey joined Rubicon Estate (formerly Niebaum-Coppola) in 1998 as their assistant winemaker.
In 2006, the Coppola family purchased property in Sonoma and made Corey Director of Winemaking and General Manager of the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Corey now oversees seven wine brands including Diamond Collection, Rosso & Bianco, Sofia, FC Reserve, Votre Santé, plus Director’s and Director’s Cut, which are the two brands that express Corey’s own personal vision for Sonoma County wines.
We’ll be talking about Corey’s Journey in wine, all there is to do at this show-place winery, the vineyards, the many products produced and then focus on the Diamond Collection.
Good Life Guy’s Wines of The Week:
The Coppola Diamond Collection
The wines of the Diamond Collection are made from grapes grown in vineyards across California, from coastal regions to inland valleys. By carefully combining fruit selections with precise winemaking techniques, we are able to capture pure expressions of each varietal.
With twelve single varietals and two distinctive blends, the Francis Coppola Diamond Collection wines are so beautifully diverse, there is one to fit any setting and every wine-drinking occasion.
100% Cabernet Franc; Chinon Pensées de Pallus – the estate’s second wine – smells of fresh blackberry and mulberry, raw walnut, incense, wild fennel, and smoked meat. Like a dense yet vibrant and refreshing mingling of fresh dark berry juices, burley tobacco, and savory fennel seed- and black pepper-laced sausage, this fills and invigorates the palate, finishing with tart notes of berry skin and faintly bitter hints of nut husk and artichoke.
