Francis Ford Coppola Winery

In 1973, a year after the success of the film *The Godfather*, Francis Ford Coppola and his wife Eleanor purchased a property at Inglenook in the Rutherford area of California. At that time, the property did not include the castle or the vineyards along State Route 29, but consisted solely of a large house and vineyards on the hillsides.

It wasn't until 1995, following the box-office success of "Dracula," that Francis Ford Coppola purchased the château and the vineyards surrounding it. This acquisition convinced the director to seriously pursue the production of high-quality wines, notably by hiring qualified staff to manage the vineyard.

With the purchase of the château, Francis Ford Coppola inheriteda stock of 480,000 bottles of wine, labeled under the former owner’s brand. He therefore decided to redesign the label and proposed a diamond shape. That’s when the “Diamond Collection” line was launched. This was a huge success that helped boost the volume of production at Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

The Inglenook vineyard is one of the leading names in Napa Valley, recognized as one of the best regions for producing Cabernet Sauvignon in California. That is why, in 2011, Francis Ford Coppola recruited Philippe Bascaules, the director of operations at Château Margaux. The goal of this initiative was to highlight Inglenook’s terroir by harvesting grapes earlier and reducing yields.