Francis Ford Coppola Eleanor spotlight
The official CoppolaWine channel presents Eleanor, Francis Ford Coppola's tribute bottling named for Eleanor Coppola, the same wine as this 2021 Sonoma Cabernet-Syrah.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2021 Francis Ford Coppola Eleanor Red across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $35.66 and the average is $66.03. Our slash is $45.00.
2021 Francis Ford Coppola Eleanor Red, USA
Francis Ford Coppola's tribute to Eleanor, Sonoma Cabernet-Syrah after 18 months in 80 percent new French oak, a 2021 you can open at forty-five dollars.
The 2021 Eleanor is 62 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with 30 percent Syrah, Petite Sirah, and a little more Sonoma red: cacao, dark plum, mocha, and clove after 18 months in 80 percent new French oak, now $45.
A family-named Sonoma red, not a faceless California blend
Eleanor is the bottle Francis Ford Coppola built as a tribute to Eleanor Coppola after fifty years of marriage. The 2021 is Sonoma fruit: Cabernet for the frame, Syrah for breadth, 18 months in 80 percent new French oak. Wine Enthusiast found cherry jam, blackberry compote, and plum skin with cinnamon, cedar, and black pepper, then rich black fruit on plush tannin with a raspberry-lime lift. This is the Coppola red that carries a person's name, priced so you can actually pull the cork.
The house
Francis and Eleanor Coppola bought Inglenook in 1975, then built the Sonoma winery on the former Chateau Souverain site. Eleanor is the personal bottle inside that family arc.
The wine
62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 4% Petite Sirah, 4% other. Eighteen months in French oak, 80% new. 15% ABV.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 90, Tom R. Capo: cherry jam, blackberry compote, plum skin, cinnamon, cedar, black pepper, plush tannin.
The drinker
Mocha and clove first. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Garlic-butter steak bites or beef carpaccio.
Dark fruit, then mocha, clove, and a Cabernet frame
Wine Enthusiast found cherry jam, blackberry compote, and plum skin with cinnamon, cedar, and black pepper, then rich black fruit, plush tannin, and a streak of raspberry-lime acidity. The winery sheet adds cacao, dark plum, and tobacco on the nose, then mocha, chocolate, blueberry, and clove through a long, structured close.
A cold, dry start and a lighter crop, then mild-to-warm weather that tightened concentration. The 2021 drinks as density and spice rather than simple jam.
Cherry jam, blackberry, plum skin, cacao, dark plum, tobacco, cinnamon, cedar, black pepper.
Full, 15% ABV, plush tannin, 18 months in 80% new French oak, a Cabernet frame under Syrah breadth.
Mocha, blueberry, clove, raspberry-lime lift. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Cabernet structure, Syrah breadth, then 80 percent new French oak
On the Francis Ford Coppola Winery sheet, the 2021 Eleanor is 62 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Syrah, 4 percent Petite Sirah, and 4 percent other varieties, raised 18 months in French oak barrels with 80 percent new wood. That elevage is why cacao, mocha, tobacco, and clove sit on dark plum and blueberry instead of turning the wine into toast.
Sonoma fruit supplies polish and structure. Cabernet keeps the finish upright. Syrah fills the middle. Petite Sirah is a small stitch of color and grip.
At 15 percent alcohol the wine is generous. Thirty to 45 minutes of air is for perfume and the clove close, not a rescue.
Named for Eleanor, built inside a family wine story
Eleanor exists because Francis Ford Coppola wanted his wife, collaborator, and fellow filmmaker to have a wine of her own.
Francis met Eleanor in 1962 in Dublin on his first feature. They bought the Napa Inglenook property in 1975, then expanded into Sonoma on the former Chateau Souverain site.
After fifty years of marriage he named this cuvee for her: wife, mother, artist, filmmaker, collaborator, and inspiration.
The 2021 is that tribute in a Sonoma Cabernet-Syrah bottle, not a second-label leftover from the Diamond or Director's Cut lines.
Browned butter, cracked pepper, and a steakhouse plate
Dark fruit, mocha, and plush tannin want beef, garlic, and a little fat. Carpaccio keeps it raw and bright. Steak bites echo the clove and mocha.
Two plates. One skillet of garlic-butter steak bites. One beef carpaccio. Both can take Eleanor's tannin and spice.
Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Wide bowls. Air is for mocha and clove.
Steak Bites Recipe with Garlic Butter
A hot pan, garlic, butter, and browned beef. Eleanor's weeknight steakhouse landing.
Why it works: Browned butter and garlic soften Cabernet tannin while char pulls mocha, clove, and dark fruit through the glass.
View Recipe for garlic butter steak bites (opens in a new tab)
Beef Carpaccio (Carpaccio di Manzo)
Raw beef, olive oil, Parmigiano, and arugula. Enough salt and fat for a plush Sonoma red without a heavy roast.
Why it works: Olive oil and cheese cushion tannin. Pepper and raw beef echo cedar, black pepper, and plum skin.
View Recipe for beef carpaccio (opens in a new tab)Put this Eleanor in the cart
Named for Eleanor Coppola. Wine Enthusiast 90. Sonoma Cabernet-Syrah, 80 percent new French oak. Forty-five dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the Coppola tribute red for a table that wants mocha, clove, and a name that means something.
