What does winemaker Corey Beck have to say about the Francis Coppola Reserve Viognier? Click here to find out.

Always wanting to bring variety to her guests, Melissa Cotè, Senior Associate for our online store, notes, “The Viognier is one of my favorites; hands down. It's unique, perfect for warmer weather, and I often serve it to my friends who don't enjoy white wine. The evening always ends with rave reviews and requests for more!”


WHY TRY VIOGNIER?
Viognier is a French Rhone wine varietal that is quickly rising to the top as an American favorite, and California is its newest realm with about 2000 acres planted. And, as WinePros.com puts it, "Both Chardonnay and Viognier share tropical fruit flavors and a creamy mouthfeel. Even with little or no wood aging, Viognier can be as full-bodied as an oaky Chardonnay, but has much more distinctive fruit character. It also has a typically deep-golden color, as well as rich and intense flavor."

THE WINERY
The Francis Ford Coppola Winery was established in 2006 in Sonoma County, California to celebrate wine, food and adventure. Our winery is a place where guests can enjoy new wine experiences, have fun with friends and family, be entertained and savor life’s simple pleasures.

FRANCIS COPPOLA RESERVE
In keeping with the Coppola promise to make every visit to the winery memorable and unique, we’ve created the Francis Coppola Reserve label—limited-production wines that showcase distinctive vineyards from Sonoma’s renowned appellations. Our Director of Winemaking, Corey Beck, hand-selects exceptional lots of fruit from these prestigious vineyards for crafting
small-batch wines exclusively for winery guests, wine club members, and those who shop with us online. Each lot is crushed, fermented, and aged separately through the final blending stage to ensure the finished wine is worthy of the ‘Reserve’ title.

THE LABEL
The artwork of film production designer Dean Tavoularis graces the labels of our FC Reserve wines. Tavoularis met Francis Coppola during the making of The Godfather and the two artists have continued to collaborate over the years on a variety of creative projects, including more than a dozen films, the courtyard and fountain of Rubicon Estate in Napa Valley and the interiors and exteriors of the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma.

LILY’S VINEYARD
Situated only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Russian River Valley is heavily influenced by the cool, foggy coastal climate. Our Viognier originates in Lily’s Vineyard, which is located in the heart of the Russian River Valley. The vineyard terrain is composed of sandy, clay loam soils, which is one of the defining characteristics of the entire region. Marked by an outcropping of undulating hills, Lily’s Vineyard utilizes specialized trellis systems that maximize air flow and capture of the sun. This is important in a cool climate such as this one because there is a pervasive fog—and subsequently excess moisture—that requires moderation by sun exposure. However, because nighttime temperatures are thirty to forty degrees cooler than daytime temps, grapes here have the ability to accumulate concentration by ripening over a longer period of time. Likewise, the cooler weather helps the grapes retain their acidity. As a result, our Lily’s Vineyard Viognier strikes a lovely balance between rich, ripe fruit and crisp, natural acidity, which is often hard to achieve in warmer climates.

THE WINE
Our grapes are harvested in the early morning hours because cool temperatures ensure that the fruit retains its essential acidity. Likewise, the grapes are crushed and fermented at a cool temperature to protect the delicacy of this varietal. Finishing occurs in stainless steel so that the resulting wine maintains a soft, silky texture, beautiful floral aromas and bright juicy flavors of passion fruit, candied citrus peel and spice.

Appellation: Russian River Valley
Blend: 100% Viognier
Alcohol: 14.5%
Aged: 100% Stainless Steel