2015 Claret Francis Coppola Winery

I found this Claret bottle draped with golden netting. I bought it, because I don’t recall ever drinking a Claret. I started opening it by removing the netting; began removing its neck foil. I heard a terrible, loud screeching of tires onto the driveway. The front door flew open, and a very well-dressed man entered! “Bond. James Bond, here”, he announced and then briskly asked, “Is that Claret chilled to a proper 16.5 Celsius degrees?” “No”, I replied. “It is chilled to only 62 Fahrenheit degrees!” …And here stood agent 007 was investigating a Bordeaux red: his Aston Martin purring in the driveway, wearing a grey herringbone track-stripe suit with extra shoulder space for his Walther PPK. “Every Claret needs a bit more chill.” With that, 007 turned on his heal, leaving as he entered. And then, I heard the Aston Martin tires squeal over the pavement, driving like the wind to another assignment. The winemaker labeled this a “Claret”, even though the grapes were California rather than Bordeaux, France. The intent was replicating a 1910 style Cabernet Sauvignon blend. In tasting, the nose is floral; it owns a deep red color with full, rich legs. At first taste, there is plum. Afterwards, it offers black current and dark cacao. It finishes smooth with oak tannin. A Cab by another other name: Claret. Coppola winery bottled with an artificial cork, which cheats the buyer. It’s a drink it now wine.