Francis Coppola Sofia Rosé (750 ml)

Francis Coppola came off an early vintage last year only to break the record and have an even earlier season in 2015. As one might expect, because the season commenced ahead of schedule, it ended quite early as well. Premature budbreak ramped things up and warm spring temperatures continued throughout the summer, which led to good ripening. The drought conditions the California vineyard has been experiencing for years helped reduce yields, which always contributes to beautiful concentration in the grapes. By August, Coppola’s white varietals had reached maturity and harvest was underway with red grapes following several weeks later. The crop exhibited excellent color and intense flavor, yielding very high-quality fruit for the fourth year in a row. For this wine, the grapes are harvested at a lower brix to ensure the wine remains light in character to pair well with food. Immediately after being picked, the fruit is brought into the winery, crushed and destemmed. For color extraction, the grapes are cold soaked for 48 hours before the juice is separated from the skins. Coppola then ferments at a cool temperature to retain the fruit’s inviting aromatics, which is so important for this style of wine.